Blog

Tam’s Makeover

Tam’s Makeover by Kathryn Wilking

Just after the Vietnam War, a young 19 yr old girl decides to set up a pub near China Beach to provide for herself and infant child.

Tam was pleased to be chosen to cook for the American’s during the war. She learned to speak English, learned to cook American style hamburgers and rode with the soldiers in the massive convoys that curved through the mountains. An amazing story! When opportunity arose, she would take the soldier’s ‘rations’ into town, sell them, and bring back real food with her! The American men all treated her well. And, after the war, she still needed a survival plan.

She rented a spot to live, bought a case of beer, and she opened a business. Her clients were the American soldiers.

Tam’s pub was originally set up with cast off tables and a bar. She has been saving precious photographs and articles for over 40 years, and many are placed on the walls of her establishment. Pictures of the GI’s that came through in the last years of the war are the theme for this eatery. Many veterans have come back into town and look for Tam. She keeps in contact with many, many people. Some are interested in how the country is recovering, others are curiosity seekers.

Since she was so close to the beach, people asked her where to rent a surf board. Opportunity arose and somehow she acquired a surf board or two to rent out. Years later, in 2008, Jimmy Buffet came into town and looked for a surf board to rent. The dilapidated condition of the surf boards was worst-for-wear. He was touched with her story of survival, and promptly sent out 4 brand new surfboards from Hong Kong! I know this is true because she has the packing slip in a frame in the Pub!

So, the business was official named Tam’s Pub and Surf Shop. (And she still makes her now-famous American-style hamburgers and smoothies.)

More recently, the communist borders have opened for tourists. With international airports and an influx of money, the Vietnamese are placing a value on foreign visitors. Much of China Beach has been sold off and is sporting a multitude of brand new hotels and restaurants, as they try to modernize the area. Tam has a lot of new competition. Her Pub, formed on a shoe-string, was looking run down.

When I first met Tam in 2010, she was renting a location on a large four-lane, busy street; people could find her. She has moved several times. As soon as each landlord thought she was making lots of money, they would ask for more rent. In 2014, she was fed up with the games and purchased a small space that would serve as her home and business.

When visiting earlier this year, 2015, she is now 5 streets away from the beach; a long way to carry a surf board to the beach. This is what she can afford. And at 61 years old, she’s getting tired. While the same nostalgic pictures and photographs are framed or wrapped in plastic, her pub/restaurant was really showing its age.

My son has been working in Vietnam for several years, which is how I know a few intimate details of the area. Each time we visit, my husband and I want to give back to the area. This time it was Tam’s turn for a Feng Shui Makeover!
Tam can be so humble. When I asked her what she needed, she would not answer. So I decided for her. Her eyes were starting to give her problems, so new lights were on the list. What about new tables? The old ones? Well, they were old!

With arthritis is setting in, she was not sure how much more chopping and cooking she could do to keep the pub open.

I rearranged the traffic flow in the space; will still needed room for motorcycles and surf boards to get through. And then, cut down her old, over-sized bar. (She really wanted to keep it for sentimental reasons.)

We went out shopping in the city of DaNang. The remains of war time villages, is now being transformed to a grand Las Vegas; bright, manicured and sparkling! Hardware and retail store are opening with a selection of merchandise.

• I bought her a huge, ergonomic knife to cut her fruits and veggies. $6.
• We found 5 wooden slat-style tables that could be versatile; they can fold up or be rearranged for larger groups. $124.
• We bought 7 new lights to provide not only task lighting, but bring in a bit of ambiance. They need a bit of electrical work to install, so my son is supervising this next step. $45.
• She still needs a new sign for the Pub and a menu out front – to bring in the shy customers. There are still some rules to deal with, having a business on a small, residential street.

We spent $205. USD, for this makeover. The small changes we could finish before we left, the new traffic pattern and new tables, was a vast improvement. Tam reported record numbers of people in her pub over the Chinese New Year last week! YAY!

Probably the cheapest ‘makeover’ on record! (We were happy to help!)

Tam has made it into The Lonely Planer and Trip Adviser! Nice!

Tam out of the restaurant and enjoying the mountains!

Tam’s reno with the new lights. It still has a way to go…

---

About Kathryn Wilking

Author, Home Stager, Feng Shui Consultant

Kathryn has inspired women for more than a decade to take charge of their lives; arranging their environment, home and office, to support a positive, prosperous lifestyle. She provides informative tips and talks to organizations and small groups through her Facebook Group and Blog Posts and recorded podcasts. Contact her today for more info about bringing the practical application of Feng Shui into your space.

Her book, Practical Feng Shui for the Office; never goes out of style!
Would you like to chat with Kathryn? Join her for a Virtual Coffee Chat.

Find her on social media:
LinkedIn: Kathryn Wilking
Facebook: fb.com/KathrynWilkingDesigns
Twitter: @KathrynWilking