How many bedrooms?
How big is the kitchen?
One or two car garage?
Does the master bedroom have a walk-in closet?
This is what most people ask when looking to buy a home, but for Linda and Dave Bagdade, “can we build a tiki room in it?” was the most important question! Here is their story …
What is the tiki scene like where you live?
Dave- The tiki scene here is quite lively, and growing. The main focus, and properly so, is the Inferno Room here in town, but there are quite a few stalwarts like Bob and Wendy Cripe, Dan O’Connell and many others. Every year the Fraternal Order of the Moai puts on Makahiki: A Night of Tiki, which is a great celebration for the locals, and it comes close to selling out. Lately a new tiki bar, The Strange Bird, has also opened here. There’s a very active local Facebook group, and through all of the above, it’s fair to say that a lot of people on the scene know each other and are friendly. It’s a fine community.
What brought you into the “Tiki lifestyle” and how long has it been part of your life?
Dave- I’m a relative newcomer to the Tiki lifestyle. Linda and I have been traveling to Las Vegas for Viva Las Vegas, the annual rockabilly weekender, for many years, and we stumbled upon the Golden Tiki within a few months of its opening. That’s what started it for us together, although Linda has a longer Tiki history. Since then, we’ve gone to Tiki events throughout the region and the country, accumulated a lot of mugs and clothing and, recently, built a tiki room in our basement; in fact, the presence of the basement is what led us to choose the house.
Linda- My father served in the Navy during World War II and the Korean War, and almost all of his service was in the Pacific, including Hawaii and the Philippines. Although he never specifically mentioned Tiki bars or the lifestyle, he enjoyed shore leave in quite a few exotic places and brought home souvenirs. When I was a kid, our house had no air conditioning, and when my sisters and I would complain about how hot it was, he would respond that “it’s a cool day in the South Pacific.” He also took my mother to Hawaii for their 25th anniversary, and when they went back a few years later, when I was thirteen, I got to go with them. They would wear matching Aloha shirts, which I still have. So, when Dave and I went first to the Golden Tiki, and then other tiki bars, it really struck a chord with me, largely because of my dad. Dave and I often wear a lot of matching outfits, just as my parents did, including some of theirs.
Can you give a little history of how it all came together?
Before we bought our place in 2019, we were in a rental until we could find the house we wanted. We knew that the house we would ultimately choose would need to have a space we could convert to a tiki room, and we started stocking up on mugs, furniture and décor in anticipation. Unfortunately, we quickly ran out of space, so by the time we were ready to move, we had nine king chairs in a kitchen that was about 14×17, along with boxes and boxes of stuff.
We learned quickly that if you find something “in the wild”, you have to decide to buy it right then, because if you don’t, someone else will while you go away and think about it. During our house search, a tiki-compatible space was at the top of the list of our requirements, and we began work on the basement from virtually the moment we moved in. We bought some of the Inferno Room’s surplus bamboo and thatch, we added to our already-large collection of wicker and rattan furniture and, with the help of our son-in-law, we were able to build the space out exactly as we wanted. We’re still tinkering with it, but it’s pretty much good to go.
Any story behind the name of your bar?
Well, it isn’t a bar, as such. Many of the tiki rooms we’ve seen from our friends are dominated to varying extents by the physical bar, whereas our focus was on the room itself. We have a bar, of course, but it’s a small one in the corner, piled high with liquor and bar supplies, but it occupies a much smaller footprint than most others we’ve seen. For us, it’s more of a getaway for ourselves and a celebration of all things tiki, so we decided on D&L’s Exotic Tradewinds Paradise. Says it all, really.
What is your favorite Tiki drink? Why?
Dave– I gravitate towards dark rum and ginger beer, so I tend to favor drinks with those in them. Not surprisingly, I like a good Dark & Stormy, but I’m game to try whatever “mule” variations are on offer to get my ginger beer fix.
Linda- I generally order Painkillers, prescription strength if I’m not driving, especially after a long day of work.
What is your favorite Tiki bar? Not including your own!
Dave- The Inferno Room. Absolutely hands down. We’d have to give special mention to the Golden Tiki, though, because that’s what started it for us, and since it never closes, part of our Viva Las Vegas ritual has become going to the Golden Tiki for drinks at 9:00 on Sunday morning.
Linda- That’s a tough one, because so many tiki bars have something about them which is unique or interesting. But the Inferno Room is definitely our favorite — and it’s local!
Outside of great drinks, what do you think are essential elements in creating the perfect Tiki environment?
The décor is hugely important. It’s got to be authentic. We love the fact that all the decorative items in the Inferno Room are either vintage or were made specially for them. So, the stuff on the walls/ceiling/bar should be the real deal, or a very convincing copy. Cool mugs are a big plus too. And let’s not forget appropriate music, exotica or at least vintage Hawaiian, for preference.
What does the future hold for you and your home tiki bar?
We’ve just finished it (to the extent it will ever actually be finished), so we’re still sort of getting used to it. But we look forward to hosting our family and friends, as well as lots of relaxing and unwinding. We’ll continue to add decorations, liquor and mugs, of course. We’ve also managed to pass our tiki obsession on to our three daughters and their husbands, who now want to build tiki rooms in their houses, and two of our daughters have become part of the lively Cleveland tiki scene.
Anything else you would like to say?
We appreciate the chance to brag about our tiki room! And we’ve really come to appreciate the tiki community in general, and all the like-minded folks we’ve come across at Tiki Oasis, the Hukilau and right here in town.
