Home Tiki Bar Spotlight #114 Rita’s Lost Weekend – Matawan NJ

Rita's Lost Weekend

Remember that movie Escape From New York?

Once you got in, it was hard to get out. But in reality, it’s quite the opposite. If you want to drive into Manhattan from New Jersey you have only three options: Holland Tunnel, Lincoln Tunnel or the George Washington Bridge. If you want to take a train in, you got two ways in, NJ Transit or you can take the PATH train.

So, if you want to tiki and you live in New Jersey, what do you do? You don’t escape to New York, you build a tiki bar in your garage and escape there! This is exactly what Shanna and Johnny did and here’s their story…

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Home Tiki Bar Spotlight #113 Dr. Bones, Apothecary – Tacoma WA

Dr. Bones, Apothecary

When Ashley Morgan, aka Sleepy Siren Treasure Co. ins’t sculpting mugs shaped like dead oceanographers, she’s spending time with husband Cliff deep down inside their basement bar. It’s part nautical, part pirate and part tiki, all things that Ashley and Cliff love. The name of their bar is called Dr. Bones, Apothecary…
NOT Dr. Bones’ Apothecary!

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Home Tiki Bar Spotlight #112 The Satin Tiki Room – Redford MI

The Satin Tiki Room

Are you a punk rock guy? I used to play drums in a band called Negative Approach from Detroit…

Chuck Burns is a musician from out of The Motor City and has been playing music for most of his life. He’s into rock and punk and yes, has played drums for Negative Approach which is one of the most influential hardcore punk bands there is. I’m a big fan of rock and punk and to answer Chuck’s question, Hell Yeah! I’m a punk rock guy! Chuck is also into tiki and has created his own tiki bar in his basement. It’s called The Satin Tiki Room and here is Chuck’s story…

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Home Tiki Bar Spotlight #112 The Kursed Piranha – London UK

The Kursed Piranha

I stumbled upon a random tiki video on YouTube…

I’m always on the lookout for any tiki videos on YouTube and I found one. It was a video of someone giving a tour of their home tiki bar. You couldn’t see the person but you can hear the person talking about all the pieces that make up their bar. That person is GiGi and she’s from the UK. I was impressed with what I saw in that video but I noticed that there was more. Gigi made videos for each step on her build out and it was really cool to see the transformation. The name of the bar is The Kursed Piranha and here is how it all came to be…

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Home Tiki Bar Spotlight #111 Smuggler Rob’s Tiki Bar – Spokane WA

Smuggler Rob

Smuggler Rob doesn’t have a name for his home tiki bar yet but that isn’t going to stop me from doing a spotlight on his bar! You can find Rob’s tiki bar hidden in an add-on shop in his garage. It’s small and cozy and it’s the place you want to retreat with Spokane’s cold and snowy winters. Spokane is a five hour drive from my place in Seattle and once the weather gets nicer, I’m heading out to check out Smuggler Rob’s Tiki Bar!

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Home Tiki Bar Spotlight #110 A True Creepy Tiki Bar in Florida

If you know me, I like my tiki with a bit of horror thrown in for good measure. When I saw pictures of Darren Perks tiki bar, I had to do a post on it! I’d say that Darren’s bar is more horror than tiki but that’s ok with me. Darren actually created all the creepy things you will see inside. As of this writing, there is no name for Darren’s ultra-scary tiki bar but Darren can tell you the story so far…

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Home Tiki Bar Spotlight #109 The Kraken Lounge – Angola IN

All dressed up and no place to go…

I’ve been to Indiana many times. I’ve literally driven through the entire state from east to west and back again, mostly to go to Indianapolis to visit my tiki friends and visit The Inferno Room. Paula Kasun lives in Angola which is located in NE Indiana almost to the very top corner of the state. Needless to say, if Paula wants to Tiki, she has a long drive ahead of her. It’s about a three-hour drive to The Inferno Room! As they say, if you can’t get to the tiki, you bring the tiki to you. (I just made that up) and that’s exactly what Paula did. Paula built her own tiki bar in her basement. It’s called The Kraken Lounge and here’s Paula’s story…

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Home Tiki Bar Spotlight #108 The Taratupa Lounge Denver CO

 

Phil likes TV shows, a lot! He has a collection of tv shows and movies that’s so big that he has shelves and shelves of dvds. I honestly felt like I was in a video store but actually I was in his basement. What’s also in Phil’s basement is his home tiki bar. It’s called The Taratupa Lounge and it’s taken from the TV show McHale’s Navy.

Phil also likes 80’s video games, a lot! He has a second tiki bar with a bar top filled with almost every tv arcade systems from back when I grew up in the 80’s. He even has a Vectrex!

Phil also likes Tiki, a lot! And here’s his story…

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Home Tiki Bar Spotlight #107 The White Whale – Milwaukee WI

Zach Marsh has a barber shop. It’s not just a barber shop, but a tiki barber shop! It’s called Southpaw Barbershop and it’s in Saint Francis WI. If you need a trim, I highly recommend Zach, you’ll leave with a fresh trim and a total relaxing tiki experience. Speaking on relaxing experiences, Zach has a tiki bar behind his home. It’s called The White Whale and it’s where Zach goes when he wants to relax. Here’s his story…

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Home Tiki Bar Spotlight #106 The Lucky Star Tiki Bar – Whidbey Island WA

Imagine being in the army and you’re on base. Imagine a tiki bar on this base. Think of the makeshift tiki bar on the TV show M.A.S.H. This is what Will Locksmith Hawkins created in the basement of his home and it’s so cool. I’ve been to many tiki bars but I’ve never seen anything like this!

Oh, did I forget to mention there’s an actually a wing from an airplane hanging about the bar?

 

 

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