Brick And Mortars

[dochudson]

Smokers Haven and Pipes & Pleasures in Columbus are both very well stocked with pipes and tobacco priced reasonably imo. Tinder Box (easton) has a small tin selection but some hard to find stuff. they are a hair more expensive but their rent at Easton has to be the highest of any shop around.

 

[dmcmtk]

The comments here regarding the economics of operating a stand alone B&M and taxes are spot on. I live in NY, the tobacco tax is 75%. I still buy bulk, and a tin or two at my local B&M, I've known the guys there for 15 years. I've also bought tinned tobacco online. My local shop is primarily a cigar shop. One of the things to look out for in B&M shops, is old stock. Sometimes you can find older tins that have been on the shelf for a while, finding "aged" tobacco, which can be interesting.

 

[jmill208]

[/quote]B&M's don't have more outrageous pricing percentages. We've been spoiled by outlets, big boxes, and online warehouse distributors. There is no way a B&M has the resources to buy or move as much inventory as these guys, so the deep discounters drive Main Street into a deserted wasteland. When I drive across the country in the summers, I see them.

This is a lesson to us all, but I disagree with one thing. It is not the "deep discounters" who drive Main Street into the wasteland, but those who patronize the deep discounters.
If you enjoy your B&M, support them. Pay a little more, not because you have to, but because you want to. The big businesses won't survive without customers, just like the little guys. We are all guilty of online and big box bargain shopping, that's why these behemoths exist and proliferate. Enjoy the leather sofa, light up and enjoy the atmosphere, but most of all: Put your money where your stem goes.

 

[rmbittner]

ithelouniverse:
Here's some information about your state's tax rate for tobacco products:
http://www.window.state.tx.us/taxinfo/cig_tob/tob_rates_other.html
Currently, a 2oz tin of pipe tobacco carries a $2.44 Texas state tobacco tax. I don't know how Lubbock handles things, but there may be additional city/municipality taxes that only apply to tobacco. All in addition to whatever sales tax will get added on at the cash register, of course.
But, then, your local shop also has a lease to pay (most likely). If smoking is allowed in the shop -- and I'd be shocked if it isn't -- there may be additional landlord fees, as well as the expense of a specialized ventilation system to handle the smoke and prevent any impact on other tenants (if there are any). Is there a smoking lounge with a TV? Add in the cost of cable/satellite. And if smoking is allowed, I'm sure they're not paying the base insurance rate. Add in everything else it takes to keep the doors open, and it all increases the cost of what's in the tin. Unlike the major online retailers, there will be days when they see few dollars walk in the door, yet the expenses for that day will remain fixed. It all adds up.
Bob

 

[rmbittner]

BTW, if you're referring to Smokers Haven, here's what they say on their Web site:
"Smokers Haven is a family owned and operated business. It was established in 1968 by John E. and Bobbie J. Curtis. To This day, over 40 years later it is operated by their son, John with the same goals in mind, outstanding customer service, knowledgeable sales staff and a large selection of your favorite tobaccos. Whether it be fresh imported cigars, premium pipes, tobacco, or any other smoking accessories you might need or enjoy Smokers Haven has it.
"Smokers Haven features one of the largest and best stocked walk-in humidors in West Texas as well as a generous selection of fine pipes and pipe tobacco. We offer a relaxing sitting area for you to sit and enjoy a fine smoke and visit with our friendly staff or your friends. Hours of operation are Mon. thru Sat. 9am to 8pm and Sun. 12pm to 5pm. Phone orders are always welcome if you not able to come by!"
I'll be honest with you: If this were my local B&M, I'd happily pay them twice what the online retailers are charging.
They also offer a 10% coupon online...
Bob

 

[ravkesef]

In the early 60s, I was a frequent customer at Fred Diebel in Kansas City. Fred taught me much about pipes, tobacco, and the fine art of quality smoking, lessons that remain with me to this day. While I was in Vietnam, Fred sent me pipes and tobaccos that were the envy of my comrades in arms. In later years, I was also a customer of Ehrlich's in Boston. Wherever I traveled, I was usually able to find a brick-and-mortar shop where I could stop in, buy some merchandise, and just sit back and relax with other pipe smokers. Brethren, if you live in the vicinity of a real pipe and tobacco shop, savor it, and patronize them regularly. Where I now live, the closest shop is Leavitt and Peirce in Cambridge, once associated with Ehrlich's, but no longer what it once was. Oh yes, they still have pipes for sale, but no longer the dizzying display and variety, and a staff that was knowledgeable about them. Yes, they still sell tobaccos: you can buy DPE, but it's not the same. Cake box and Judges Mix are still available, and frankly, pretty good, but I do wonder if something has changed. And the worst of it is that the people who work there were selling garden hose last week. They know little to nothing about pipes and tobacco's and can't discuss anything with you on any level whatsoever. One day a couple years ago I walked in there bringing with me a Leavitt and Peirce/Ehrlich catalog from the late 60s. I showed it to them, and instead of the Oohs and Ahhs I expected, they simply glanced at it and went on about their business. O tempora o mores!

As I said, if you've got the real thing near you, with people who staff the place who are knowledgeable about the hobby, count them as real treasures and support them to the best of your ability.

 

[lordofthepiperings]

The B&M I frequent here in Las Vegas, Tobacco Town, does do a considerable mark up. It's more of a cigar store, but they do have some Savinelli pipes and a few tins from Dan Tobacco, Sutliff, and Samuel Gawith. The tins are easily doubled in price compared to www.smokingpipes.com . The pipes are marked up about $20 on average. The bulk blends run very close to online retailers per ounce price. I'm okay with paying a bit more for the pipes or same price on the bulks. It's the tins that get me to raise an eyebrow and think twice. I definitely think you should support your local B&M though.

 

[lochinvar]

I've found a wide range in B&Ms. My local, The Gatlinburlier, is on the high side, but they are an old line shop and everyone working there is highly knowledgeable, and the service level is tops. I have had issues with pipes where they have taken care of me, and cost themselves a lot of money. Of course I spend a lot there as a reult. I am often in Nashville, and have always been treated well by Uptown's, and find their prices very reasonable.
I have run across many others lately that were not so great. One in particular had extremely...we will say sullen service, and such jewels as Rattray Highland Targe at $29.99 and Escudo at $17. It is no wonder many people have abandoned B&Ms, the many B&Ms abandoned them from the beginning.

 

[ithelouniverse]

It is not smokers haven... Smokers Haven is an incredible shopping experience, and very reasonable pricing. They are the friendliest customer experience I've ever had, not just for tobacco, but any shopping I've ever done. When I purchased my first pipe, they even sat me down and walked me step by step until I was comfortable enough to go it on my own. I truly can't say enough good things about them. I even go there just to relax on my way home from school, no pressure to buy, and just make myself at home.
If any of you visit my temporary home of Lubbock, Texas, I highly recommend an afternoon at Smokers Haven!

 

[allan]

I have been reading this thread and debating whether or not to post a comment. I am a retail jeweler in NYC, and am acutely aware of the new consumer pattern-buying on line.
This past holiday season was the most difficult we have experienced since opening in 1939. The average sale has dropped so much that I am considering my lease end (two years) as maybe a blessing and not a curse. I have sold more 'boxes' for jewelry purchased on line than ever before. When a client comes in to have a piece that they bought adjusted, we charge for the service, of course. Many of the clients coming in object to the charge, and I just let them walk. I used to explain why we charge, but I'm just tired of the explanation.

I know, in my heart, that the B and M family shop is going to disappear sometime in the future, left with giant houses that will be able to sell a product, but have very little service to offer.
In NYC, there are very few tobacco shops left; even fewer that have pipe supplies and tobacco. I am torn because I also want to purchase tobacco at low prices that the local B and M cannot match. Alot to do with small volume, but more to do with ultra high taxation and the very simple fact that employees want to get paid, insurance, rent, general upkeep, and lets not forget the city coming in to the establishment to find all sorts of things that are 'not up to code'.
I have decided to purchase more tobacco at my favorite shop in the city, De La Concha. They have a smoking area all throughout the store, and welcome all to come in and sit down and have a smoke. The manager did explain the desire for his patrons to purchase supplies to be able to enjoy their smoking area, but have not enforced the rule to my knowledge.
Yes, it costs more to buy tobacco there, but looking around at the few number of shops that exist in NYC, I will try to do my part to help them stay in business.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Ahh, yet another pipe smoking jeweler brother...

yes, we've always been taught that greed was a virtue that drives our markets, but it has become the monster that is destroying our country. Walmarts full of Chinese made crap prospering over our own industries. Bent and dents taking over the grocery industry. Online distributors and wholesalers shipping out cheap goods that kill Main Streets across the country. It's not the greed of the business owners, but the consumers. Even here in the thread is proof that online prices are being seen as benchmark that is killing our ma and pa stores. The ma and pas are not greedy in their pricing. They are the normal ones. It's the online venues that drive away our downtowns and leave them deserted and rotting buildings.

What industry do you think will prevail for our children? Retail, being behind a counter of a big box store? Filling boxes with cheap good in a warehouse? Delivering packages to doorsteps? The big boxes and online venues smile, because they know they have you hooked, which will last them for the short term, but even they will have a rude awakening when foreign distributors become more available and FedEx and UPS make their ways across the world.

Even services are slowly being taken over by businesses farming out contracted labor. A ma and pa plumber is almost unheard of (not completely, but...)
Whenever I hear people bitching and grumbling about prices out one side of their mouth and then complaining about their downtowns being abandoned out the other, it strikes a nerve. In my own business customers have started haggling like the streets of India over repair work, which in my 30+ years of doing what I do was unheard of. If something was too expensive, you just left and moved on, which was usually rare even then.
:::sigh::: oh well, so is the way of this virtue we call greed. Trying to hold onto what retail we have left starts to feel like grasping sand in running water. Everyone conditioned to buy disposable goods at bargain basement prices.
It's funny, growing up, people used to used to harass me for being a jeweler's kid, rich boy. But, even with my father owning a couple of jewelry stores and a production company, we were always fighting to stay middle class. And, when I started going to business association meetings, I learned that this was every business owner's fight. People drive by businesses and think, "oh, they sell cars, or jewelry, or TVs, they surely must be wealthy, because these things costs so much." But, the reality of even the car business is far from that. Overhead, small profit margins, and a customer base conditioned to fight for more credit and lower prices to live above their own means.
OK, ok, end of my rant. But, if you enjoy your B&Ms, shut up and buy a stinking tin. If you don't like the service at a B&M, find another. How many people bitch about the prices of a beer in a bar as opposed to a liquor store? It's just the way of things.

 

[ravkesef]

Reality check: I've been reading all this stuff about Smoker's Haven, and thinking to myself: "no, no, that's all wrong." Then I got it. The guys were talking about Smokers Haven in Lubbock, Texas. I was thinking about Smokers Haven in Columbus, Ohio, where I spent a few very contented hours in the early 70s, and bought my tobaccos for quite a few years. Also a top-flight shop. I wonder if anyone else caught the anomaly.

 

[dochudson]

huh?

 

[05venturer]

New tobacco shop opened up awhile back in my town, 2 oz tin that i would pay around $8-10 online he is trying to sell for $24.99. I do mean "trying".

not from me

 

[rmbittner]

ravkesef:
Sorry for your confusion regarding Smokers Haven. I thought it had been clearly established that the OP lived in Lubbock, so I didn't think I needed to clarify anything. (Especially since there are dozens of shops in the U.S. called some variety of "Smokers Haven.")
For the record, though, the Lubbock shop has no apostrophe. The Ohio shop is Smokers' Haven. And the eight-shop chain in New Jersey is Smoker's Haven.
Bob

 

[sparrowhawk]

I envy you fellows for even having B&Ms. They are extinct in the Metro Detroit area, just smoke shops that carry a few tins of overpriced tobacco. A tin of Plumcake costs $20 at one B&M!

 

[taerin]

I've never seen a B&M with a huge markup, I know two big pipe and cigar stores within 1.25 hours and they both charge prices comparable to online stores, neither of them have an online storefront. It's always less expensive in person, because shipping is usually a big factor with my small purchases.

 

[sablebrush52]

+1 with cosmicfloklore's rant
Here in L.A. we've lost a large number of B&M's. There are a few landmark stores, like the original Tinderbox in Santa Monica, that still survive. I buy 90% of my tobacco from my local B&M. Do I pay a little more? Yes, but it's worth that extra 10-15% to have a place to occasionally hang out, to get service, sample goods, and as a customer, provide local employment. I like that they know who I am when I walk through the door, and that we've come to know each other a bit over the past 20 years that I have been a customer.
And make no mistake, it's tough sledding for any small business, much more a tobacco based business here in California. Like most of the few survivors, pipes and pipe tobacco take a back seat to cigars and other tobacco related paraphernalia. In this tough environment a business needs to focus on what is easiest to sell.
A good B&M offers personal service, sometimes over pure efficiency, and that makes their costs higher.

 

[ithelouniverse]

To Allan and Cosmic
Sorry if my comment about one single solitary B & M was taken as a sweeping commentary about my hatred for all traditional retail establishments. It's not. I'd much rather spend my money in a traditional building than online. I was a commissioned salesman for 12 years and have a problem with people buying online what the can buy in store. The list I have for why I would rather shop in person than online is quite lengthy, but this particular B & M was only the second I had ever been in, and was curious as to whether or not that kind of obscene markup was common. The tobacco shop nearest my house, Smokers Haven, is very reasonably priced and always my first stop, and if they don't have what I'm looking for, THEN and ONLY then do I look online. I was trying to figure out if my normal place was par for the course with decent and fair pricing, or was the new establishment with the higher markup the norm for our particular hobby, not offend anyone with roots deep in the retail community, as mine are right there with 'ya...
And as I think I said in the original post, the knowledge that someone who works with your favorite products is ALWAYS better than what you'll get from an online retailer.
Again, sorry to offend, I really was only speaking about this particular place, even more so now that everyone has told me the 100% and more markups are not the norm...
-Lou

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Your one comment wasn't what I was commenting on. And, if a B&M has lousy service, one doesn't have to patronize them. And, if they want over $30 a tin, don't buy. The problem most of us have in the forum is to think that all of the posts are to them. I was writing to the general community and general sentiment. As I said, people will gladly pay $6 for a single beer in a bar, when they go to the grocers and get a whole sixer.... And, most realize that there's a difference between the bar and the grocers.