I try not to dwell on it too much -- it can get depressing -- but it's occurred to me that many of the pipe/tobacco shops that were significant to me when I started pipe smoking in 1980 have disappeared. Sure, there are still some great shops around. But I thought it might be nice if folks wanted to give a shout-out to the once-meaningful ones that have vanished over the years.
As I've said a lot here, I worked part-time for five years at a Tinder Box in Yorktown Mall in Lombard, IL. That shop had the biggest impact on me. But down the road about three miles was another shop -- just called "Smoke Shop" -- that was run by a little guy with a ratty beard in a strip mall. At one time, he had a ton of pipes, lots of tobacco, and it was the spot we TB guys sent folks to if they wanted to sell their pipes or find some great estates. This guy was never going to get rich, but we respected him a lot because his shop was totally pipes/cigars/tobacco -- unlike our gift-filled Tinder Box. Five miles in the other direction was a higher-end pipe and cigar store at Oakbrook Mall; it didn't have the pipe-shop vibe at all, but it was still worth an occasional visit. So, imagine: within a 10-mile radius, there were three very well-stocked pipe/cigar stores. And, of course, they're now gone.
I also have fond memories of The Tobacconist, on Monticello Avenue in downtown Chicago. Don't remember much about them, but I did find some really interesting house blends there. And it was a real neighborhood shop.
Finally, I have to give a little shout-out to a place called either Pipe and Rod or Rod and Pipe, in Elgin, IL. Again, it was a strip-mall shop, but they specialized in pipes, tinned tobaccos, and fishing tackle! I didn't buy much from them, but I did pick up tobacco occasionally, along with a Comoy pipe. (I'm smoking it today, which is what triggered this topic.)
I know businesses come and go. I know times change. And I also know that none of these shops can compare with what you can find online these days. But for a beginning pipe smoker, they were like oases where you were guaranteed to find like-minded friends and spend many enjoyable hours smoking, chatting, or just hanging out. And those kinds of places are becoming increasingly hard to find these days. . .
Bob
As I've said a lot here, I worked part-time for five years at a Tinder Box in Yorktown Mall in Lombard, IL. That shop had the biggest impact on me. But down the road about three miles was another shop -- just called "Smoke Shop" -- that was run by a little guy with a ratty beard in a strip mall. At one time, he had a ton of pipes, lots of tobacco, and it was the spot we TB guys sent folks to if they wanted to sell their pipes or find some great estates. This guy was never going to get rich, but we respected him a lot because his shop was totally pipes/cigars/tobacco -- unlike our gift-filled Tinder Box. Five miles in the other direction was a higher-end pipe and cigar store at Oakbrook Mall; it didn't have the pipe-shop vibe at all, but it was still worth an occasional visit. So, imagine: within a 10-mile radius, there were three very well-stocked pipe/cigar stores. And, of course, they're now gone.
I also have fond memories of The Tobacconist, on Monticello Avenue in downtown Chicago. Don't remember much about them, but I did find some really interesting house blends there. And it was a real neighborhood shop.
Finally, I have to give a little shout-out to a place called either Pipe and Rod or Rod and Pipe, in Elgin, IL. Again, it was a strip-mall shop, but they specialized in pipes, tinned tobaccos, and fishing tackle! I didn't buy much from them, but I did pick up tobacco occasionally, along with a Comoy pipe. (I'm smoking it today, which is what triggered this topic.)
I know businesses come and go. I know times change. And I also know that none of these shops can compare with what you can find online these days. But for a beginning pipe smoker, they were like oases where you were guaranteed to find like-minded friends and spend many enjoyable hours smoking, chatting, or just hanging out. And those kinds of places are becoming increasingly hard to find these days. . .
Bob
