Home Tiki Bar Spotlight #76 The Lost Pearl – Rochester NY

It gets cold and snowy in upstate New York and if you’re looking for a tiki bar, sadly you are out of luck. The nearest tiki bar is three hours away and in Canada. Kirk Doran lives in Rochester and after a life changing trip to Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto down at Walt Disney World, he decided to build his own tiki get-away. The name of his bar is called the Lost Pearl which is named after his aunt and it’s a perfect escape from the snow and cold weather. Here is Kirk’s story…

 What is the tiki scene like where you live?

Kirk- Sadly the tiki scene in Rochester and even Western/Central NY is non-existent. The nearest tiki bar for us is the Shameful Tiki in Toronto which is 3 hours away. Winters are long and snowy here, so if there are any tiki bar owners out there looking to expand, I think Western/Central NY would be a great place. People here need a winter escape, and I think a good commercial tiki bar would do well here.

What brought you into the ‘Tiki lifestyle” and how long has it been part of your life?

Kirk- Our son, daughter, and son-in-law live in central Florida and they took us to Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto not long after it opened. I was hooked from that first visit. The atmosphere was just so fun, and the adventure aspect of it really resonated with me. We’ve since visited several of the Florida tiki bars when visiting them (Suffering Bastard, Mai Kai, Aku Aku).  Now my wife Shelly and I visit tiki bars when we travel.

Can you give a little history of how it all came together?

Kirk- We purchased a small, stand-alone bar a few years ago and located it at one end of our sunroom which is the logical place in our house for a bar since that tends to be where we entertain. It didn’t take long to decide to turn it into a tiki bar. We didn’t want to transform the entire sunroom because it’s great having a sunroom here, so we dedicated one end of it to the bar. I didn’t start with a master plan; I made incremental changes and the bar grew organically. Of course, the real challenge was that the sunroom is painted white and is completely surrounded with floor to ceiling windows which obviously isn’t ideal for a tiki bar.

I tried addressing the windows behind the bar by making bamboo grids for them. It helped, but a friend suggested using a vinyl wall mural to cover the windows. I found one the perfect size on Amazon, cut it to fit each window and it transformed the windows from an obstacle into a real highlight of the bar. During the day, the mural is backlit and it feels like you’re sitting at a bar on a beautiful beach. At night, they’re front lit from the bar lighting and they look very dusky, so it really adds to the atmosphere anytime of the day. I used tropical matting on the walls to hide as much of the white paint as I could and to add some texture. I made some of the lamps for the bar and bought others, and I found some authentic PNG masks at a local antique store to hang on the wall as well. I wanted a sign for the bar and a friend laser etched the lettering on some wood and I turned them into signs using bamboo and fabric.

Any story behind the name of your bar?

Kirk- We wanted a name that evoked a bit of mystery, so that’s where the “Lost” came from. “Pearl” was my aunt’s name, and it fit the tropical theme. She traveled all over the world and used to send us postcards from her travels, and I think my love of travel was ignited by her early on in my life. I have a black and white photo of her with my father in the bar that was taken when he came back from WWII wearing his army uniform, so if people ask about the name I can show them that photo.

What is your favorite Tiki drink? Why? 

Kirk- My favorite is the Mai Tai.  The amount of sweetness is perfect for my palette. I don’t like bitter flavors or alcohol heavy drinks, so it fits the bill for me.

What is your favorite Tiki bar? Not including your own! 

Kirk- Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto is one of my favorites, and it was our first tiki experience so it will always be high on my list. The Inferno room in Indy is just amazing. I lived in Indy for many years, so it’s a great place to go when we visit my former hometown.

Outside of great drinks, what do you think are essential elements in creating the perfect Tiki environment?

Kirk- I think the atmosphere and décor are what makes a tiki bar interesting for me. I want it to be an escape, a bit of an adventure. I want to be able to notice different things every time I visit. It needs to combine all of that with good music – I prefer a mix of Polynesian and exotica music. In The Lost Pearl, I turn on the “tiki radio” channel from Pandora most of the time.

What does the future hold for you and your home tiki bar?

Kirk- I’m still making tweaks here and there when I find something that I think can be improved. I’m always open to new lighting features and I’d like to build a more elaborate hanging lamp for the bar. I’m retired and at some point, my wife will retire as well, so in the next few years we may downsize or even move to be closer to family, so at the point The Lost Pearl will be relocated.

Anything else you would like to add?

Kirk- There isn’t just one way to build your own tiki space, every space is unique and has its own challenges. For people that are hesitant to build a tiki space, you just have to get started. I didn’t have a master plan, just an idea in my head of what I wanted it to look like. I worked on one obstacle at a time until I was happy with it. It took over a year to get my bar where it is today so it was a slow process. But it was worth it!