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Official Introductions Thread. New Members, Post your introduction here...

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Hanalei Pirate, Trader Mack, Kala ~

Aloha and Welcome to Tiki Central!

T

Hi everyone! I've been reading TC for months but just decided to "jump on board" today and say HELLO! I'm from Sunny San Diego but unfortunately wasn't able to make Oasis. I was bummed but school calls....(and so do mom's) haa
I guess I've always liked the Hawaiian memorabilia along with Tiki's because my Grandparents lived in Hawaii for many years and had quite a few artifacts around the house as I grew up. Unfortunately my Grandparents have now passed away, but I still own my Grandfathers very large tiki head carving he made years ago along with all the 50's bamboo furniture with the orange and baby blue cushions. I currently "dabble" in buying some of the Shag Tiki mugs along with picking up any odd ones I like at the moment. I'm a native San Diegan but have yet to visit the Bali Hai.
I worked for about 15 years in the banking industry, didn't like it so I quit last year and now am a full time student who will be transferring to CSU San Marcos in the fall.
I'm looking forward to chatting with all of you and learning all I can about Tiki. Mahalo!

[ Edited by: tikichic on 2003-05-16 18:07 ]

TD

Aloha-
I finally decided to join after peeking around for quite some time. I am from the Detroit area (home of Chin Tiki) and have been in love with Tiki for a couple years now. I really look forward to chatting about Tiki and maybe even meeting some of you at the events.

Tiki D and tikichic, Aloha and Welcome to the tribe! Nice to have you both on board.

N

Hello all. I'm new here, though I've been enchanted with tiki for a few years now. I'm on a mission to see the Luau Room in Louisville, KY re-opened, but I'll post about that elsewhere. Just wanted to introduce myself.

[ Edited by: Nineveh on 2003-05-17 11:23 ]

Just wanted to say hello. I'm brand spanking new here. Trying to figure out how things work here, althought I'm completely lost.

[ Edited by: Cheekygirl on 2003-05-21 23:33 ]

M

Hello Polynesian Pop!

Welcome to Tiki Central, glad to have you around. There are lots of nice folks here, make yourself comfortable and don't be shy.

midnite

ps Well, I don't think anyone ever welcomed Adrian, did they? Plus, I am just kissing up the TC "Man". Next, I have to wash Martiki's car.

Aloha & welcome tikichic,
As a fellow San Diegan, my advice to you is ...GET DOWN TO THE BALI HAI! This place is so cool and one of the most unspoiled local tiki treasures this town has left (not to undercut Trader Mort's)to offer. You'll have a really good time surrounded by classic tiki artifacts & 60's decor, drink good drinks served by freindly folks and most importantly - support a local tiki bar / restaurant so the place doesn't go the way of the Hanalei (not totally gone, but compromised) and be bought up buy some dickhead corporate conglomerate who'll turn it into another Red Lobster or something.

Welcome to TC Tikichic, TikiD, Nineveh, and CheekyGirl. Feel free to join in the fray.

On 2003-05-21 23:42, midnite_tiki wrote:
Hello Polynesian Pop!

Welcome to Tiki Central, glad to have you around. There are lots of nice folks here, make yourself comfortable and don't be shy.

midnite

Thanks Midnite - I think I'll put my feet up and stay awhile. Of course might be tough not being shy, what with being kind of an introvert and all... :)


**Poly-Pop ***

[ Edited by: PolynesianPop on 2003-05-22 08:55 ]

I've been collecting tiki items for about 4 years. I attended Tiki Oasis 2&3 as well as Mondotiki so figured I should complete the tiki geek process and join TC!

Aloha Hanford,
Long time lookyloo, first time posting under new name. (previously "1morelapulapu" new name "shakatiki") I'm a Capricorn with a bad moon rising. I enjoy luaus, bossanova and women in coconut bras. "I have a penchant for buggery....as a child we spent summers in Rangoon wearing meat helmets." Whew! OK I did it! Hey that wasn't so hard. I'll try posting again later. Mahalo for a killer platform for us tiki geeks!

T

Hey Shipwreckjoey! Another fellow San Diegian...cool! I know I should really make it down to the Bali Hai what with being only about 15 minutes from tribal bliss. I have a friend here in town who's family goes there every year for the holidays. He tells me it's wonderful, I just haven't made the "long trek" yet to see the place. :wink: Maybe after this next week of finals I can head down there to relive some stress. Is the Bali Hai just a dining establishment or can you sit at the bar and just have drinks? I know Tiki Farm makes the infamous "Bali Hai" mugs for them that they sell but any chance of ordering a drink and being able to keep a tiki mug? Just curious....

[ Edited by: tikichic on 2003-05-22 19:08 ]

J
JTD posted on Thu, May 22, 2003 8:14 PM

tikichic,
Yes, one can just sit at the bar upstairs and order drinks - and still enjoy the great view (view starts getting blurry after 3 drinks though - don't know why). There are only about 8 seats at the bar, so you may end up standing.
Mr Bali Hai can be purchased with a Mai Tai (I think) in it or empty. No $$ advantage one way or the other. Just don't do like I did and end up with a mug and a lid of differing shades of brown. There's also a gift shop downstairs that has Mr Bali Hai shot glasses.
Have fun. Wish I was back out there.
-JTD

M

I'm new to Tiki and looking for info lounges in far Northern California and Southern Oregon

Hello all. I just signed up yesterday. Im from Reno Nevada. I have been using this forum for quite sometime to support my Tiki needs. I also found some great information on this site about vintage neon. I have a friend who saves old neon before it goes to the dump.I collect many sorts of "Tiki" type items. ie: Giant wood spoons & forks (I have more that I know what to do with), tiki mugs, anything polynesian,hawaiian, tropical etc.
I've always liked these things for many years. I also collect other things too.. I love vintage barware, 50's lamps, vintage textiles, vintage western memorabila.. I could go on and on with what I like to collect. I also like to craft. Recently I have been making plaster tiki wall hangings. I know, it's been done before but it's new to me..I made the mistake yesterday adding a link to my ebay auctions to the collectables forum. I did not get a very welcoming response and I understand why. Sorry:( However from time to time I would like to add links to my auctions for anyone interested. If your not, then please pass on by..

On another note, I have a mold from 1967 for a tiki mug by Duncan. I would like to post a picture of it soon to see if anyone knows if it's indigenous to any resturants from the 60's. It has 2 tiki guys, both are different. As soon as I figure out how to post a pic I will.

Thank you to all of you who have been kind to me and helped ease the shock of my first post. you know who you are..

[ Edited by: MonkeyPaw on 2003-05-29 13:32 ]

Hey MonkeyPaw, welcome to TC and don't worry about those grumpy old fuggers!

I guess it's just an old unwritten rule that your first post shouldn't be advertising a product. There have been problems in the past with spammers and by confronting them with a deluge of abuse it tends to get nipped in the bud nicely. But, occasionally "the wheat gets thrown out with the chaff", and this seems to have happened here.

Anyway, you've stuck around - now get stuck in!

Trader Woody

Thank you for your reply Trader Woody! I have to admit for a moment I was soured.. but I think I will stick around for awhile!

C

Welcome MonkeyPaw! Glad to see you weathered the storm and stuck around! I lived up there when I was young, mostly Incline, but some time in Reno too.

Hi CultJam
Incline is nice. I live so close to the lake..but raley go visit. I should go more often..

S

Hello everyone,

Made a few posts before I actually introduced myself. How rude! Actually met a few of you at the Tiki Farm bash earlier this year. Good people.

I'm in Glendale California (where Damon's is) and going to school again at 46 to get a teaching (special ed.) credential. (Nothing better than a Zombie or two after a day of wrangling emotionally disturbed 3rd graders!) Used to live and do a little performing in S.F., but can't move back unless I win the lottery.

I'm a big lounge and exotica music fan and REALLY enjoy the music related posts. If your interests cross over into sixties spy music, I have a little web site you can check out:

Glad to be aboard, and thanks for being here!

Mahalo!

Aloha spy-tiki,
Welcome to TC. Cool spy site! I'm always up for a good '60's spy movie / TV show. I remember back when I got my 1st VCR, the next thing I knew I was down at my local video store picking up every James Bond tape I could get my hands on (starting with Dr. No and continuing on up). You don't happen to have any old Hawaiian Eye footage (DVD, VHS, 16mm) laying around do you?

T

just saying hi! Never realized there was so much. but i love this stuff! Anyway, not sure what else to tell ya or where to start - where do I find Tiki 101?

Aloha Tikibaby and Welcome to Tiki Central! To answer your question, you've already found Tiki 101 here at Tiki Central. Stick around - I guarantee you'll learn everything you need to know!

Welcome Aboard.

S

hey Shipwreckjoey,

I don't have any, but check this site. It's a good place to start:

http://www.thevideobeat.com

Good luck!

S

Greetings fellow Tiki freaks! I have been a member for a few weeks now and just found this thread for new members. I guess I'm lucky I didn't recieve the scoldings some of the other newbies got regarding advertising stuff for sale!! I make (and sell) Tiki art. In fact, a very active TCer recently purchased something from me, and then insisted that I get on board here at TC. So here I am.

I've been into Tiki for about seven years now. My wife and I had a Vintage/Retro shop in Portland for a short time where we sold everything from vintage clothing to furniture, and my Tiki fascination started there. Shortly after, we stayed at a friends place in Los Angeles who has the most amazing collection I have seen anywhere. In fact, some of the rare items featured in The Book Of TIKI are from his personal collection. His place this bizarre, kind of, Tiki museum. After a few days of being surrounded by wall to wall Tiki and 24 hour exotica music the transformation was complete. The virus had firmly taken hold. From that point on, we began growing our collection, and because we do alot of road trips, and usually way, way off the beaten path, our collection grew really fast! But something was missing. Mugs and ashtrays just weren't doing it for me. My friends pad had all these big Tikis that really made the scene, and I just wasn't finding that kind of stuff. So, long story short, I started making it myself. It took a few years, and I'm still learning everything as I go, but I really love making this stuff, and I really love hearing back from folks who buy it and love it too !!! I make concrete sculptures and castings, primarily intended as yard and garden art, but they work great indoors as well. Some of the sculptures are made into lamps. I also make all kinds of plaques and signs, and have done a few carvings as well. I just finished a huge 3 ft tall Moai fountain head that spits water out his mouth that I am particularly proud of. We live in the small Oregon Coastal town of Waldport, which has this surreal David Lynch feel to it- perfect! We visit Portland quite often and thanks to Tiki Central, have met some of the Portland Tiki community already. I am really looking forward to this years grand opening of the Castaway Cove.

Thanks to all who have already been so welcoming to me, and even more thanks to those that chose not to give me a hard time for pushing my art so quickly after joining! Mrs.Seamus fully supports my artistic endeavors, but only so long as the bills get paid.... I look forward to hours and hours of reading and posting here. I have already gained a wealth of information, not to mention pointless entertainment!
my website: http://home.earthlink.net/~seamus23

Cheers,
Seamus

M

Hey Seamus, I'm rather new here as well and didn't really properly introduce myself. I've been into Tiki for several years, but have really caught the fever in the last 2 or so. I've built my own outdoor Tiki bar and I'm working on plans to completely refinish my basement in a fifties tiki style. I currently play in a rockabilly band in Detroit called the Hi-Q's and I do a lot of reviews for a website called Planet Rockabilly. Check em out:

http://www.hiqs.planetrockabilly.com

http://www.planetrockabilly.com

So far this looks like a real fun group of people!

Matt

T

On 2003-06-03 11:46, mattfink wrote:

So far this looks like a real fun group of people!

Matt

It's not. OK, well, I am. And Baxdog is. OK and Poly Pop's cool. Yeah, and Al and Shelly are tops. Ya know, Bamboo Ben and Mrs Boo are righteous. Spike pretty happening on weekends. And SugarCaddyDaddy knows what's up on the calendar. Humuhumu is happening. And, well, alright, we are pretty fun I guess.

M

I haven't seen any one get speared yet!

Matt

S
sungod posted on Wed, Jun 4, 2003 5:04 PM

Greetings,

Have posted a couple of times to test the water. I am Sungod from Tampa Bay and I'm a tikiholic. I am currently completing my first carving and am building a tiki bar on my lanai. I am amazed at the amount of talent we have on this post and one day hope to reach the par of excellence I have found among the members of Tiki Central.

Sungod

Welcome Sungod from the worldwide members of Tiki Central. No need to list names as the wealth of creativity, knowledge, and sense of fun transcends local boundries.

Everyone who tries their hand at carving has to get through the difficult first one. If you need tips on how to improve your carving skills, just read through the carving posts as there are people here who carve as a hobby when they could be doing it as a business.

I'm also sure that I speak for all members of Tiki Central when I say that I'm looking forward to seeing photos of your bar!

Trader Woody

Aloha Sungod and Welcome to the tribe. Would love to see your bar as well as your first carving. Here's a link to the post that Trader Woody mentioned:

https://tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=1605&forum=1

If you read it from the first page you'll see how some of us started out and progressed as time passed. And yes, you hit it right on the nose -- there really is a lot of talent around here!

Hmmm...I've been lurking for a couple of days, so I guess I should introduce myself. I hail from the tikiless city of Cincinnati, OH. Eh, aside from the remarkable lack of tiki, it's not so bad. Just your average, landlocked bastion of conservatism. Oh yeah, it's humid, too.

For years I've been decorating my retro abode with vintage souvenirs from florida/hawaii, as well as with California pottery and other bits of vintage tropical goodness. So tiki was bound to creep into the equation eventually. I'm just beginning to dip my toe into these tiki-laden waters, although I must say I do have a smashing collection of vintage hawaiian togs. Eventually I hope to progress to a full-blown tiki-a-holic, complete with an outdoor tiki bar (Hubby's already got dibs on the bar we'll be putting in the basement). You can never have too many bars anyway, right?

Hasta for now! I'm off to continue my lurking.

K
kctiki posted on Thu, Jun 5, 2003 3:46 PM

Welcome Kitschywoman. Ah yes, life is too short for ho-hum decor. Hope you'll eventually post some photos of your vintage Florida souveniers, they're scarce in my neck of the woods.

Aloha Kitschywoman and Welcome to the Tribe!

So what kind of bar is your husband building? Pirate? Monkey? NOT a Sports bar I hope!

To answer both your questions, I do have pics of my house (and decor) online. They're in my profile. You just have to log in to Ophoto to view them. I may move to Yahoo soon, since visitors can view pics without logging in.

Fortunately, Ohioans have this insane fondness for vacationing in Florida, so these souvenirs are pretty easy to come by in my area.

As for my husband's bar, no it's not going to be a sports bar. I don't think I could consent to having one in my house. His decorating style runs to the rustic, Grizzly Adams style of decor, so he wants a manly, hewn-log bar in the basement. Since I've completely taken run of the first floor, I can't object too much...but I think he'll find his bar ends up with more of a retro Adirondak cabin look to it, courtesy of his wife. :wink:

Welcome and remember, Florida is just the poor man's (or woman's) Hawaii. Or, it used to be in the 50's and 60's... keep looking for those vintage florida tiki souvenirs. There are a lot of them out there.
Maybe you can convince your hubby to use rustic bamboo logs. What's the name of that Tiki Resort in upstate NY? Anybody?
KG

On 2003-06-06 07:59, kitschywoman wrote:
As for my husband's bar... His decorating style runs to the rustic, Grizzly Adams style of decor, so he wants a manly, hewn-log bar in the basement.

Cool Idea! Have him check out http://www.bigfootlodge.com for reference. Its a bar here in the So Cal/L.A. area that's grizzly mountain themed.

Niiice! I'll make sure he sees this website. It's already given me some decor ideas.

[ Edited by: kitschywoman on 2003-06-08 07:29 ]

T

Hi again, thought I'd introduce myself a little more. Tiki just reminds me of all my parent's swizzle sticks and Trader Vic's stuff from when they were young and hip (I guess) in the '60's. Am fixing up our sunroom now, will try to infiltrate with some tiki. My husband has his own "retro" loves (like Cadillacs) and any excuse to wear hawaiian shirts so maybe I can get him into this (our tastes usually clash!) Am going to Chicago/Minneapolis this summer on family vacation so maybe can explore some there - suggestions?

T

Well Tikibaby, you are definitely well situated to go to the Chin Tiki when it re-opens!

I posted your website on this board the other day... very cool swizzle collection!

J
JTD posted on Sat, Jun 14, 2003 8:42 PM

Tikibaby,
Welcome aboard. Twin Cities are currently Tiki deficient. Been going to Minnie once a month for nearly a year sans tiki success. Concentrate your efforts on Chicago. Search function (above far right) will help immensely, but Trader Vic's, Hala Kahiki and upcoming Exotica weekend should keep you occupied for the time being.

Happy Hunting,
-JTD

Aloha everyone!
I've been lurking here for a few weeks & thought I would introduce myself. My name is Eric & I've been casually collecting tiki bits for a few years.
My first taste of things tiki was at the Kahiki several years ago, what a way to get your feet wet, huh?! I made many trips to the Kahiki & was crushed at the news it was closing. My girlfriend took me there for my birthday on August 25, 2000 which happened to coincide with the closing night & I noticed the posters for the Tikinews party the following day. Again I was crushed to not have known about the party & was not able to attend. I looked up the Tikinews site & found links to others with interests similar to my own. You can imagine my delight when I found Tiki Central!!
I'm also into building hotrods, restoring vintage arcade machines, & collecting vintage bar goodies.
Thanks to all for the great info so far!
Eric

Aloha Tikibaby and Hotrod Hut. Nice to have you on board!

T

Hi tikifish -looked up that webpage
Yep, that's them swizzle sticks alright!

Been looking at mugs etc-any suggestions on where to start? Something for those scotch nightcaps...multicultural?

D

Aloha
Man cannot live on bread alone..I need my TiKi too!!

Mahalo Tiki central

Welcome DarkTiki,

You're well-situated for lots of Southern California tiki events. Hope to meet you soon at one of them.

Sabu

Hi,
I am a little late to post to this thread, but I wanted to go through the proper channels just the same.
My name is Unga Bunga, and I am a Tikiholic(not seeking a cure).
I have just completed a large Tiki bar in my living room to prove how eccentric I am and it seems to validate my disease for this thing called "tiki".
I don't care how some of my friends think the bar is "over the top", as long as it makes me smile, it's goin nowhere. Is there a place where I can post pictures or should I just start a new post?
I think this place (T.C) is happenin and the members (that I know about) are pretty cool.
Thanks for reading and tolerating some of my corny posts!

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