Hala Kahiki in the northern suburbs of Chicago has the largest collection of Witco I have ever seen. I actually did a blog post just highlighting all the Witco pieces there and there’s a lot! Another place that has a respectable collection of Witco is Chef Shangri-La…
Remember that movie Escape From New York?
Once you got in, it was hard to get out. But in reality, it’s quite the opposite. If you want to drive into Manhattan from New Jersey you have only three options: Holland Tunnel, Lincoln Tunnel or the George Washington Bridge. If you want to take a train in, you got two ways in, NJ Transit or you can take the PATH train.
So, if you want to tiki and you live in New Jersey, what do you do? You don’t escape to New York, you build a tiki bar in your garage and escape there! This is exactly what Shanna and Johnny did and here’s their story…
Continue reading “Home Tiki Bar Spotlight #114 Rita’s Lost Weekend – Matawan NJ”
As I’m getting older, I’m realizing that my life has been a series of chapters like in a book and the same can be said for Rev. Dr. Leo Hartshorn.
Leo has gone from playing drums in a 60’s psychedelic band, to becoming a minister and more recently a painter. Leo had done many styles but the paintings that stood out to me where that of famous tiki people. Leo has done paintings of Donn Beach, Shag, Martin Denny, Bob and Leroy of Oceanic Arts and Sven Kirsten!
Here is Leo’s story so far…
Continue reading “Tiki VIP #52 LeosLowbrow – Tropical Painter – Rev. Dr. Leo Hartshorn”
When Ashley Morgan, aka Sleepy Siren Treasure Co. ins’t sculpting mugs shaped like dead oceanographers, she’s spending time with husband Cliff deep down inside their basement bar. It’s part nautical, part pirate and part tiki, all things that Ashley and Cliff love. The name of their bar is called Dr. Bones, Apothecary…
NOT Dr. Bones’ Apothecary!
Are you a punk rock guy? I used to play drums in a band called Negative Approach from Detroit…
Chuck Burns is a musician from out of The Motor City and has been playing music for most of his life. He’s into rock and punk and yes, has played drums for Negative Approach which is one of the most influential hardcore punk bands there is. I’m a big fan of rock and punk and to answer Chuck’s question, Hell Yeah! I’m a punk rock guy! Chuck is also into tiki and has created his own tiki bar in his basement. It’s called The Satin Tiki Room and here is Chuck’s story…
Continue reading “Home Tiki Bar Spotlight #112 The Satin Tiki Room – Redford MI”
I stumbled upon a random tiki video on YouTube…
I’m always on the lookout for any tiki videos on YouTube and I found one. It was a video of someone giving a tour of their home tiki bar. You couldn’t see the person but you can hear the person talking about all the pieces that make up their bar. That person is GiGi and she’s from the UK. I was impressed with what I saw in that video but I noticed that there was more. Gigi made videos for each step on her build out and it was really cool to see the transformation. The name of the bar is The Kursed Piranha and here is how it all came to be…
Continue reading “Home Tiki Bar Spotlight #112 The Kursed Piranha – London UK”
Smuggler Rob doesn’t have a name for his home tiki bar yet but that isn’t going to stop me from doing a spotlight on his bar! You can find Rob’s tiki bar hidden in an add-on shop in his garage. It’s small and cozy and it’s the place you want to retreat with Spokane’s cold and snowy winters. Spokane is a five hour drive from my place in Seattle and once the weather gets nicer, I’m heading out to check out Smuggler Rob’s Tiki Bar!
Continue reading “Home Tiki Bar Spotlight #111 Smuggler Rob’s Tiki Bar – Spokane WA”
Q: What does Jacques Cousteau and Ashley Morgan have in common?
A: They both love the sea AND Ashley Morgan created a mug in honor of Jacques called Jacques Tu’Slo which is a skull! Ashley’s style blends pirate, the sea, tiki and a little bit of creepy for good measure! Sleepy Siren Treasure Co. is located up here in the Pacific Northwest in Tacoma and I’m excited to see what she comes up with next! Here is Ashley’s story…
Continue reading “Tiki VIP #51 Ashley Morgan – Sleepy Siren Treasure Co.”
If you know me, I like my tiki with a bit of horror thrown in for good measure. When I saw pictures of Darren Perks tiki bar, I had to do a post on it! I’d say that Darren’s bar is more horror than tiki but that’s ok with me. Darren actually created all the creepy things you will see inside. As of this writing, there is no name for Darren’s ultra-scary tiki bar but Darren can tell you the story so far…
Continue reading “Home Tiki Bar Spotlight #110 A True Creepy Tiki Bar in Florida”
All dressed up and no place to go…
I’ve been to Indiana many times. I’ve literally driven through the entire state from east to west and back again, mostly to go to Indianapolis to visit my tiki friends and visit The Inferno Room. Paula Kasun lives in Angola which is located in NE Indiana almost to the very top corner of the state. Needless to say, if Paula wants to Tiki, she has a long drive ahead of her. It’s about a three-hour drive to The Inferno Room! As they say, if you can’t get to the tiki, you bring the tiki to you. (I just made that up) and that’s exactly what Paula did. Paula built her own tiki bar in her basement. It’s called The Kraken Lounge and here’s Paula’s story…
Continue reading “Home Tiki Bar Spotlight #109 The Kraken Lounge – Angola IN”