It's always sad to see a long time family business close--especially one with such an interesting history.
I was just in San Diego at Liberty Tobacco. Great store and it struck me that their tobacco prices were lower on tins compared to stores here in Illinois, which has a 35% tobacco tax and sales tax of 7% on top of that. The store is in a strip mall and not right downtown, so maybe the rent isn't crazy. They also had the finest assortment of bulk tobaccos I've ever found in a store. Lots of really fine VaPers and English, flake, and even rope. Of course, there were aromatics too, but I walked out of there with over a pound of bulk tobaccos, plus several tins. Ben, Cedric, and the owner, Charlie, were all great. I'd think about opening a place like it, if it weren't for the FDA.