La Touraine Coffee Store Bin, W.S. Quinby Co., Boston, MA & Chicago, IL. Ca. 1910

I love this colorful general store coffee bin from the W.S. Quimby Company which was based in both Boston, MA and Chicago, IL at the beginning of the 20th century. This 1900-1910 era tin bin served customers who entered the old general stores of that era and who would simply use a scoop to pull out the desired quantity of coffee beans they needed. General store bins like this are oftentimes found in fairly used condition, with lots of dings, scratches, dents etc. simply because they were used dozens of times each day in their store presence. This particular bin survived very well over the last 100 years, hence, we can enjoy it today in all its beauty!


The W.S. Quimby Company was originally in Boston, but eventually grew to have locations in Chicago, Jacksonville, Philadelphia, and New York City also by 1930. Located on Atlantic Avenue in Boston as their headquarters, the company flourished for years, and the La Touraine brand was their flagship brand. This company was both a roaster and a wholesaler for both coffees and tea products.