Kinda Irked at My B&M.

[cortezattic]

I walked in to Iwan Ries in downtown Chicago dressed like a bum, but with a pipe in hand. They treated me like royalty! They even polished-up my pipe while I was busy browsing the 1,000,000 tobacco tins they have in stock. I have always found them polite, helpful, and respectful of my personal tastes and opinions; and they're quite willing to discuss tobacco and call for help if there is a gap in their knowledge. Take a virtual tour of a 1st class place.

 

[hawk60ce]

I wish I lived close to that place. I visited there earlier this year and they were great and had a great selection. I want to go back to Chicago just to visit the shop!

 

[locopony]

Its good to have the briar shoppe and the ole boys over in spring. Pay a bit more sure but, man the service, the friendly environment, and over great experience each time ya go in. Is well worth it. I never buy on line, I have in the past, but no need to for me. I would rather drive the hour and spend a few more bucks to have these guys in business.

 

[msandoval858]

My primary B&M is Pipe World in Round Rock (North Austin, TX). They have always been great and is a family owned shop that that is friendly and treats their customers very well. I love that I can go in there and buy a small amount of tobacco or a cigar or two and I get the same level of service and respect no matter what I spend.
Of course the prices are a bit more than online but having a great place to buy from locally and occasionally sit and have a smoke while chatting with the staff and other customers is well worth it to me. I try to make it a point to stop by every so often and pick up a few things to give them some business.

 

[dochudson]

I find a lot of B&Ms tend to not be knowledgeable. I'm fortunate to have a knowledgable B&M with knowledgable repair people. Being from Columbus Ohio the B&M uses Tim west for repairs. Selection is small but always a rotation of fresh estate pipes and usually some new ones here and there. I agree I don't like paying double or even triple but I do my best to support the local economy. Also, I can go in and smoke whenever without buying something even though I usually pick up something

We are lucky in the Columbus (oh) Metro area as we have 4 very good B&M that I visit regularly. (there may be other) the one Hawk mentioned has a little of everything, pipes, tobacco, cigars, estates, odds and ends. The the best front porch and upstairs lounge. The regulars are a god bunch of guys and no is a newbie for long.
A B&M out east has an awesome selection of pipes, tobacco and cigar you won't find in large cities. Plus the owner makes some very nice pipes.
The third that I frequent is in Westerville.. the regulars are an odd mix from college students or old folks like me. tight but very nice selection of cigars. multiple large screen TV's, a small pipe selection bu they are moving to a larger building around the corner and I susect that will change.
the 4th is a Tinder Box in a very high rent shopping center.. nice guys, good cigar selection, small but nice pipe and tobacco selection. the best 'scenery' by far. (plus an irish pub next door that lets you smoke on their patio)

 

[lestrout]

I regard B&Ms in the same light as taverns and bars. I could go to the beer store and get a perfectly fine Bud or whatever for a dollar or so, or go to a bar and get the same thing for several times that. The difference is the experience of the physical beer B&M. So if the pipe/cigar B&M is welcoming, having a puff there is worth the price difference for a tin or a couple of ounces, especially if there are jars to sample too. Since I don't puff in the house, if it's a rainy or snowy day, I'm off to one of my local B&Ms. But I'm afraid when it comes to shopping for volume, SP, P&C, Mars and other fine ETailers keep my mailman/UPS drivers busy.
hp

les

 

[revs]

Very few B&Ms here in Utah. And most are catering to cigs anymore. One I have been into a few times has a small selection of Lane bulk and a few Grabows and cobs. Last time I went in, they had a churchwarden sitting in a display case for a decent price. Should have grabbed it. I have educated them on some of the tobaccos I have tried that they stock. Also, explained to the young girl behind the counter that it was a churchwarden not a Gandalf.
I try to teach them something new every time I go in. The bulk tobacco isn't too badly priced and if I need a little something to spice up another blend, they have a couple single flavors in bulk. Honey and vanilla being two.
No smoking lounge though. May need to go down to Jeannie's in downtown Salt Lake City soon to see what they have available. Gives the wife an excuse to stop at the wiccan shop on the way home.

 

[mrenglish]

The only problem with the shop out east is they really do not smoke pipes. The owner does. The older gentleman who works there has a nice selection of pipes of his own, but mostly just smokes Davidoff cigarillos. The young fella smokes the extremes, its either aromatic or Black XX rope. Neither really know a lot about the blends they sell except for what they have read. When I worked there, we made it a point to smoke just about everything they had in stock, have pipe events, etc. Only one part time fella smokes pipes all the time. Like most B&M's these days, its cigars that make the money. They have an excellent selection of pipes though and no one else in the city as much pipe tobacco as they do. They have more tobacco on hand than the next three shops combined. If I had the money, I would buy the place and turn it into a pipe mecca.
But, we are definitely lucky to have such a place. Columbus is really lucky to have as many pipe stores as we do. There is also a nice one on north campus. They are building up their selection of pipe tobacco again, but they have a ton of pipes. The owner there also makes pipes.

 

[rotschefeller]

I've been to 3 B&Ms in my surrounding cities here in Germany and I was always astounded at how nice and helpful they are. The owners typically are willing to talk pipes and give advice even if you don't buy something (although them being so nice usually makes one want to buy something). One of the reasons why I really stuck with pipe smoking in the beginning, the B&Ms are among the very few places left on the planet which I actually look forward to supporting with my cash.
Maybe I have been lucky.

 

[murf]

I got a place near me, mostly a cigar shop, but they got some tins and bulk. One guy was really helpful, we chatted back and forth. I've since found out he either doesn't work there anymore, or only works there once in a great while. The other guy, I was glad he admitted he didn't know much, he said he used to smoke a pipe (gave it up due to tongue bite), and he helped me out as much as he could. haven't been there since, but would like to go back eventually.
It's just tough to go to a place, where you know more than the employees (and I've only been doing this for about 2-3yrs, and really only figured out what the heck I'm doing about a year ago). I guess a guy like me is just looking for some wisdom or guidance

 

[oklansas]

@mikephillips

Customers will pay far more to walk into an establishment where they're treated like friends first and customers last.

Ain't that the truth. My first B&M kept my business so long because they gave off that vibe. Well that, and a good friend of mine worked there and I would just go and smoke cigars with him while he worked.

 

[phred]

The more I hear about other B&Ms, the more I appreciate my own. They only mark up the Lane 1Q by 100%, and they offer leather chairs, good ventilation, free wi-fi...

 

[pruss]

Watching the evolution of our local B&M has been interesting. brdavidson and I met up last night and got to chatting with them.
My first experience in the store was awesome. The owners provided awesome service, and on my second visit (a month later) remembered my name. They've been instrumental in helping our nascent Pipe Club get off the ground, and are bending over backwards to work with us... including things like mentioning our meetings in their weekly e-newsletter and posting our newsletter on their facebook page.
Guess what? This is showing up in their sales, and in their merchandising. They've literally quadrupled the varieties and volumes of tobacco in the four months that I've been going to the shop. On an aside here, they've also said that they've sold more pipes since "The Hobbit" opened than they have in the last three years...
When I first went to the store, I thought, "Hmmmm. Mostly a cigar place (big walk-in humidor), but enough pipes, tobacco and paraphernalia. Plus great service. I'm coming back." Today, the thought would be more on the level with, "Hmmmm. Mostly a cigar place, but a lot of pipes, tobaccos and paraphernalia. Awesome service. There's no reason for me to go anywhere else."
Will I still buy online? Sure. But I will not miss the chance to continue to support this business. Because they value my custom, and care for their clients.
Feelin' lucky.
-- Pat

 

[yazamitaz]

Let's talk about that place tonight Sam. I would love to come out there and have a bowl or 6 with you