Hale Tiki
Date: Unknown
I visited Hale Tiki twice—both visits we were treated super well by Brad and his girlfriend. I have at least one mug and a few swizzles still. The controversy was unfortunate—it was a fantastically built little space with great music and drinks.
Many years later, I have several decor pieces in my own home bar by way of another collector.
Tiki Bar
Hale Tiki
Augusta, Georgia, United States (Closed)
Owner Brad Owens opened Hale Tiki at the beginning of April 2004. The densely decorated interior was created by Dave "Basement Kahuna" Wolfe, Bamboo Ben, Tim Glazner and Crazy Al Evans. Much of the decor came from Oceanic Arts, and donations to the interior were made by many Tiki Centralites.
Unlike most newer tiki bars, with Hale Tiki Owens aimed to recreate an authentic tiki bar experience, with authentic drink recipes, and even music played from lps.
Hale Tiki went through some highs and lows: it opened to much enthusiasm and fanfare, and initially was both popular with the locals and with visiting tikiphiles who raved about the quality of the drinks and decor. Opinion of Owens, however, suffered greatly when many who ordered Hale Tiki mugs and shirts did not receive them, or any information about them, for many months. A business feud with Basement Kahuna also seemed to impact the mana of the place, with reports that in later months the drink quality had gone south significantly.
Hale Tiki closed in February 2006.