Opened in 1998.

Rock-a-Hula was a small vintage and new clothing store in the heart of the trendy Melrose shopping district. All sorts of clothes could be found here, but there was an emphasis on aloha wear, including a handful of very nice '40s era rayon shirts in a locked case. The inside of the store used bamboo, rattan, lauhala matting and thatch extensively, but there was very little in the way of actual tikis here -- only a handful of small mugs for sale.

Closed in 2006.

Now home to a different vintage clothing store -- 2nd Street.

This Kelbo's was the first of two, built in 1947. Two men, Thomas Kelley and Jack Bouck, combined the first syllables of their last names and invented Kelbo’s, a small chain of Hawaiian barbecues whose food was not all that Hawaiian: burgers, barbecue meat sandwiches and some miscellaneous seafood. The concession to the islands was that every plate was garnished with a piece of pineapple and the fried shrimp was coated with coconut. They also served very sweet (but very good) barbecued ribs and had a menu of tropical drinks, some of which came flaming or served in a skull mug. Eli Hedley was the main designer and he was also responsible for the interior of other tropical-themed restaurants like Don the Beachcomber. Kelbo’s felt like a place that had been decorated in the thirties or forties and then no one changed anything. The second Kelbo's was on Fairfax in La Brea, opened in 1950 across from CBS Television City, and was later torn down. It was a popular hangout for crew members who worked across the street at CBS Television City in the fifties and sixties. This first Kelbo's was over on Pico at Exposition.  After this Pico location was shuttered, the building was converted into a bikini bar called Fantasy Island for a time.  Much of the Kelbo’s advertising art was done by Bob Hale who otherwise turned up on Los Angeles TV from time to time as a cartooning weatherman. (He was also active in Seattle where he owned a popular hobby shop that bore his name.) Hale’s drawings of a fat Hawaiian guy in native garb could be seen on Kelbo’s napkins and menus, and both of the outlets had huge Bob Hale murals on the outside.

Closed in 1994.

NOTE: Fourth photo is of Jack Bouck in aloha jacket. Seventh photo shows Sonny Heideman at bar. Last photo shows Tom Kelley on the right.

Built in 1962.

The Whispering Lakes Apartments (formerly an unnamed apartment complex) once featured four large Milan Guanko tikis in front.

There are still some smaller tiki influences present, including some simple stylized Tiki Bob-ish carved tikis at the entrance.

Opened in 1956 through at least 1957 according to old newspaper ads.

One such ad from The San Francisco Examiner July 20, 1957 states:

"Only I year old and world-famous. Under the management of BOB KENNA. Entertainment-Exotic Beverages and Foods. Jimmie Borges, 'The Hawaiian Johnny Ray' FLOOR SHOW ENTERTAINMENT FEATURES authentic Hawaiian music. SHOW TIMES: 9:45-11:15-12:15 TUESDAY THROUGH SUNDAY. Under the expert supervision of Chef Bill Seaburg authentic Island cooks prepare exotic dishes as well as the traditional seafood and steak dishes you'd expect in a fine wharf restaurant. Waikiki Far Eastern Specials include: TAHITIAN CANTONESE HAWAIIAN INDONESIAN MANDARIN FOODS and a Complete Sea Food Menu, Steaks, Chops Tropical Bar features 30 exotic beverages ranging in strength from an 'Hawaiian Sunrise' to a 'Typhoon.' Hot hors d'oeuvres during Cocktail Hour. OPEN 11:30 A.M. to 2:00 A.M."

Address no longer exists. Old building was probably torn down. Today this area is home to a thriving shopping area.

This new Trader Vic's location opened in November 2004, marking the return of Trader Vic's to San Francisco proper. Until the early '90s, Trader Vic's had a location in San Francisco at Cosmo Alley. This new location had most recently held the famous Stars restaurant. Renovations were rumored to be budgeted at $3.5 million dollars.

The restaurant had several dining rooms, many suitable for private parties. The main dining room and bar area were large and open, with many Papua New Guinea masks and very large carved tikis. There was a bit of a rough start as the restaurant first opened, but after a series of improved bartender hirings, the drink quality improved.

The restaurant never quite found its footing, and closed in December 2007, after just three years in operation.

Before becoming Latitude 20°, this was The Polynesian (1957-1964).

The Polynesian opened in 1957 and closed due to fire in 1959, but was refurbished and re-opened in 1960 to run for 4 more years before being sold in 1964.

Hop Louie re-opened it as Latitude 20° on July 15th, 1966. Latitude 20° ran through 1980 before being sold to developers who decided to stray from the Polynesian theme and go Country. It was a Waco's and then a Calamity's before the structure was finally leveled in 1984.

This location is now a strip mall.

This Redondo Beach apartment building is from the '60s and still has plenty of tikis, both in front of the building and in the pool courtyard. It's particularly notable for its large, beautifully lettered sign that simply says "Tiki". It is just blocks from the beach.

Some of the apartment building's tikis are speculated to have been carved by students of Trader Luke, Mike & George Gildea (and friends from Manhattan Beach), who were known for their unique cartoon-like and elongated mouths on their carvings.

Documented on page 221 in Sven Kirsten's The Book of Tiki (and 150/153 in Tiki Style).

This Polynesian paradise consisted of the Kapu-Kai Coffee Shop with an attached bowling alley. The bowling alley also boasted an Outrigger cocktail lounge and Tahitian Fire Room. The complex stood on the corner of Foothill and Vineyard and was active from 1962 to 1969.

What shut the Kapu-Kai down was the Great Inland Empire Storm & Flood of 1969, which by the storm's end had caused over $500 million in damage, killed 60 people, and damaged and destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses.

The ruined buildings of the Kapu-Kai held on until 1994, after which they were bulldozed, according to Charles Phoenix’s “Cruising the Pomona Valley.”

Nobody could figure out an economical way to salvage the unique structure.

The name "Kapu-Kai", Phoenix says, translates to "Forbidden Sea" which is appropriate when one considers the flood of water that brought its demise.

That corner is now famous for having two Starbucks outlets, one at the edge of the parking lot and a small one inside the Albertsons.

Years later, Bosko was able to trade for one of the salvaged interior tiki support poles from the Kapu-Kai which he installed at his home bar (The Kapu Tiki Room) and was actually married beneath in a ceremony conducted by noted mixologist Beachbum Berry.

Club Kona dates from the pre-tiki era when elegant tropical nightclubs were themed with palm trees and bamboo. It was owned by Henry, Dolly and Phil Molino. It was initially located at 316 San Pablo Ave., and reopened at 303 San Pablo after a fire in early 1938.

From February 1948 to February 1949, Club Kona was temporarily leased to Lloyd Johnson while the Molino family took a vacation necessitated by Henry and Phil Molino being on probation for a gambling charge.

Some time around 1954 the numbering system for San Pablo Ave, was changed and the address became 9901 San Pablo Ave. This is directly across from the west entrance to the El Cerrito Plaza shopping center. The cross street was Carlson. After the Club closed (in about 1960) there was a McFarlands Ice Cream/candy store. A Payless Shoe Source now occupies the site.

Opened in March, 1943.

Also referred to as "Eddie's Pago Pago" for owner Eddie Brandhorst.

Apparently, Eddie opened a second Pago Pago location in April 1945 at the former location of the Waikiki at 319 North Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs but he only ran it for a short time.

This was a 20-unit hotel with bar and restaurant in Avalon on Santa Catalina Island.

Group photo below dates to 1948.

Some time after 1955, it appears the site changed hands and underwent a name change from "Ted Enoch's Waikiki" to "The New Waikiki".

It burned down in a fire on March 5th, 1979 along with the Hurricane Cove Bar (a pre-tiki bamboo bar).

Bob Brooks 7 Seas night club was a pre-tiki establishment (although they did have both physical tikis and tiki graphics in their menu and advertising...so a case could be made they they were full-blown tiki earlier than many think), originally opened at 6904 Hollywood Boulevard by Ray Haller in 1935. Capitalizing on the popularity of the South Pacific as a dream vacation destination, Haller borrowed ideas from the popular Don the Beachcomber club a few blocks away and decorated the 7 Seas with a collection of tropical plants, nautical items, lava rocks, and other items of decor that fit the Polynesian theme. The most notable feature was a corrugated tin roof upon which nightly tropical rain storms--complete with thunder and lightning effects--rattled with considerable realism. Don the Beachcomber "borrowed" this idea.

When Bob Brooks took the club over a few years later, he upped the ante by stealing some of Don the Beachcomber's bartenders (including Ray Buhen of Tiki-Ti fame) along with their recipes for exotic rum drinks for an extra $10 a week which was a lot back then. Brooks also added an authentic Polynesian floor show, which was unique among South Pacific-themed clubs at the time. Another factor adding to the 7 Seas' popularity was its proximity to Grauman's Chinese Theater. Movie-goers had only to cross Hollywood Boulevard for an exotic climax to their evening on the town.

Another highlight of the 7 Seas was that Bob Brooks had several Edgar Leeteg paintings hanging up from his visits to Tahiti. These were removed in the 1950s after Leeteg's death when their value suddenly skyrocketed. However, he hired a Leeteg protege to make duplicate replacements.

Under new ownership in the 1960s, the popular night spot became the Seven Seas Supper Club. By the 1970s, however, the 7 Seas was declining into nothing more than a seedy bar. To make matters even worse in the early 1980s, owner Eddie Nash was tried with porn star John Holmes for the "Wonderland" killings and for drug trafficking through his nightclubs, including the 7 Seas. Today there is nothing left of this one-time Polynesian paradise but picture postcards, matchbook covers, and memories.

*NOTE: Bob Brooks had a second Seven Seas location in Las Vegas at the Nevada Biltmore, but it was short-lived, lasting just from 1942-1944.