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October 19, 2014 by tomdalzell

Local Tiki Joints: Gone and Still Here

As far as I and my research department have been able to ascertain, Berkeley has had one Tiki joint.  Ever.  Just one.  It was at the base of University, closed, gone, no remnant, just remembered:

984 University

They featured an Aloha Sunday.  The Royal Hawaiian Ukulele Band played there frequently.    It is now operating as the Handle Bar.

For tiki joints still in business, it is off to the island of Alameda for the Forbidden Island tiki bar:

Quirky Berkeley 06-09-2016 Quirky Berkeley 06-09-2016

 

Quirky Berkeley 06-09-2016

At the front door:

Quirky Berkeley 06-09-2016

In the back:

Quirky Berkeley 06-09-2016 Quirky Berkeley 06-09-2016

The the Very Best Of All:

Quirky Berkeley 06-09-2016

Wow!  Note to self: go there at night.  Wow.

Oakland has a few still going:

4401 Piedmont

4401 Piedmont, Oakland

Kona Club Interior 3 Kona Club Interior 1 Kona Club Interior 2And also still there in Oakland, at 5422 College Avenue:

5422 College Avenue, Oakland

Conga Lounge IneriorConga 2 Conga 1

Oakland had a vibrant tiki scene in the 1950s and 1960s.

Other Tiki Joints Ads

Finally, to Oakland, first to two great Tiki sites that are gone, both burned – Tiki Tom’s in 2010 and Zombie Village in the 1960s.  I maintain that they still inform us in Berkeley, that their neighboring quirk lived after the fire.

Tiki Tom’s was near the Park Street Bridge on the waterfront in Oakland was Tiki Tom’s.

Tiki_Tom_sign

At the end of the game, the score was Fire 1, Tiki Tom 0.

At 6485 San Pablo was the brilliantly named Zombie Village:

Advertisement Color Drawing

Zombie 1Zombie 3Menu DrawingDrawing with NameAdvertisement DrawingAdvertisement Under New Management

Newspaper Photo Entrance

Zombie Village was full-service Tiki:

Sale:Trade Tiki Stuff

In the end, Zombie Village face fire.  As was the case with Tiki Tom’s, the final score was Fire 1, Zombie Village 0.

10:23:67 FireSign : fire

Zombie Village was the creation of Skipper Kent, the nom de guerre of Frank Kent.

skipper_kent1b

He owned and operated both Zombie Village in Oakland and Skipper Kent’s in San Francisco.

SF Exterior black and white 2

skipper_postcard1b

SF InteriorSF Interior black and white

Last, at least for now, is the Jade Hula Shack, which was on 20th Street between Broadway and Franklin.

SignMatchbook dragon woman Matchbook PalmMatchbookk Woman Color Ad NapkinWhen I showed these to my friend, he first said, “Dude, in this whole deal, you forgot Elvis.  Blue Hawaii.  Bigtime tiki scene.”  He picked up the phone and called Gabby.  It turns out that Gabby automatically picks up things associated with Elvis, and Hitler, and Jesus Christ, and the Kennedy assassination, and a few other subjects.  He had stuff on hand, which he sent my friend, along with some books and records he tracked down in Denver.  First, Blue Hawaii albums:

bluehawaiiclub MI0001616926 elvis-presley-blue-hawaii-rca Elvis-Presley-Blue-Hawaii-NMC-NewAnd then postcards from the Coco Palms Resort, featured in the movie:

conchnight flag lily2 $(KGrHqN,!oMFC2ZUoVclBQ4F982(Ow~~60_35 lagoon3 lagoon conch chapel 8169x4d3a37a6 8169x4d3a37d5316_001154_001 148_large OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAMy friend was now the owner of all this.  I am sure that he will keep it for a while, but then re-gift or sell it. That’s fine.

Leaving aside Elvis, what did he think of the local tiki joints?

IMG_3677

 

 

 

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