“Melbourne’s inconspicuous cocktail bar.”

That’s the description of Trinket Bar by venue manager Meg Few, and fans of this stylish Speakeasy on one of Melbourne’s coolest city streets, Flinders Lane, will agree.

Consistent with the vibe of the street – surrounded by elegant restaurants, bars and some of Melbourne’s earliest buildings – New York-themed Trinket Bar’s appeal is under-stated, subtle and sometimes even a little quirky.

Once home to an Italian restaurant called Terra Rossa, Trinket Bar’s roots are from another place and another time. A bar called a “speakeasy” in the United States during the Prohibition era in the 1920s was so-called because of the need for patrons to “speak easy” or quietly to avoid drawing attention to these hidden establishments which often required a secret code to enter.

With its blue velvet curtains, lounge sofas and stools, and with “hidden” rooms of its own, Trinkets Bar offers an unashamed nod to this past and embraces the sense of under-the-radar intrigue that would have been felt in bars of this type in 1920s Gotham.

One hundred years later Trinkets Bar draws inspiration from the aesthetic of those places, with moody spaces to enjoy a pizza, shared plates or a cocktail. Adding to the intrigue there’s a “hidden bar” downstairs – The Garnet Den – accessed only through a mahogany wardrobe.

The historic building it shares adds to its allure. A fine example of early twentieth century American Romanesque style, it was built as a warehouse and manufacturing premises in 1906 at a time when Flinders Lane was where Melbourne’s rag trade operated out of warehouses and factories.

The building’s history stretches back to the very earliest days of Melbourne’s establishment as a city. The site at 87-89 Flinders Lane was originally part of Melbourne’s fourth land sale in 1839. By 1866 it was a residence for Mr Gordon Sandman. By 1877 the site comprised a house, stables sheds and a yard, and by 1888 the site comprised a single-storey building.

The building was once used as a factory and warehouse for clothing importers and manufacturers Britannia Tie Co and P C Warland Pty Ltd until 1921.

Clothing manufacturing continued at the premises from 1922 with occupation by Parisian Mantle Manufacturers, J Sackville, and machinery indenters Dyer & Phillips.

Since 1899 the building has been home to the Swiss Club, established to serve Swiss migrants as a place to get together, maintain a link with their country of origin and to foster and preserve the cultural and linguistic inheritance of Switzerland.

Trinket Bar is making its own history – and in its own way. While visitors sip on a Prima Ballerina (house-infused cocktail with berries) or a Lethemango (mango, Aperol, orange and a spicy tajin), they can also experience the trinket wall.

This is an array of collected objects on display inside little boxes built into the wall. These include old clocks, lamps, cups, frames, an hourglass, a world globe, and even items left there by visitors including a photo of a couple.

It’s unexpected, like the Trinket Bar itself.