In fact, the owners of the cocktail lounge claim that they were among the first in the area to go non-smoking, long before it became a law in California.

"We went non-smoking before it became cool," said Jim Sullivan, whose family owns the business. Sullivan's parents opened the establishment at 14421 Big Basin Way in October 1971.

He said that the family first tried a non-smoking section, but was not successful. "It did not work very well," he said. The smoke always wafted to the non-smoking section. Len Sullivan, Jim's father, then decided to make the entire bar non-smoking in the early '90s. The Sullivans had noticed that fewer and fewer people were smoking.

It was a revolutionary decision.

"The whole bar went non-smoking on a St. Patrick's Day," Jim Sullivan said. Suddenly the couches and furniture did not smell of stale cigarette smoke any more. The bartenders did not complain that their hair and clothes reeked of smoke.

"We broke new ground. It was for the health of our clientele," Sullivan said.

But then, the family has always tried to create a particular ambience. That means no cursing or swearing. Even arm wrestling is not allowed.

All this has given The Bank a genteel air, almost like a friendly living room. It might be the reason why the place has a loyal band of followers.

Ray Farrer, who lives in Boulder Creek, is one of them. Farrer has been stopping by almost every Tuesday for the last five or six years. "The atmosphere is fun but low key," Farrer said.

The third generation of the Sullivan family now helps run The Bank. Donnette Teeple, Jim Sullivan's daughter, said she wants to preserve the quaint charm of the place. "Our customers love the old style bar," she said.

Even so, some things have changed. The jukebox plays CDs instead of vinyl records. Fancy martinis are now served. Sullivan said the clientele has changed over the years. "We have more young people. We had a lot more blue-collar workers before," he said.

A lot of people who live nearby just walk to the local watering hole. "Saratoga doesn't have any bars. We are the only one. Sometimes, on a concert night, our place is overflowing with people," Teeple said.

Ironically, when California did ban smoking in bars and restaurants in 1998, The Bank lost some customers who would drive over from nearby towns. "Suddenly every bar was non-smoking," Sullivan said.

The business operates from a building that has been declared historic by the city. In the 1930s, it housed the Bank of America. "We have stained glass windows; it's not dark," said Lou Sullivan, Jim's mother. She gets offended if anyone likens her business to a dive bar. "It is not a dive bar. It is a neighborhood bar," she said.