VIGNETTE > Meet the Quinn’s

Prohibition, a national ban on alcohol, was in place from 1919 to 1933. A cantankerous little Irishman named Jimmy Quinn ran his saloon at 2 Corte Madera for 45 years until he died at age 89. In 1929, he established a candy store that sold bootleg booze out the back. In 1934, it became a legal saloon called Meet the Quinn’s. Blue-tinted windows cast an azure glow over the proceedings in the narrow room. The bar curved around to the front windows, which is where Jimmy often perched to assess the clientele. Being so close to the fire station, the police station and City Hall, there were lots of customers from those sources. Cops and firemen would often stop by at the end of their shifts. When the city council adjourned, some of the council members and staff would drop in. In 1974, the saloon became part of Mill Valley Market’s deli.