“She needs a Black Magic,” Mirielle offered.
When Christie walked into the Mai-Kai for her first visit, Kern, Pia, and Mireille, like diplomatic ambassadors, greeted her at the door. Christie was starting to get overwhelmed with tears of joy when Kern asked, “What would you like to drink?” Before Christie could answer, Mireille suggested one of the Mai-Kai’s most famous and potent drinks, a Black Magic. It was the right choice. That Black Magic cast a long-lasting spell, and this visit would lead to countless more.
When Christie and others first contacted the Mai-Kai, the management and staff didn’t realize a Tiki Revival movement existed. The Mai-Kai didn’t know about Sven’s Book of Tiki, much less that they were featured in it. During the Tiki devolution of the 80s and the next decade, management of the iconic restaurant was doing what they knew best, running a family business and making ends meet. So when the Mai-Kai learned in the early aughts that thousands of people worshiped the place, it caught their attention.
Christie was one of those people. Growing up in Alabama with a difficult childhood, Christie’s early escapes involved Hawaiian LPs at a local antique store where she spent afternoons alone with a kind shop tender. She began collecting Tiki items soon after. Christie learned via a copy of The Tiki News at her local record shop that people in California were collecting just like her. She reached out and made connections to learn more. But that was only the prelude. “When I visited the Mai Kai, everything changed for me. It was like church. I’d never experienced anything like it before,” Christie confessed. She is not the only person who was changed by the Mai-Kai. Many Polynesiacs describe first visits as conversion experiences. “The Mai-Kai is a force unto itself. It lives and breathes on its own,” Christie added.
Christie’s passion and diplomacy would quickly connect the Mai-Kai to the revival. Soon after that first visit, Christie and the other Hukilau organizers decided to move the Tiki conference from Atlanta to Fort Lauderdale. The Hukilau would now feature a night at the Mai-Kai. Attendees would not only learn about Tiki history, they would experience it first-hand. “The Mai-Kai really embraced us,” and Christie was thrilled to witness the communion. During that first Hukilau night, Mirielle pulled Christie aside and whispered, “This is how it used to be.” Mireille was equally thrilled that the Mai-Kai had come alive again with Polynesiacs. Mireille’s quiet compliment was one of the best Christie had ever received.
One visit led to another. One Hukilau became many more. Christie moved to Fort Lauderdale for a few years to be in the epicenter of the East Coast revival. Whenever a Polynesiac reached out to visit the area, Christie would make it a point to personally greet them at the Mai-Kai. “I felt it was my responsibility,” Christie emphasized. She quickly earned the respect and love of the management, staff, and performers. She became a regular with a favorite seat to welcome others in the Molokai. Over time, Christie became the Mai-Kai’s most faithful ambassador. Although that first Mai-Kai visit was twenty years ago, Christie’s love for the Mai-Kai has only grown stronger over the decades.
Today, Christie and her husband, Bill, are back in the state where she grew up, Alabama. They have lovingly created their own black magic escape, The Tapa Room, in their mid-century home in Birmingham. Christie planned for the build to take weeks, but Bill knew it would take months. Although this is Christie’s third home bar, it’s by far the most immersive. It’s also the most sentimental because she and Bill built it together. She named it The Tapa Room as a reminder that no home tiki bar is exactly the same as another. Like every home bar, every tapa cloth is created by hand to tell a story.
As you might imagine, The Tapa Room contains a wealth of Tiki treasures from artists all over the country. Its look and feel are authentic to classic Tiki Style. Given Christie’s decades of collecting, she has large carvings from LeRoy Schmaltz and Crazy Al, black velvet paintings by Robb Hamel, paper sculptures by Kevin Kidney, tiles from the Islander, lamps from Jim Stacy, mugs from Woody Miller, and pieces from Oceanic Arts, Tiki Diablo, Matt Strickland, and Dave Wolfe, to name only a few. Nestled among these, Christie is fortunate to have original table lamps and an actual piece of the Mai-Kai, gifted to her from the staff. One of my favorite items is the matchbook that Christie created for The Tapa Room. Christie lists the names of every artist on the inside cover with pieces in her space. It honors the collective creativity found in her paradise.
Four vintage and sentimental black and white photos hang behind the bar in The Tapa Room. In the early days of the Hukilau, Christie stepped into Dave Levy’s office to ask if he had any historic photos she might use for event promotion. Dave pulled down some old photo albums while sharing, “I’ve never gotten these down before.” Inside was a treasure trove of images. Those photos would eventually be the ones you see today in Mai-Kai advertisements or in Swanky’s Book, Mai-Kai: History and Mystery of the Iconic Tiki Restaurant. But it was Christie’s request that brought the images back to life. Four prints of those photos now grace The Tapa Room. The first is of a Molokai girl, a mystery dancer. The second is of the long-gone surfboard bar, which shows one of the table lamps now in Christie’s bar. The third is is a picture of Bob Thornton holding a Derby Daiquiri, sitting at the end of the surfboard bar. The last photo is a historic photo of the Molokai featuring the spot where Christie would most often sit when she was serving as an ambassador. These four photos are a beautiful reminder of Christie’s love for her favorite place.
I suspect that if you ever get the opportunity to visit The Tapa Room, Christie will greet you at the door. You’ll begin to feel a little overwhelmed with emotion for all that is around you. Bill might offer you a choice of cocktail, but before you get a chance to answer, Christie will chime in.
“You need a Black Magic.”
