Bahooka for Sale... AGAIN!?!

Read about it here...

http://www.lamag.com/citythink/askchris/2013/04/19/tiki-paradise-bahooka-for-saleagain

So we lost a SoCal Tiki iconic landmark because someone watched too much TLC house flippers?

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU#%@#@%$%$#%$#%#%#$%$#%#$%#$@#$#@$%@%@%@@$@#$@%^%^%$^$^$&$#%@#$$#$#$@$@@$#$@$@#$@$@$@$@$@$#@%$#$#@$@#@$@@$@# ACK!

I heard this news from Marty Lush this morning! I certainly hope that someone is maintaining the fishtanks during all of this! Has anyone peeked in and checked?

Look, as I've posted before (in the Bahooka thread), we were all so darn lucky to have Bahooka for nearly fifty years. The owners were ready to retire and got an offer they couldn't refuse. No one can blame them for taking it. We're just sad we can't eat and play there anymore. No one hates losing this place more than we do!

Even though its decor will be given a new home later this year at Clifton's, the Bahooka building itself is one-of-a-kind. We will not see its type again. No one would go to this trouble to build something like this again. Meandering hallways leading to rendezvous-worthy tables, dark and mysterious. Perfectly designed for fun dining and good times. Not to mention the soothing, bubbling fishtanks that surrounded everyone. THAT'S what I hope will be saved. Sure, turn it into a Chinese restaurant or an Korean BBQ place for ten years or more. But SAVE the building and don't gut the interior!

Look, I may just be dreaming here. The value of this property will be determined entirely by whoever buys it and how expansive their imagination is. However, like Kelbo's (on Pico), IF the structure can be left alone, it will still have charm AND, more important, it will have the POTENTIAL of possibly being returned to a nautical-Tiki establishment one day.

On 2013-04-20 18:10, Tangaroa-Ru wrote:
I heard this news from Marty Lush this morning! I certainly hope that someone is maintaining the fishtanks during all of this! Has anyone peeked in and checked?

Look, as I've posted before (in the Bahooka thread), we were all so darn lucky to have Bahooka for nearly fifty years. The owners were ready to retire and got an offer they couldn't refuse.

Let's not sugar coat this tough pill to swallow. The place was on the market for one day. ONE DAY Before the asking price was met and the ball started rolling. I fully expect it to be bought up and turned into a parking lot, as one potential buyer wanted it for.

You do realize, if you paid attention tot he Bahooka thread, that they pretty much gutted the place out already of the unique design and booths. Someone went over during Easter weekend and took photos of them tearing down some of the old design. The fish tanks are currently empty.

All I'm saying is that the family, about to retire, could have probably found another buyer who, at the very least, wouldn't have used this as some method to make a quick buck off the property.

I think that's what gets me. If another restaurant was put in there by this new owner, it would have been better than some flipper coming in, paying the basic that the family neede

Edit: I guess this is just a kick while down because not only did they take away a tiki icon, but they it's clear they didn't even want the building in itself as they only saw that there was a profit to be made by flipping the damn thing.

That's what really stings about this.

[ Edited by: tikijackskeleton 2013-04-20 20:08 ]

[ Edited by: tikijackskeleton 2013-04-20 20:18 ]

So the property is back on the market, but is not the rest of this talk
just speculation? does anyone have any facts to bring to light?
before we just start assuming what is going to happen.

the lame part ( as usual) is that the people with money to do such things are clueless and have no vision.

On 2013-04-20 21:44, Sophista-tiki wrote:
the lame part ( as usual) is that the people with money to do such things are clueless and have no vision.

That's the real bummer in this. Bahooka's is gutted and long since dead. Just a husk remains. And the out come is the new owner just bought it for the sake of flipping it because of the real estate being worth more than a desperate previous family member owner's level of worth was so undervalued. But hey, what can you expect when they were hard up for medical payment money.

On 2013-04-21 02:17, tikijackskeleton wrote:

On 2013-04-20 21:44, Sophista-tiki wrote:
the lame part ( as usual) is that the people with money to do such things are clueless and have no vision.

That's the real bummer in this. Bahooka's is gutted and long since dead. Just a husk remains. And the out come is the new owner just bought it for the sake of flipping it because of the real estate being worth more than a desperate previous family member owner's level of worth was so undervalued. But hey, what can you expect when they were hard up for medical payment money.

true- the buyer smelled blood in the water and fed the bahooka a line of B.S. about opening a another place. They probably never intended to open a new place there but took advantage of the owner that needed money. everyone was duped. you can probably expect a fitness cetner to go up on the spot of the bahooka. No point in crying about it now. let's focus on the places that are still around, that we CAN go eat and drink at.

When it comes to the decor, does anybody know exactly how much of it is left (besides the fish tanks)? Did Meieran buy it all? Did the suddenly former owners junk some of it? What exactly happened?

From the easter pictures posted in the bahooka thread, it seems like some fixtures were still around and the (empty) fish tanks were still in there. But I imagine they sold the majority of what wasn't too hard bolted down.

Alright, so we generally know about the interior, but one other thing hasn't been clarified (at least for me): what happened to the stuff outside (i.e., the lifeboats and anti-aircraft gun)? Did they keep those things there? Anyone seen the property lately? Wish I lived closer to Rosemead, so I could check myself :P.

I drove by it today. The anti-air canon and boat is still hanging up. It was rather sad to see the for lease sign out front.

Any updates on the building? I actually hadn't thought about it in several months, and discovered this morning that the real estate listing is no longer up. Did the place sell? At this point, I don't hold out much hope that this will end up being a tiki destination again, but I am curious as to what the building might become, as well as what will happen to the things that remain (mainly the fish tanks and fish, anti-aircraft cannon, and lifeboats). Anybody happen to know anything at all? Thanks.

Drove by last weekend. The WWII decor remains, as does the "for lease" sign.
Wouldn't someone trying to flip the property have a strip mall developer already lined up?