You live here?!?!
Jennifer and Kenn Watson’s daughter Gillian gets that a lot. Imagine being a kid and having your friends over and taking them into your parent’s home tiki bar. All your friends would think you have the coolest parents ever! Speaking of cool parents, when Jennifer’s parents came back from their dates at the various tiki bars in the area, they would bring back the tiki mugs and give them to Jennifer, in fact she still has them and they can be found in The Lumi-La Lounge …
What is the tiki scene like where you live?
Kenn- We live in the San Diego area, home to Tiki Oasis, so the scene here is pretty lively. We’ve got several bars to choose from (Bali Hai, False Idol, Grass Skirt to name a few) and we’ve been to dozens of home bars in the area. We’ve even got a few home bars in walking distance of us, too! (Shout out to The Hula Hideaway, The Pagan Room and The Sundowner)
What brought you into the ‘Tiki lifestyle” and how long has it been part of your life?
Kenn- Jennifer’s parents brought home souvenir mugs from their date nights at Trader Vic’s, Don the Beachcomber and Benihana’s. She’s held on to those mugs her entire life, and now they live here with us.
Jennifer grew up next to the “Top Gun” military base, so her childhood was immersed with WWII memorabilia in neighbor homes as well as a vibrant Pacific Islander community. Kenn’s parents had a “saloon” themed den at home and were avid square dancers. An immersive lifestyle with costumes and parties were ingrained at an early age. Shopping in thrift stores as a teen garnered a love for vintage aloha apparel that continues today. Daughter, Gillian, has lived this way almost her entire life! She likes aloha shirts and has been playing ukulele for a little over a year now. But the best part is showing off our tiki bar to her friends, who gasp in amazement …” you live here?!”
Can you give a little history of how it all came together?
Kenn- The first home we rented, after getting married 17 years ago, had an amazing patio. We made a bar out of it! A few palm fronds later, and we had our first home tiki bar. A few years later, we purchased our new home that had an old tin-roofed, add-on sun room. We knew immediately that this would be our future Oasis at home.
Any story behind the name of your bar?
Kenn- Lumi Lā is Hawaiian for sun room, hence The Lumi-La Lounge.
What is your favorite Tiki drink?
Kenn- Here’s our dirty little tiki secret, don’t tell anyone … we don’t really drink rum. 😂
We enjoy our bourbon here at the Lumi-La, so our home cocktail is based on a summer bourbon punch using Maker’s Mark, triple sec, orange juice, pineapple juice, grenadine and falernum. The recipe is on a card we give to new comers, along with our custom napkins and coasters (picture attached). However, we are both quite partial to a good Painkiller.
What is your favorite Tiki bar? Not including your own!
Kenn- We’ve been to so many all over the country and the world, it’s hard to choose! Dirty Dick in Paris, Latitude 29 in New Orleans and Three Dots and a Dash in Chicago are all amazing places. But the one we can never wait to get back to is Tahiti Nui on Kauai. Super chill vibe, roll in off the street covered in sand from Hanalei Bay. So many great afternoons spent there day drinking. We miss it so much, can’t wait to get back.
Outside of great drinks, what do you think are essential elements in creating the perfect Tiki environment?
Kenn- For us, it’s the creative design and hands-on aspect we enjoy. Over the years we’ve collected artwork from Bosko, Doug Horne, Jim Owens, Devon Devereaux, Tom Laura, Harry Decker and more. But we’ve built the bones all ourselves, from the floor molding, the ceiling and trim, lights, shelves and the bar.
The home bars we enjoy the most are the ones that have the owners signature on them. There’s a great deal of satisfaction that comes from stepping back and saying, “We did that!” Also, swapping ideas, sharing tips and building together create a great sense of community. We’ve learned so much from other home bar owners, the Lumi-La would not be what it is without them. Tiki is best experienced when shared with friends.
What does the future hold for you and your home tiki bar?
Kenn- A big backyard luau as soon as this pandemic is over! Also, we’d like to do more work to the outside of the room. Something that helps create a seamless transition from indoor to outdoor.
Anything else you would like to add?
Kenn- I have been collecting aloha apparel from the 1960s and 1970s for decades. For the past year or more, I’ve been researching the history of the aloha coat made popular by Sandwich Isles Sportswear. Just before the lockdown, we had the good fortune of traveling to Honolulu to meet with the family that created Sandwich Isles Aloha Coats. They were completely surprised and thrilled to learn of the new-found popularity these coats have. I have also been working with other experts in the field, including Dale Hope, who wrote the definitive book on the Hawaiian garment industry, The Aloha Shirt. Last year, I took this research to Circa Caliente in Palm Springs for a fun and informative symposium. This year, unfortunately, all my events were cancelled, but I hope to return to a few new events next year. You can find out more about the program here.
