Kahiki FireplaceBefore the Kahiki Supper Club in Columbus, Ohio was demolished in 2000, the Tsao family saved much of the decor, with the intention of reopening some day. (We all know how that went… pour one out for the Kahiki.) The massive flame-spouting moai created by Phil Keintz that flanked the entrance were salvaged, along with the iconic interior fireplace. In 2006, the family decided they no longer wanted them. One of the front moai is in the hands of Kahiki collector tikiskip, and the other and the fireplace have been with another Kahiki fan. They’re a little bit worse for the wear (which is understandable, how does one store a two-story-tall fireplace?). But they still exist! And now, they could be yours.
The owner of the moai and fireplace cannot store them any longer, and is offering them for sale on eBay. They are made of concrete, and very heavy: the fireplace is nearly 23 feet tall, and the moai is about 16 feet tall! While these are unusually meaningful artifacts of Polynesian Pop history, their large size means few people have the ability to handle them, so the purchase price could wind up being surprisingly affordable. Know anyone who’s planning to build a humongous tiki bar?
November 22nd, 2010 at 8:11 am
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November 23rd, 2010 at 5:03 pm
Ah, the Kahiki, I remember it well on Broad Street in Columbus, Ohio, in the 1970s and 1980s. It’s probably responsible for my fascination with Easter Island.
Sad that it closed in 2000.
But more recently, here in Georgia in the local grocery stores, in the frozen food sections, I’ve seen Kahiki brand eggrolls.
November 29th, 2010 at 5:51 am
So the fireplace didn’t sell, the auction ended, but the outside Moai
sold for $890.22.