In the Pacific Northwest, Tacoma has always had a bad rap. It’s an unfair because it’s being compared to Seattle. Tacoma may not be as big as Seattle, but it sure has some pretty nice neighborhoods. Titlow is a part of Tacoma that is right off the Puget Sound. The neighborhood is known for its giant park (Titlow Park). It’s very stunning. In Titlow you will find Trader Tom’s Tropical Lounge at Drifter’s Cove…
Renee and Tom invited me down to check out their place. Yovany (my photographer) and I arrived and made ourselves comfortable. Our chairs had seat covers that were custom made by Renee…
Tom pulled out some fruit, rum, and a blender and started making drinks. It was going to be a fun night!
Tom is a musician and plays in two bands: the Hawaiian Swing Band and Trio Tropicale. The Hawaiian Swing Band plays regularly at Tacaoma Cabana. I’ve seen them performing while sipping Tiki drinks and I can tell you they are incredible!
After we had a round of drinks, Tom pulled out his Ukulele and played us a song!
Here is a video of Tom performing Coconut Water.
Now that the mood was set at Trader Tom’s Tropical Lounge, it was time to get Tom’s story…
When did you get into the Tiki lifestyle and what got you into it?
Thomas- I was a bartender for about eight or nine years in the mid ’70s to early ’80s. Probably the most fun job I ever had. My last bar-tending job, and the longest, was at a great restaurant/bar right across the street from the University of Minnesota. It was a blast! Most of the crew who had started when the place was new stayed on for quite some time. After I graduated and began my sales career, I continued to work a few shifts a month just for fun. A lot of us did that just to stay connected.
We were all great friends: we had a softball team, went on vacations together, dated each other…two marriages happened within that group of people. It was so fun. I really came to love the restaurant business and the people who are drawn to that type of work. So, I guess it was really the “restaurant/bar lifestyle” that has stayed with me through the years more than a “Tiki Lifestyle.” It’s just fun to make drinks for people and be part of their party while contributing to the good time they’re having.
Are you a native of Tacoma? If not, what brought you to Tacoma and was Tiki part of your life before the move?
Thomas- No, not native. Our family moved a lot while I was growing up. We lived near Seattle for a few years in the late ’60s when I was in middle school. After a couple of other family moves, my sister and I had moved out and my parents eventually retired and moved back to the Seattle area. Then my sister moved from Idaho to Issaquah and raised a family while I moved from Minneapolis to Gig Harbor in ’84 to start working for Abbott Laboratories. It was pretty telling that we all eventually found our way back to Western Washington. Although your blog is about the Tiki Lifestyle and the presumed, associated warm weather, I really like our climate. Fifty-five degrees and drizzle is just fine by me.
As for Tacoma: I LOVE IT. Just the right sized city for me. It certainly has its own character (the “Grit City”), but you have to really spend some time here to appreciate all it has to offer. I understand there is quite a migration from Seattle to Tacoma. I can understand why.
What is your favorite Tiki drink and why?
Thomas- Back at the bar in Minneapolis (Station 19), we used to make a really popular drink called a Yellowbird. It’s been quite a while—not sure I can remember the recipe, but it was fruit-juicy tasty and left everyone with a giggle and smile.
Not including your own, what is your favorite Tiki bar? Why?
Thomas- I always liked the old Trader Vic’s in San Francisco; a true classic that helped start the popularity of the whole Tiki craze.
Locally, I’d have to say the Tacoma Cabana. I play bass in the Hawaiian Swing Band (like us on FB) that performs there twice on month, usually the first and third Wednesdays. It has fabulous decor and a really nice, festive vibe. The food is good too.
When and what made you decide to build your own Tiki bar?
Thomas- Renee and I went to Costa Rica for our honeymoon in 2006 and went back again in 2008. We don’t do the “resort” kind of vacations, but often found ourselves in some beautiful, out-of-the-way places. We were just amazed at how you could find an otherwise worn down building decorated with some cool decor, a few strings of lights, a bamboo bar, some live music (of any kind) and viola!—you’ve got a super fun little party spot that attracts folks looking for a friendly, good time.
We returned to Tacoma thinking, “We could do this on our back deck.” So we did!
Can you give a little history of how your Tiki bar came together?
Thomas- I refer to it as a “Tropical Lounge.” My dad and I actually named it “Trader Tom’s Tropical Lounge at Drifter’s Cove”. Renee and I wanted to make it feel more like Costa Rica than just Hawaii and the South Pacific. Also, as a musician, I’ve always appreciated music from the Caribbean, so we wanted to be more geographically inclusive while offering the universally mellow, happy, atmosphere you can find in any tropical part of the world.
Renee realized early on that it is all about lighting. So, that has been a key element in our design. It came together over several years. Another key component that is reminiscent of the tropics is the use of corrugated metal. Bamboo is also integral to the atmosphere. In the early ’90s Renee planted a bamboo plant along the creek that runs beside our house. It is now a predominant key feature of the property. The bar itself is a really nice bamboo piece. Renee bought it for my birthday in about 2009. She got it online, but it had to be mis-priced. She paid about $150 for it and today we see the same thing for a $1500. What luck!
Next, we kept an eye out for bamboo furniture, added a few plants here and there, and more lighting, etc. On our last trip to Costa Rica, we brought back a hand-painted tile that sat on the shelf for a couple of years. Then one time my dad was visiting, so for a little project Renee, myself, and my dad made a nice table from our own bamboo plants and it features the tile from Costa Rica.
Since my dad passed away, we placed some artifacts of his life as a sailor that contribute to the developing theme.
Any future plans for your Tiki bar?
Thomas- We still enjoy entertaining and our friends love to hang out at our “Tropical Lounge,” but I really don’t drink much anymore, so that aspect of the lifestyle has faded away a bit. Perhaps it had been replaced by my incessant playing of the ukulele!
We really like that space as an outdoor living area and have continued to develop other outdoor areas around our home. We eat most meals on our front porch—even in the winter. The neighbors must think we’re nuts. We probably are.
More recently, our energies have been spent constructing a little cottage for Renee out in back by the creek. We put an old bed out there and sleep out there most nights. It’s great to hear the water as you drift off to sleep. We have more work to do on the interior, but we’re kind of catching our breath as we develop the design concept.
Anything else you would like to add?
Thomas- I think our home kind of flows from one space to another while including the outdoors. In a sense, you kind of move “through” our home rather than “into” it. We love it that people feel relaxed here.
Tom plays in the Hawaiian Swing Band. Here is the Facebook Page.
I would like to thank my good friend Yovany for being my photographer for this post. All the photographs were taken by him!
Wonnerful, wonnerful!
Trader Tom and Renee have found their calling!