Basement Prohibition Jazz Mobster Bar Ideas

OK, haven’t been posting much but it’s summer.

I have a small army of people outside bashing and building on the house. Adding a couple of small additions, a new deck and the like. After they are done this, they will be moving inside to fix and remodel a few things. The big project will be the basement where Mary and I are building a bar. I’ve been snooping online for keg fridges and the like.

We want to do the bar up in a kind of comical prohibition/mobster/Jazz era theme, but we need some ideas. The colour scheme will be dark green and cream. We don’t want to go completely “authentic”  and worry about antiques or anything. Just some finishing touches to give a bit of atmosphere.

Here is what we have so far.

We are going to name it “Tommy Gun Molly’s Swanky Jazz Club and Speakeasy” , and I will need to get a logo and big sign to this effect over the stairs on the way down.  It’s a few inside jokes rolled into one. My friend Nicole had a show on the student union’s radio station called Machine Gun Annie’s Speakeasy” and she is the person who got me into jazz and especially female singers who, as frequent readers of the Thinking Shop know, are now officially labelled Slinky Jazz Babes. I also want to name the place after Molly, the cat, who, if she was human, would make a darn good flapper/manageress for an establishment run by the “Bedlam Boys” mob, Max and Dash, who, of course, provide security (and certain “protection” services as a sideline: “My, that’s a nice suit. Would’t want anything to happen to it, now would we? Shed happens to nice suits, you know”). Their office door will be marked with a “Private” sign, about 1 foot off the floor…

Goliath, the “dog” (a dachshund) will be given a little police badge for his collar. And there will be a little jar for him so people can give him bribes …. um, “donations” for the “Policedog’s Retirement Fund”.

We will see if we can get some Bugsy Malone and Fat Tony posters and a toy Tommy gun or two, and if room permits, a wooden booze-barrel bar table (with a sticker that says “Acme Perfectly Legitimate Imports Company”)

I’m also going to get a piano. Jazz bars NEED pianos. We can’t play (but I’d like to learn), so folks who can won’t have to pay the cover charge to get in.

I’d like to get some 1920s movie posters, ads for Model T’s etc. Anyone have any other ideas?

And the first movie on opening night?