Heads Up!!!

My friend Brad Fisher called me up tonight and said that he was getting ready to list his Imperial Luau tiki on E-bay...This is the third tiki from the find, the one he took for co-financing the deal when I tracked the other two to Atlanta and we went and bought them. It's the one in the left background in the photo in the BOT. If I could or would ever be able to afford to own all three I'd be on this like life itself. This is an incredible tiki artifact. As soon as he sends me the item number I'll post it here for my fellow TC members. I just hope it finds the home it deserves...(sigh)

what page in BOT?

Here it is.. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=29460&item=2153297045 His is the one in the left background in the BOT picture on page 24.

Another big ticket item for you heavy hitters. Shag original painting "Mr Blue" on Ebay.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=20135&item=935407856&rd=1

Kailuageoff was that you? If so I'm glad he's going back to Florida after all these years.

Yup, it's a hellova lotta bread but Wahine Marian said I could spend my bonus on it. I'm just really grateful you guys found these. Mahalo.

Congragulations! That's the coolest that you got it. When Brad said he was selling this I went into a rite panic that it would be lost forever. I keep ours in a climate controlled room with a humidistat (65 percent constant!). You'll love it...they're all amazing. Now if we could only track where (somewhere in California) the other three went....

Ha! It DID find a good home! ( ...it would have also at Randy's, or my friend Dug's place, the previous two bidders). Sigh of relief!
Geoff, now you have to research the place in Pompano Beach. Congrats my man!

On 2003-01-14 21:35, bigbrotiki wrote:
Ha! It DID find a good home! ( ...it would have also at Randy's, or my friend Dug's place, the previous two bidders). Sigh of relief!

Geoff, congrats on the acquistion! I'm glad it found a good home in one of us.

Thanx Basement Kahuna and Bigbro. Because I've semi-narrowed my tiki focus to Florida this was way too good to pass up. In fact, I have to admit I was jealous as hell when Kahuna unearthed it.
My mother-in-law lives in Pompano Beach, which is next Mai-Kai land in Ft. Lauderdale, so I'll do what I can to get more data.

Geoff,

Congratulations on your winning bid! I grew up in Pompano Beach in the 70's and remember the site where I think the Imperial Luau stood. By this time it was a chinese restaurant called Harris Imperial House. My parents took me there a few times. The only thing I remember about it was that it was an all you can eat chinese buffet frequented by retirees and Canadian snowbirds and tourists. No recollection of the decor.

BINGO! Here's Bigbro's description from the postcard: bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite

Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 569 Posted: 2002-11-16 10:03

Quote:

On 2002-11-16 09:17, Basement Kahuna wrote:
I'd love to know who the carver was....as elaborate and accurate a "Ku" as it is I am guessing it was an Oceanic Arts job but maybe you (Yoda) have a theory of your own.

No, I am at a loss there myself, and very fascinated by who did it. There is nothing in all of Oceanic Arts' oeuvre that resembles this style, I have not seen anything like it in American Tiki carving, so I do think in this case they were actually made where the postcard states (full text):

HARRIS IMPERIAL "World's Wondrous Dining Palace"
ATA on the Ocean
Pompano Beach, Florida Phone; Whitehall 1-2231

KON-TIKI BAR in the IMPERIAL LOUNGE, Harris' Imperial restaurant....features bar idols imported from Tahiti and extensive wall treatment of imported Cuban stone. Intimate and unique...gathering place of the local and visiting socialites as well as celebrities for the "Imperial Luau" cocktail hour from 4 to 6.
Inspired by....Sam Harris

Color photography by Rey Scott, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.

Looks like some old yellow pages at the library would easily determine when she closed AND when Sam Harris moved away.

Hey, wasn't Sam Harris that blonde haired guy who sang "Over the Rainbow" on Star Search in the 80's?

Wait a sec...wrong Sam Harris...

Hey, wasn't Sam Harris that blonde haired guy who sang "Over the Rainbow" on Star Search in the 80's?

Wait a sec...wrong Sam Harris...

Hey PolyPop,
Were you one of the bidders on this tiki? If so, mahalo for the graciuos attitude.
KG

Geoff,
I wasn't a bidder on this auction (too rich for my blood) but I'm just happy one of us TC'ers got the tiki. I'm sure anybody who was willing to shell out the cash for that thing is an appreciator of it but, if a non-Tiki Central collector won then it may still disappear into oblivion into their own private collection never to be enjoyed by us again. And in my opinion, that's almost like it was lost.

Many a discussion has been had with the premise "Whatever happened to the tiki from ....." What's great about a TC'er picking up these items is we still get to enjoy them; in posts, visits, etc. Some examples include Aquarj's Lanai Tiki, Basement Kahuan's Imperial Luau Tiki, and now your Imperial Luau Tiki. We know these guys are in good hands.

*** * * The Polynesian Popster * * ***

[ Edited by: PolynesianPop on 2003-01-16 10:08 ]

[ Edited by: polynesianpop on 2003-01-16 15:40 ]

Congrats bradda Geoff, I'll have to stop by see it when I'm in Florida! I agree with Poly Pop, it's nice to see TC locals get items like that to share with the group for many years.

Aloha & good mana to you, Basement Kahuna & friend Brad,
The Imperial Luau tiki arrived today in fine shape and is even more impressive than I imagined. The packing job was worthy of the British museum, so thanks for that too.
It was kind of amusing picking it up this morining. First off it's my wife's birthday and do you think I bought her anything that costs this much? No way and I'm in trouble.
Then the guy in our office warehouse calls me and says he wants to know what to do with the two beds they have for me on the loading dock. I had to think about it for a minute before I realized it was the tiki packed in two bed boxes. I told him they were props for a trade show, but I'm not sure if he believed me.
Then, because it is below freezing today in Orlando -- which only happens once per year -- I had the pleasure of transporting the boxes home in our convertible with the top down. Well, let's just say I got some looks.
Next, I get the boxes in the house and the cleaning lady shows up. First of all, she already thinks I'm whacked because of all the freakin mugs and stuff she has to clean around, so when she saw me standing over the two boxes I thought she might just start screaming at me.
Instead, she politely asked what was inside and if she could clean around them. I told her it was a giant tiki from Tahiti and I would have it out of the box in a jiffy and then get out of her way.
After I said it, I realized how weird it must have sounded to her. She took it in stride however, just looking at me and giggling like I had completely lost my mind -- which I probably have -- and then said, "I knew you were home because I saw your car with the top off and your hula girl".
Anyway,I think that pretty much sums up my tiki's arrival in its new home.
Mahalo dudes!

KailuaGeoff, that whole experience sounds about normal to me. You should have seen me cringe when a coworker poked at my plasma moai! Hands off!

Congratulations on the tiki. He's in good hands.

BULA!

Exactly Kentiki...
Just like the natives of old Polynesia, our obsession has no shame.

Hey Kailuageoff,
I meant to toss in a congrats too, as I was the bidder you topped on that auction. I guess that means in some ways I cost you a few hundred bucks - sorry about that. Or in the "glass half full" version, maybe I should thank you for saving me a big chunk of dough! Fun hearing your story about getting the tiki and taking it home. Maybe someday I'll see it in person! Best,

-Randy

Glad you like! That's a hell of a tiki, isn't it? Glad to know that Brad got it there in one piece, too!