Nashville Cigar & Pipe Shop for sale

[cosmicfolklore]

the only B&Ms that will survive are those with a very strong online presence

Not true, exactly. For selling pipes, yes maybe. As long as the store finds its niche. But, how can any store offer prices for less than the original wholesaler on tobacco (unless they just choose to sell it at cost, no profit), when the wholesaler has chosen to compete with you? The main online venues that we go to to buy tobacco, are also the wholesale distributors for various blends. Plus, those strictly online venues don't have retails costs to pay. A storefront is way more expensive to maintain than a warehouse.
The one thing that a B&M has to offer is location. I can go to The Briary on a day off and set and meet the most interesting people in Alabama. Various pipemakers will drop in. The owner is very entertaining. And, someone will invariably come in with something interesting with a lot of age on it to share. It's always a lot of fun. You get to meet new pipesmokers, show off pipes, and talk tobacco... in analog.

 

[mso489]

The only way into pipes and tobacco would be to find a niche no one else occupies (there's a tall order); start out online; and if it catches on, and you want to do so, establish a very low-overhead physical location. Low exposure to loss. I'm hallucinating.

 

[pylorns]

Retail stores that have more to offer, like an amazing lounge - you make the place an experience - where people can go and smoke, then they come back... I think thats the only way to open up a new B&M these days.

 

[pappymac]

We have a small B&M cigar shop in town that carries some pipes by makers I've never heard off in the $50 - $90 range and about 20 different bulk pipe tobacco's from Scandinavian Tobacco. It started out with being 60 percent cigars but then it expanded and now the cigars and pipes make up about 15 percent of the floor space (15x15 square foot walkin humidor) and the rest is wine, liquor, craft beer, boutique type gifts and a small deli sandwich shop all rolled into one. At one time they did have a small smoking lounge area but the state nanny's put an end to that. Point is they will stay in business because they diversified. The place is always packed at lunchtime and I've seen a lot of women in there buying cigars for their husbands/boyfriends.
My dream is to win the lottery and build two small shops connected by a covered open air patio. One shop would sell fresh roasted coffee beans, coffee and some donuts and pastries. The other shop would sell pipes and pipe tobacco and other manly type gifts including a small selection of cigars. Customers could take their purchases and sit in comfort on the covered patio rain or shine. Oh! This would be sort of off the beaten path so I wouldn't have to worry about dealing with people interrupting my pipe smoking.

 

[perdurabo]

It's called competition, Online retailers are winning a competition. But, I still get my B&M to order Escudo and Royal Yacht.

 

[jacks6]

Pappymac, I hope that you win the lottery. That's a B&M that I would visit!

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Peradurabo, competition is good, but when the wholesale competes against their retailers, an unfair balance is set into place. There are still some blends that are not competing, by having distributors that do not sell online. But, this is not exclusive to pipe tobacco. My own distributors are undercutting me as well. Even a few artists compete with me on their own products. We already see a huge decline in many different types of B&Ms on main streets. As more and more people become more comfortable buying online, we'll see more empty buildings and less jobs.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

Bill, the problem there is that the majority of pipe shops don't carry high end or artisan pipes. Most that I go into just have bucket pipes on the wall like they're some kind of great pipe, and maybe a section of crappy Petersons from the early 90's that no one ever bought. However, there are a few pipe gallery type places. Besides, most pipemakers get started by dealing directly with customers, and they don't have a lick of business sense and no business plan to speak of. They charge cheap to make a quick sale, because of the thrill of the sale. So, when a retailer asks for a wholesale price from them, they can't go any lower. And, no B&M in their right minds is going to pay the artists retail price. They'd never make keystone because their customers would just buy dirrect and undercut the B&M, leaving them with unsalable dead weight. This is why you'll see more international artists in B&Ms. They know business, they have a business plan, and their names become branded more easily. Plus, it's harder for an American customer to buy dirrect from them. Most don't even talk to customers, except at events. They make more money, and the B&Ms make more money.
But, the American pipe artists seem to be hanging on, even if it is at the detriment of the B&Ms.

 

[jefff]

Reis has an absolutely wonderful selection of pipes. But with a 10% sales tax in the city of Chicago it makes a high end purchase even higher.
They are competitively priced until they add the tax. Same thing with tobacco.
I don't know how much longer they can stay in business.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

There are places that don't charge a 10% sales tax? Everywhere here in Alabama charges 10%.

 

[deathmetal]

Online purchasing, as wonderful as it is, is killing the B&M retailer.

I think this is true. If I were a local or state authority, I would consider relaxing taxes so that local businesses can compete.
Another problem here is market concentration. There are many small merchants, but only one Amazon, Wal-mart, Uber/Lyft, iTunes, App Store, or Facebook. If those companies collapse -- which is likely because their profit models are weak -- or raise their prices, the consumer is at least temporarily screwed.