Tiki in a Tuff Shed!
When Cheryl and Bob Capoocia moved to Spokane WA from San Diego CA, they had to get used to drastically colder temperatures than what they were used to down in sunny CA. To escape the cold weather, they built a Tough Shed and converted it into a tiki bar. Yes, there is heat!
What is the tiki scene like where you live?
Cheryl- There is not much of a tiki scene in Spokane. A bar called the Tiny Tiki opened up in downtown Spokane this Summer. It’s very small with a limited drink menu but has a great ambiance and we always have fun meeting fellow tiki enthusiasts there.
What brought you into the ‘Tiki lifestyle” and how long has it been part of your life?
Cheryl– Bob lived in Hawaii for 3 years in the 1980’s while he was in the Marines. He gained an appreciation for the Polynesian lifestyle and drinks. I worked as a waitress at the Bali Hai in San Diego during the same time period and also fell in love with Polynesian drinks and décor. We got married in 1991 and raised 6 kids. When we finally acquired a nearly empty nest in 2017 we decided it would be a great time to realize our dream of having our own home tiki bar.
Can you give a little history of how it all came together?
Cheryl– We started looking for a tiki-style bar on Craigslist. We found a used one for sale that belonged to a man who owned a fraternity house at SDSU. We got it for a very good price but it was in rough shape. Bob completely refinished it, including a new bar top, and we started collecting additional furnishings to set up a bar near the pool at our home in San Diego, but before we could put it all together, we made the decision to move to Spokane, WA to be closer to my family. We sold our house in January 2017 and packed up all of the tiki items we have acquired into a moving pod and brought them to Spokane. There wasn’t an ideal area in our new home to set up a tiki bar, so we decided to build a Tuff Shed in our backyard right off our patio, including electrical outlets so that we could have lighting, cooling/heating and refrigeration
Any story behind the name of your bar?
Cheryl– Bob came up with the name for our bar because he’d been nicknamed “Pineapple” by his fellow high school football coaches in San Diego, so he has had a natural affinity towards pineapples. The Frozen part of the bar’s name came from the fact that we now live in an area that gets very cold for much of the year. However, thanks to our cozy Tuff Shed, we are able to enjoy the bar all year around.
What is your favorite Tiki drink?
Cheryl- Bob’s favorite is the Bali Hai’s version of the Mai Tai because it’s very strong and not too sweet. My favorite is the Zombie. I enjoy experimenting with various versions of the Zombie but especially partial to a Zombie prepared with grapefruit juice, falernum and Absinthe.
What is your favorite Tiki bar? Not including your own!
Cheryl– We both enjoy the False Idol in San Diego. They have so many delicious but deadly drinks to choose from and we have always had a great time whenever we go there.
Outside of great drinks, what do you think are essential elements in creating the perfect Tiki environment?
Cheryl- Besides tiki mugs, the Polynesian and nautical artwork décor. The most essential elements are the music and visual arts. We have a small flat screen TV that Bob encased in a stained wood frame to give it the appearance of a window. We loop island scenes on the TV while tiki themed music plays on our Bose speaker. Our favorite tiki musicians are Martin Denny and Kava Kon. We also have our own personalized drink menu so that people can try our specialty drinks. A couple of our drinks have chants that go with them which is always fun.
What does the future hold for you and the Frozen Pineapple Tiki Bar?
Cheryl– We have pretty much maxed out the bar as far as displaying art, decorations and mugs. The tiki atmosphere is beginning to spill out onto our patio. We will continue to enjoy hanging out with friends and family at the Frozen Pineapple and experimenting with various tiki inspired drinks.
Anything else you would like to add?
Cheryl– We are always open to meeting tiki enthusiasts and extend an open invitation to visitors to the Spokane area.
Contact us on our Facebook page.