Join the Marines and you’ll see the world!
Ryley did just that! He grew up in the Seattle area, joined the Marines and got stationed in San Diego where he met his wife Ellie. While living in San Diego they spent many hours at some great tiki bars like False Idol and Mothership. But when you’re in the military you go where your needed and that meant Ryley and Ellie had to move across the country to Maryland and now call Baltimore home.
There isn’t much of a tiki scene in Baltimore, does Baltimore have a tiki bar? I’m not sure. Actually, there is one, it’s The Kona Cove which is in Ryley and Ellie’s place. The Kona Cove is filled with Witco and it is a bar I’d hope to visit someday. Ryley and Ellie also have a tiki podcast! It’s called The Tiki Talk Show and they are going to have me come on as a guest. Stay tuned and in the meantime, here’s the story of The Kona Cove…
What is the tiki scene like where you live?
Ryley- The tiki scene in Maryland and the surrounding area is unfortunately lacking. Ellie and I moved from San Diego where we were spoiled with every type of tiki luxury imaginable. Although there’s not a lot going on here, what we do have draws a very devoted crowd. We are lucky to have Hi-Tide Recordings right down the road in New Jersey, so there is a source of top-quality, tiki-adjacent events going on throughout the year.
What brought you into the tiki lifestyle and how long has it been part of your life?
Ryley- I have always loved mid-century culture. When I was young, my great-aunt introduced me to a local Seattle oldies station that would play Doo-wop, Surf, R&B, Exotica, and radio shows. I loved this station and listened to it often. When I got my drivers license, I would drive around the Seattle suburbs and see the mid-century architecture. I remember hearing Martin Denny’s “Quiet Village” on the radio and fell in love with Exotica. I had been collecting exotica records for a few years by this point, but hearing it on the radio really was special.
It wasn’t until my wife, Ellie, who took me to Bali Hai in San Diego that I connected the dots between the music and the design. I was instantly drawn to Tiki. Ellie later took me to False Idol, and I realized that this was a scene that I wanted to be a part of. It connected so many parts of the mid-century style that I loved. It’s been almost 5 years since that point, and I have shown no signs of slowing down yet!
Can you give a little history of how it all came together?
Ryley- When I first got started I was jealous! I thought I was a decade too late to start collecting and all the good deals were gone. Fortunately for me, I was wrong. I collected mugs at first because of their availability. We were living in a small house when I was stationed on Camp Pendleton in San Diego, and I didn’t have enough space for a full home bar. This definitely didn’t deter me!
I was buying decor anywhere I could. I went to the Oceanic Arts close out sale and picked up a lot of decor that was left over from the auction. I had all this decor but nowhere to put it. That’s when the Marine Corps decided that it was time for me to leave California and make the move out to Maryland. I would be lying if I said that when we were looking for a home that a place to put a bar wasn’t a consideration. When we got here and got moved in, that’s when everything started coming together
Any story behind the name of your bar?
Ryley- The Kona Cove got our name from our Mastiff, Kona. She has been with us for almost 5 years now. We loved the name Kona and wanted some alliteration to the name. Ellie and I have been so fortunate to have Kona with us. When we got her, she was so shy and scared of everything despite her size.
How far have you driven to buy something tiki that you saw online?
Ryley- The current record stands at about 100 miles or about 3 hours. We found a beautiful matching Witco couch and chair for sale in New Jersey and had to have it. We rented a truck from Home Depot (that was way too big for what we needed) and took the drive from Maryland to a suburb of Trenton, NJ. Ellie and I took the journey early on a Saturday morning with the university of Delaware providing the soundtrack with rare rockabilly songs the whole way.
Later, I approached Ellie with a Facebook ad for a Witco Hacienda Bar for $300; fortunately, this time around it was about a 20-minute drive. It was a much easier trip the second time around.
What is your favorite Tiki drink?
Ryley- My favorite tiki drink is the Jet Pilot! I love heavy, spicy cocktails, and the Jet Pilot offers just that. I love Zombies, but the Jet Pilot’s ounce less of room lends itself to the longevity of an evening.
Ellie- My favorite drink is the Demerara Dry Float, heavy citrus but with a side of danger makes an amazing drink.
What is your favorite Tiki bar? Not including your own!
Ryley- Ellie and I have so many amazing memories associated with False Idol, so that is the default favorite. But if I had to choose another bar, I would say Devils Reef in Tacoma is tied for first. I love False Idol. I went there countless times, but the original cocktails on Devil’s Reef’s menu are beyond comparison.
Ellie– Bootlegger Tiki in Palm Springs! The small and cozy environment, the story of the bar and the cocktails are all great. I will always love False Idol but Bootlegger is a great bar.
Outside of great drinks, what do you think are essential elements in creating the perfect Tiki environment?
Ryley- A critical element of any great bar is the lighting. Tiki is meant to be semi-mysterious and invite danger. If a bar is too bright, it doesn’t achieve this effect. When you walk into a bar and you’re transported from day to night, there’s nothing like it.
What does the future hold for you and your home tiki bar?
Ryley- Leonardo Da Vinci said “art is never finished, only abandoned.” I can’t say for sure what will happen next, but I always have a new plan for something new. The Kona Cove has been an experience where I learned every aspect of building a full room, let alone trying to make a good tiki bar. We are building something new every day and trying our best to make a great bar.
Anything else you would like to add?
Ryley- Ellie and I recently started “The Tiki Talk Show” which is a podcast where we hope to talk to anyone who has contributed to the Tiki revival. You can find us on Spotify, YouTube and Apple Music at “The Tiki Talk Show”. We plan to do an interview every two weeks from an established member of the tiki scene while also doing a mini-interview at the end of the episode with a new artist from the tiki or adjacent scene. We upload audio to Apple Music and Spotify with video on YouTube. If anyone is interested in being on the show please reach out to us at thetikitalkshow@gmail.com or at our Social media on Instagram at @Konacove_hometikibar of Facebook at The Tiki Talk Show.
