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Community Corner

#94 — Grab a Pint at Shines

Visit this West End bar for St. Patrick's Day, but also absorb its history.

The Irish bar at the corner of West Beech Street and California Street is one of the oldest businesses in Long Beach. Opened in 1912, Shines (spelled without the apostrophe) has been home to controversy, scandals, hearty beer and generations of memories. This history, and that St. Patrick’s Day is just days away, makes Shines the perfect choice for #94 of Patch’s 100 Things To Do in Long Beach series.

Marked with a large shamrock on its exterior, Shines has been a main meeting place for residents and visitors alike for decades. Some attribute this to its relaxed and inviting atmosphere, while others say it’s the bar’s legacy, mystery and history of surviving Prohibition that makes patrons prideful to have Shines in their neighborhood and part of their lives.

"We don't need to do anything special," said Brent Wilson, the bar’s owner. "We're one of the rarest places in the country, and we've been the meeting spot for locals for generations."

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During Prohibition, Eugene Shine looked for a way to enjoy and serve liquor to friends and patrons, so he converted the garage of his West End home into a speakeasy. His bar and home were often raided. Shine’s name and a snapshot of police confiscating $20,000 worth of liquor from his home were featured in a New York newspaper in 1930.

Photos of Shines' days as a speakeasy are posted around the bar’s brown-tiled walls, the very same walls that housed Eugene's speakeasy.

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Wilson has salvaged the bar's original trap doors, located in the floor behind the bar and in the liquor storage room, that Eugene built as an emergency dumping ground in case of raids. 

Though the rest of Eugene's home was later turned into part of the bar, which today sports pool tables, dartboards and a jukebox, the address (55) remains on California Street, his original home address, despite that the main entrance and heart of the bar is on West Beech Street.

Shines is also rumored to have been a US Coastguard station, something Wilson and the Long Beach Historical & Preservation Society are teaming up to possibly validate for Shines’ 100 anniversary next year.

No matter your interests, whether it's history or just good beer, Shines is the perfect spot to start or end your St. Patrick’s Day celebration.

Category: Community

Season: Year round 

Notes: Don't ask for green beer! Though other area bars will be offering tinted beer for the festivities, Shines sticks to its dark beer, Guinness. 

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