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What makes a great kava bar?

Kava Kyle

Kava Kyle

Kava Curious
Hello friends! My wife and I are in the very early stages of opening our own nakamal and are wondering what aspects of the kava bar are most important to you?Obviously top-notch kava and an informative , professional staff are a must but what about other aspects?.. Island atmosphere, authentic serving-ware , live music, games, social camaraderie , quiet chill atmosphere, open mic, flavored kava drinks, outdoor area? What are your favorite aspects of your favorite kava bar?Thanks in advance for your input ! Bula!
 
TheKavaSociety

TheKavaSociety

New Zealand
Kava Vendor
Hi Kyle,
I think it depends on where you are planning to locate your bar. What I loved about nakamals in Port Vila was that (in addition to great kava) I could enjoy nice bush or sea views. Or look at the stars. If your are planning to open your bar by the sea, lake or park then you should definitely have a nice outdoor section. Otherwise make sure it's calm and quiet. Soft music, pleasant ambiance. I don't think you need any special gadgets to recreate "island atmosphere". Nakamals in port vila are quite simple. A simple, tasteful and quiet lounge would be perfect. Maybe a bit of a reggae style could work for early afternoons.
 
Kava Kyle

Kava Kyle

Kava Curious
Thanks for the input so far! It's great to be able to connect with other kava enthusiasts and hear your ideas... we haven't settled on an exact location yet so a lot of the details are still up in the air but I do love the idea of an outdoor area and a fire. My wife and I are both artists as well as kava enthusiasts so we are going to be doing a lot of our own decor and will also have art and handcrafted jewelry available. I thinking lighting is a key factor too...finding that happy medium between kind-on-my-eyes dim and where-did-i-set-my-shell dim.
 
Kava Kyle

Kava Kyle

Kava Curious
I plan on offering the kava that allows you to communicate with the seagulls so I should be able to persuade them.;)
 
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Atticus

Atticus

:)
Kava Kyle said:
Yea..lol and we'll be having giant bonfires each night to stay warm while we play a soundtrack of waves and seagulls. No , actually we're looking to open in Charlottesville, Virginia...so we'll just have to talk the Virginia Beach seagulls into hanging around our bar
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Awesome. I was born in Charlottesville and my childhood years were spent there. The Blue Ridge Mountains, University of Virginia and many other things make that place magical.
 
Kava Kyle

Kava Kyle

Kava Curious
Atticus said:
Awesome. I was born in Charlottesville and my childhood years were spent there. The Blue Ridge Mountains, University of Virginia and many other things make that place magical.
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Atticus said:
Awesome. I was born in Charlottesville and my childhood years were spent there. The Blue Ridge Mountains, University of Virginia and many other things make that place magical.
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Wow, small world huh? We live about 3 1/2 hours SW of Charlottesville but are planning on relocating in the next year or so specifically to open our kava bar/ art gallery and feel that Charlottesville would be a great place for us to thrive...It's nice because we are moving for the kava bar so that gives us alot of options...In the mean time we will be setting up at our local farmers market this Spring in Abingdon VA educating folks and selling our kava. It's an exciting journey that we are at the very beginning of and are excited to be part of this community where we can share our experiences along the way!
 
Zaphod

Zaphod

Kava Lover
I have not been to a kava bar - but the most successful coffee shop in the area had mediocre coffee but a great atmosphere for sitting, conversing, and hanging out. No pressure to move or be served. Lots of soft comfy chairs, couches, tables with little games and play toys (little puzzles, rubiks cubes, trivia cards etc.). No TVs and no wifi and a sign that said if your on your phone your missing great conversation....
 
Jerome

Jerome

Kava Lover
Live ukulele music. Or slack-key guitar. And when I come in I want to get lei'd.

But no white guys playing didgeridoos... or drum circles... or patchouli... God I hate patchouli.
 
Atticus

Atticus

:)
Jerome said:
Live ukulele music. Or slack-key guitar. And when I come in I want to get lei'd.

But no white guys playing didgeridoos... or drum circles... or patchouli... God I hate patchouli.
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I saw this interview with a Kavatender (? lol) once. It reminded me of one of those old photographs of a Native American posing beside a family dressed in white on vacation. It was so cheesy and the tender was trying to put an island vibe in a very artificial way. Keep it real and you will be good to go. But, who am I to give advice. Hell, I've never even been to a Kava bar. :)
 
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VictoryRider

VictoryRider

Kava Enthusiast
Jerome said:
As a long time beach resident, I've found that seagulls always show up when you open a bag of chips or unwrap a sandwich... whether they're invited or not.
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Heh... last time I was in MX, wifey and I ate lunch at an outdoor cafe. We finished up, leaving a few french fries and a small amount of bread on the plate. Got up to leave, and out of NOWHERE a large flock of seagulls swooped in and removed every speck of food from the plate in about 3 seconds, and were gone
again. It was almost scary!
 
Jerome

Jerome

Kava Lover
VictoryRider said:
Heh... last time I was in MX, wifey and I ate lunch at an outdoor cafe. We finished up, leaving a few french fries and a small amount of bread on the plate. Got up to leave, and out of NOWHERE a large flock of seagulls swooped in and removed every speck of food from the plate in about 3 seconds, and were gone
again. It was almost scary!
Click to expand...
As soon as my first daughter was old enough to walk, I taught her to chase the seagulls at the beach. That way we could enjoy our food in peace and she would wear herself out.
 
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