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Friday, July 18, 2014

Young-Quinlan Perfume

I had originally published this article in 2010 on my original Cleopatra's Boudoir website.

The Young-Quinlan Company was a department store built in 1926 in downtown Minneapolis. Like many department stores, Young-Quinlan had a beauty counter and sold high end perfumes and cosmetics, but some people may not realize that Young-Quinlan launched perfumes under their own name.

In 1926, opened to the public and to further announce their opening they released the perfume “J'aime ça“. The perfume bottle for “J'aime ça” was housed in an elegant Baccarat crystal flacon, previously unrecorded in any literature. Reference to this as well as a picture can be seen in the 2001 Monsen & Baer Perfume Bottles Auction catalog, though the auctioneers attribute this perfume as YQ, because of the entwined YQ on the stopper, the label simply reads The Young-Quinlan Co.

Programs, 1946:
" One of Young-Quinlan's special prides is a perfume. We call it '901' (our street number). It took three years of experimental blending to catch and hold this lasting, haunting fragrance. And the bottle is adorned only with the Y-Q lady - beautiful!"



Historic Profile: The Young-Quinlan Department Store is significant for its association with the early concept of high-quality modern merchandising in Minneapolis. For many years it was known locally as “Minneapolis' Youngest Oldest Store”. The first ready-to-wear dress shop was opened in the city by Elizabeth Quinlan and Fred Young in 1894. Elizabeth Quinlan, was the first female clothing buyer in New York, then United States.

 After Young’s death in 1911, Quinlan decided to expand and build a new facility to house her concept of what excellence in modern merchandising should reflect. With the emergence of mass-produced ready-to-wear outfits, the concept of large multi-stored buildings with specialized departments became a common twentieth-century trend.

 Quinlan’s concept produced a building elegant in design whose exterior reflected her preference for the simplicity of Italian art. The building was designed by Magney & Tusler, with Frederick Ackerman and the construction was finally finished in 1927. An atypical feature of the building’s design was the identical treatment of all four facades. Further, the inclusion of parking facilities in the building’s basement created a modern planning solution for the new age of transportation.

 The department store stayed in business up until the late 1980s, with its original grand interior and top floor restaurant complete with imported Italian fountain and small fashion runway. It is now an office building: major office tenants include the headquarters of Target Commercial Interiors and the Minneapolis Regional Chamber & City of Lakes Chamber Offices.

The perfumes of Young-Quinlan:

  • 1926 - J'aime ça
  • 1926 - Brise des Pres
  • 1926 Fantome d'Orient
  • 1926 Haleine du Soir
  • 1926 Pure Extase

1 comment:

  1. My grandfather was president of YQ. I have one of these bottles, unused and in mint condition. What is the best platform to sell it on?

    ReplyDelete

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