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Picture, if you will, the Old Market in the spring of 1970. While it was certainly beyond its infancy, it was far from bustling. A single restaurant, two galleries and a bookstore, quite a few imaginative and charming shops -- these were all.

Into this alluring vacuum came the flash of an idea, inspired by a visit to Washington, D.C.'s Georgetown - the original of all authentic Old Town areas in America. Add to Georgetown a happy recollection of the elegant and sophisticated pubs of London, with their sociability, charm and delectable food, and you have the concept behind M's Pub.

This big room had been a discouraging sight, though it had made a fine warehouse of forty years. Plywood covered the stairs, walls were crumbling, the arches had been bricked up, and the only light came from naked bulbs suspended from a ceiling festooned with cobwebs.

Yet the space felt just right, giving an impression of both spaciousness and intimacy. The basic warehouse architecture was respected by the designers. Ceiling and walls were restored and painted, the arches filled with glass, the island bar and the cabinet kitchen constructed on the spot. Clear glass, mirrors, brass, and white walls bright with reflected light brought new beauty to a room that was essentially beautiful to begin with. All furnishings were ordered or designed especially for the place, except for the candelabras, which came from an old church in northern Nebraska.

We opened for business on January 18, 1973, to an enthusiastic clientele which we have tried never to disappoint. The present owners cherish the Pub, and have greatly embellished the menu which remains imaginative and unusual.

Is it a restaurant or is it a Pub? Is it, perhaps, closer to being a European cafe? You, dear customer, may be the judge. For it is you who rule in this establishment.

--Mary Vogel, founder of M's Pub in 1972