Bye Bye Nat Sherman

[BROBS]

How much for a tin where you're at?

They’ve got three nuns for $28 ... Capstan or a normal Mac Baren tin $25. Plus 7% sales tax.

I believe our pipe tobacco tax here oddly enough is same as NY: 75% of wholesale.

 

[gerryp]

They’ve got three nuns for $28 ... Capstan or a normal Mac Baren tin $25. Plus 7% sales tax.

I believe our pipe tobacco tax here oddly enough is same as NY: 75% of wholesale.

Yikes!

 

[cohibajoe]

Worked in the city for 10yrs...Only stopped there once and walked out. I preferred boutique Tobacco shoppes.

 

[anotherbob]

All things must pass. And I think their business and image was too tied to their famous location. Which just can't survive in such an environment as in one of the most expensive places to run a business in the country. That compounded by people just don't smoke like they used to. I am not surprised this happened I'am surprised it took so long.

 

[mso489]

I may take the closing a little more seriously, a little less in stride, because I see it as part of a larger distortion of the real estate market. Partly sentimental and romantic, maybe, but also seeing that there is a displacement of common spaces and residences. If small independent "Nat Shermans" pop up all over Queens, the Bronx, etc., that might be good. Currently, when you see a neon sign saying "Tobacco" in Queens, it means cartons of cigarettes and weed pipes. Also, I had a good experience visiting Nat Sherman when it served as a sort of mother church of pipe smoking, in addition to the revenue stream cigar trade.

 

[peckinpahhombre]

This is a real bummer. In pre-pandemic days, I would travel to NYC about 5 or 6 times a year and would usually stop in at Nat Shermans. There also used to be a JR Cigars on 5th avenue that was a favourite stop of mine, but alas, it is gone now as well.

 

[condorlover1]

@peckinpahhombre It's getting bad my friend. I may pop in this week to see what they have for sale but another one bites the dust!

 

[mso489]

I am hoping Iwan Ries can remain in business. Their web site has their Covid era rules for doing business. Their strong advantage is that they own their building. In fact, when they needed to reduce overhead, long ago, they moved to the second floor and rented out the premium first floor space. They still need a revenue stream, but they are the landlord. Long live Iwan Ries. I wonder if, as with Dunhill blends, anyone would come along and buy the Nat Sherman franchise, even if they had to move it to Long Island or Jersey. As they used to say in the Navy, "Dream on, sailor boy." I'm seeing a Nat Sherman of Syracuse.

 

[gregjl]

Nobody buys shit from stores anymore.

Well said!

 

[mso489]

No one buys from stores anymore ... well, it is true. We will see if in-person retail revives after the Covid vaccine. Maybe not. I have a cousin in Florida retired from a long real estate career who is feeling certain that employers are going to realize the benefit to them of employees working from home. All that heat and air conditioning, plumbing, toilet paper, parking lot, square footage, cleaning, and upkeep. He did a impersonation of a boss telling his employee that returning to the office was going to be, uh, delayed a little, as in permanently. I think it may be true more than we realize right now.

 

[warren]

Only self-starters and self-sustainers will be thriving by working at home. There will be some changes but, not as drastic as all the pundits seem to be predicting. There is an upside as well as a downside to "off-site" employment. A balance will be found I'm sure.

My understanding is; the new owners are only interested in the bottom line. So, the various luxury cigarettes will continue. I read (Nothing official of course, just the unsourced observation of a "financial expert" reporting on the sale of the brand.), that some pipe blends may continue but, cigars are on the way out. Luxury cigarettes seem immune to the ups and downs of the public tastes and social status. I think the market for inexpensive cigars is down. Well established luxury cigar brands are doing fine, around the world and in the US so, various politicians seem happy to build in exemptions for such when drawing up and enacting the assorted laws and regulations. They, and many of their well-heeled donors, like their sticks!

In my town, Anchorage, the local chains of tobacco shops, there are two, have settled into what appears to be a successful marriage of cigarettes, "head shop" supplies, a very limited assortment of the usual "drugstore" pipe blends, and inexpensive to moderately priced cigars. The one, real, old-time tobacco shop is located in an out of the way address where the rent is low and traffic very thin. I'm presuming there are enough local pipe smokers and mail-order customers to sustain it. The hours are poor and location bad with respect to accessibility. I doubt they are long for this world but, I've been known to be wrong.

 

[jpmcwjr]

A sad farewell. My first visit in 40 years, and the last, three years ago:


Couple of dudes enjoying the lounge.

 

[ssjones]

As they used to say in the Navy, "Dream on, sailor boy." I'm seeing a Nat Sherman of Syracuse.

Syracuse already has Rocky's! Although not quite as tony as Nat Sherman....

 

[mordy18]

I am not planning to be back in NYC until mid to late september when our office move is complete, but meaningful discounts in Nat Sherman’s pipe selection might entice me to make a trip in. No idea whether they will do that but would make a lot of sense; wouldnt think that a high end pipe inventory will be too easy to unload.

 

[ravkesef]

Sutliff’s Heavy English in an Icarus bent strawberry

 

[mso489]

Nat Sherman is pretty well connected in the pipe world, I'd assume, so their plan to close out the inventory will probably take advantage of a longstanding network of pipe professionals. I doubt there will be a fire sale, just a judicious off loading of inventory, to pay off any debts the business needs to clear before locking the doors.

 

[ravkesef]

Sorry—that went onto the wrong file, and it’s too late to delete it.

 

[mso489]

Retail has been drifting sideways for years. Online retail is the obvious culprit, and the big chains like Walmart. People don't want to go cruise the malls anymore, and the "anchor stores," like Sears and Macy's are shrinking or closing. Now it is more the shopping experience that is being pushed as the attraction, but it is on pause for Covid, and it is not clear how it will work, or if it will work. Places like farmers markets can still draw in a crowd based on product as well as ambiance. Beyond that, the in-person retail experience has become a labor and a chore. Hardware and pet stores still draw me in, or will when shopping is "safe" again. I'm glad I got to Nat Sherman in its hey day.

 

[Moonbog]

I know the times are singular, but Manhattan real estate is killing everything. Greenwich Village used to be a center for artists, performers, and bohemian night life, and now it is owned by hedge fund people who don't live there. The tourists still go, but they don't know what they're looking at. My wife lived there for decades in the good old days.

I loved the Village throughout the 80s and into the 90s, but you're right. All the flavor of the place has been displaced. I still go and still enjoy it for what it is and what it once was, some of that vibe still lingers. But yeah, most of the bohemians moved into Brooklyn pretty much 20 years ago. And now, I'm not sure they'll be able to hang in there either. Shame about Nat Sherman though. Love that place.

 

[mordy18]

I was back in the city today and stopped by Nat Sherman. 50% off pipes and tobacco. Their pipe selection was fairly limited - maybe 35 pipes, a few castellos, vipratis, savinelli, masteo de paja, petes. Nothing amazing. I picked up a simple and traditional ser jacopo prince that caught my eye. Their list is inflated but at 50 off was still hard to pass up. Nice salespeople, kind of a sad scene.