Your Hosts at the Kona Cove
We are Ryley and Ellie, a young couple from the West Coast, trying to quench the thirst of Maryland’s tiki drought one cocktail at a time. Ryley grew up in Seattle, WA, but left home after high school in search of freedom and Southern California’s sunshine. Ellie is a native Californian that only saw the beach once a year on a summer family road trip. They met in San Diego, CA, where the two developed both a love for each other and the Polynesian paradise so prevalent in the fabric of Southern California.
Our Intro Into Tiki
Ryley’s love of music may be one of the few things that runs deeper and stronger than his love of tiki. It was in the vinyl bargin bins that he was first exposed to the soundtrack of tiki. Surf, exotica, Hawaiian, slack-string, and tropical music captured his heart long before any of it took on the name “tiki”.
After moving to San Diego, Ryley became exposed to the all-encompassing realm of Polynesian Pop, beginning with one of the last living vestiges of the Golden Age of Tiki, the Bali Hai. San Diego’s grandfather of tiki opened its doors to the couple and along with them opened up the world of tiki as a whole.
Not long after the Bali Hai shed a guiding light on the world of tiki, False Idol’s enchanting song lured the couple past its curtain of skulls into a new era of polynesian pop possibilities. It has been a full explosion of passion and intrigue ever since.
A Dive into Paradise
Like sailors who were once beckoned back to the coasts of Polynesia, Ryley and Ellie felt called back to the dim lights of tiki bars across California. What started as a mug in the cabinet turned to a corner of their home, the obsession had taken root. Rum, mugs, decor and stories were collected at every chance, never fearing a long drive in search of them. As time went on, the collection had out grown the space and that’s when Uncle Sam decided it was time for a change. It was time to turn in surf boards for snow jackets and move across country to the East coast.
The move didn’t deter them, if anything it was time to get serious. Where most would see an unfinished basement, Ryley and Ellie saw the area of what would become the Kona Cove. The Kona Cove got its name from their Mastiff, Kona, whom the couple had adopted while living in San Diego. The Kona Cove is by this point 90% completed but as any polynesiac would know, that last 10% is the hardest.