Post #321639 by tikiyaki on Sat, Jul 28, 2007 9:56 AM

On 2007-07-27 16:25, Okolehao wrote:
There's a small vacant bar that's part of the old Gray Hound bus station building in downtown Salinas. It's been closed for probably 20 years. The front is made of stacked carmel stone and is set back at an angle to the door with a planter under the eve - a perfect place to put tropical plants and a Tiki. It has that 'it was cool in the early 60's' vibe in a just sleezy enough building (even though that part of town is gentrifying) to be interesting. I don't know if the interior still has fixtures, but everytime I pass there I think what a cool place to make into a Tiki bar. I know the donut shop on the other end of the building only pays $500 a month rent so I'm sure the bar could be leased for a song. I'm half tempted to contact the owner and see what I could negotiate. I think I could reduce my financial risk by starting with a cheaper beer & wine license and make tropical mocktails using sake or soju. That's how one Hawaiian/Tiki restaurant here started. The later got their full liquor license when the place was able to stand on it's feet financially. There's even Chinese food place on the same block that I could get hourdevers from on the fly so I wouldn't even need a kitchen.

One big problem though - I've never ran a bar before.

It's a pie in the sky idea, but I'm interested in other peoples stories if they've tried it.

Or does anyone want the excitement of investing in a cheap, pre-sleezed Tiki Bar? :lol:

OR....something I thought of recently...If there are enough tikiphiles in your area, maybe rent it out as a "Social Club"....or a "Lodge"....I don't know how the Lodge/Social Club system works, but I know there's a dues and membership system. You can deck it out all tiki, and rent it out for private parties, have shows with surf bands etc....

Then the rest of the time use it as a "social club" for Tiki Centralites, and others in your area who want a cool place to hang out, and, I'm not sure how the liquor deal works, but if you're not "Selling" it to the public, you may not need a license, if it's strictly on a Private party basis. You can host Tiki Art shows (or ANY kind of art shows) and have other tiki related events too.

If you have a few friends who would be interested in pitching in, you can split the initial cost, and try and get members to sign up on a dues system...like the Lodges back in the day. Everyone can pitch in decorating the place, maybe have some of the various Tiki Carvers and Artists put their stuff in there for sale, this way, you have nice tikis and tiki art in the place, and you can make a little commision on the sale as well (like when you see art for sale in a restaurant or coffee show)

If you push it here on TC, you may get some people to do it, this way they have a tiki bar to go to all the time. Of course, you wouldn't have to sell alcohol, it would all be for members, who "chip in" for the booze.

You can make additional income by renting it out for Private birthday parties, small company parties etc....If you make it really cool inside, you may be able to make it work.

I don't know, maybe it's a dumb idea, but I thought about it recently, after seeing how many people were at the Tiki Farm Big Ol Tiki Bash. It made me think about the various Lodges back in the day, and the Shriners etc....an "Organization" with members, rather than a "business" open to the public.

If there was one here in LA, I would sign up and pay mambership dues, as long as it wasn't something astronomical.

[ Edited by: tikiyaki 2007-07-28 09:59 ]