Bobby Tiques by Bobby Defino
If your taste runs a bit more eccentric,
then Bobby Tiques is the place for you.
Owned by the unconventional and
irrepressible Bobby Defi no, there is
everything from mermaid skeletons to
vintage oversized blue jeans purchased
from the Levi’s jeans company.
Bobby delights in treasure hunting. “One
time I bought a unit owned by Bob Hope.
That was a highlight,” said Bobby.
Arriving in Arcadia approximately 18
years ago, Defi no said, “We used to be
in Cape Coral, but I heard rent was a lot
cheaper here and there’s a bigger draw
here because there’s more shops.”
A retiree from IBM and law enforcement,
Bobby says he has been here a long time. “I
started off renting booths and stuff like that.
The people here are really nice people.
Everybody has their own fl air. I look for the
weird and unusual.”
Like all of the other store owners, Bobby is
passionate about his work. “I just bought an
old arcade. It’s coming down in two weeks
with a fortune telling machine. I love what I
do and I have fun. This is my retirement.”
Bobby has compiled quite the eccentric
collection from old photos, fl ags, vintage
machines, statues and dolls. And it’s at
Bobby Tiques that we learned of the
haunted history of Arcadia.
“Go upstairs in the Opera House,” he said.
“It is the most haunted place in the state
of Florida. The ghost people would come
there like every other week and do their
seances.”
Shirley Stewart, one of the assistants at
Bobby Tiques added, “A young girl who
was performing at the Opera House fell out
of her window to her death.”
“They say you can see the little girl’s face
in the window,” added Bobby.
It is Bobby and Shirley who encourage
people to visit the Old Opera House
and judge for themselves. Or perhaps
they’re playing their roles in perpetuating
the haunted lore of Arcadia. That’s good
business, one might say. Either way, we
decided to check it out for ourselves.
66 GASPARILLA MAGAZINE • September/October • 2021
Bobby Tiques is
fi lled with treasures,
including the original
Levi jeans display and a
faux gargoyle skeleton.