Pipe Show Disappointment

[deepspringfarm]

I just wanted to vent a bit and maybe offer some observations. I don't attend a lot of pipe shows. Used to attend the LA pipe show back when that was around. I have gone to CORPS 5+ years. Just attended my first TAPS show this last weekend. I love these shows and it offers good times. I am also thankful for those that put in the hard work.

A few things I enjoy are meeting the artisan carvers, smoking plenty of new tobaccos and the auctions. It seems to me that I have noticed a decline in the number of artisan carvers that seem to be attending these shows. And more importantly a decline in the support that these carvers receive. I generally don't buy many "factory" pipes mostly because I like unique pipes and being able to shake the hands with the person that spent many hours crafting my pipe. Also, these pipes may be expensive, but when you think of the material/time/travel/expenses that go into them being at the shows, it seems a bargain to me.

On to the tobacco. It seems to me that the amount of tobacco at shows has decreased. Also the suppliers aren't selling the tobacco like they used to. Seems to be a lot more of "only samples.' Maybe some new law? It did seem to me also that much of the tobacco was sold at more than you would pay at a store. As I recall, there seemed to be a show discount, you know, buy 5 tins, get it for the price of four.

Sorry about the grumbling...I'm a pipe smoker, maybe I'm more prone to the "good ol' days" mentality.

I just would like to encourage pipe smokers to get out and support these shows and support pipe carvers and tobacco blenders. It's a unique community out there that shouldn't be lost.

 

[kcghost]

It costs money to go to the shows and most of the carvers, particularly the newer ones, have limited budgets. To make it work they have to sell enough pipes to cover their costs. This isn't always possible for all carvers. And once a carver reaches a certain level he doesn't have to go to shows to sell his pipes.
Shows are usually a good place to acquire vintage tobaccos.

 

[zack24]

Shows are great! ...but a huge commitment in time and money. I went to Vegas, Chicago, KC, and Nashville last year...and learned a lot from some of the incredible carvers there. The challenge is I always travel with my wife Greta...and it gets very expensive, very quickly. We would usually sell 7 or 8 pipes which pretty much covered the costs. This year, I changed directions and decided to focus on Chicago - (hate that I can't make KC, but the parents are having a 60th anniversary). The difference is I will go in with 25 pipes-about 6 months production. What i don't sell will go to a couple of retailers...and I'll blow my new-found riches on a new 12x36 PM lathe and 100 pieces. of briar to restock the shelves. It's a good thing I have another business that pays the bills and let's me have some freedom to chase this dream...

 

[lordofthepiperings]

I will say at the West Coast Show back in November I noticed there wasn't much tobacco there. I think Mac Baren-Sutliff and Solani were just about the only ones aside from the PipeStud and another one or two guys with vintage tins. I was a bit disappointed with that. Missed the Scandinavian Tobacco Group and Hearth & Home.
There were a decent number of artisan carvers there though.
I definitely recommend hitting up a show. I've learned A LOT over the years in the four shows I've been to here in Vegas.

 

[lonestar]

I just would like to encourage pipe smokers to get out and support these shows and support pipe carvers and tobacco blenders. It's a unique community out there that shouldn't be lost.

Here Here ! I agree wholeheartedly. It's also just a dang good time !
I haven't been to Corps or Taps, but each show I've been to has a unique feel. I wouldn't really compare any of them to the other, so you may find more of what you seek at some of the other shows.

 

[blendtobac]

As far as selling tobacco at the shows, we haven't done that for over five years. There's the possibility of the state tax departments showing up, and if we sell, we create a tax nexus, meaning that we would have to collect and remit taxes for that state on all orders going to that state. Free samples don't cause that problem.

We didn't go to the West Coast Show last year because I was way too busy to attend. We'll be there this year.
Russ

 

[JimInks]

Sutliff doesn't have a license to sell tobacco directly to consumers, so they give it away at shows. They used to give tins away (which nobody else did), but they changed the policy to giving away free samples. I picked up a fair amount of free samples at the show, and picked up a pipe Basil Meadows made for me. Also had a fun time chatting with a few people I already knew, and had fun talking to smokers and pipe makers I had not met before. I got to spend time talking with Russ and Sutliff's recently retired blender, Carl McAllister. And a lady from P&T magazine asked me to show on video how to pack flake tobacco in a pipe. I've no idea where or when the video will air. Overall, I had a great time.

 

[deepspringfarm]

Thanks Russ for chiming in...that helps to explain a lot. It is a shame that taxes even have to be a problem. I hear they are also trying to clamp down on free samples (cause I see a bunch of teenage kids at the pipe show getting hooked on a lifetime of evil tobacco slavery). BTW, I tried a bunch of samples at the show and Fire Storm was amazing, the blend that really asserted itself above the others. It just hit me as being super... perfect sweetness and body. I am definitely going to pick up some tins.

I also picked up a Basil Meadows pipe, but it was a tough decision between that and some of the other carvers there.

 

[newbroom]

zack24, from what little I've seen of your work, I'm glad to hear that you're committing to the lathe and raw materials.

If you have a website, please provide it for us.

I can't imagine what price range your pipes fall into, but likely much more than I've been willing to spend, however, a hand crafted artisan's pipe is bound to find its way into my hands, and I wouldn't be unhappy if it were one you made.

 

[ssjones]

The recent NYC show had a quite a variety of vintage tobacco treasures. Richmond used to have vendors selling new tins but I don't recall any last year. No doubt for the reasons that Russ mentions.

 

[ebklodt]

I was sorry I missed the show. Expense is a big factor to me. I can usually only do two shows a year.
If I recall correctly the nashville show focuses on independent carvers. That might be a good one to check out!
I'm looking forward to the NASPC show in Ohio. My first time attending!

 

[pipesmoker66]

Here's my two cents. I had only been smoking pipe for a few months when I attended my first (only) pipe show; the NASPC show in Dublin, Ohio. Up to that point I was really only aware of factory pipes but I can tell you my opinion changed drastically and now I'm pretty much an artisan-only guy. I met quite a few makers there and they were all pretty great and nice to talk to. I did buy a Savinelli 320 at that show because I had my heart set on one but it's been strictly artisan pipes since then. As far as tobacco, that wasn't really something I was as interested in as much as the pipe makers. I do know I picked up some great samples from the Lane / Stokkebye rep and he was very willing to let me take what I wanted. For me personally, the pipe show draw is to meet the makers and see their fantastic work up close and personal. I agree with you though that it is worth getting out and showing support. The toughest part of the shows is the staggering selection of marvelous pipes. :?

 

[settersbrace]

Let's all just be glad that there are still pipe shows to attend and for the vendors to set up in. There are many forces at work when one laments the absence of artisan carvers and the biggest sticking point is the price of admission. A self un-employed pipe carver is doing what they do for two reasons, the love of the briar and to supplement their income. That means they more than likely work a "real" job that keeps the family fed and clothed and a roof over their heads. A pipe sale is just helping out the family budget and the travel expenses, food, lodging, fuel and a vendor pass cost real money that has to be forked over before a single pipe is sold. It's a huge gamble, one I'd never take even if I really thought I was the next Bill Taylor or J.T. Cooke.
I'd love to see smaller shows at more regional locations that shorten the travel and lessen the expenses for both the vendor and attendee. If every pipe club could hold an annual event even at the most modest of venues, it might be more fun and if publicized well enough it could draw out folks who may never have otherwise given a thought to attending a pipe show. Area carvers (and they seem to be popping up everywhere) could network and perhaps share their collective skill and knowledge with each other, pipers within a few miles of each other would actually get to meet and maybe become friends, you get the picture. It's just some outside the box brain storming. Thanks for tuning in.

 

[mso489]

TAPS did have two fine carvers on hand -- maybe others, but two I noticed -- superb work by Bob Hayes and my own favorite N.C. carver, Jerry Perry. I too noticed the limited tobacco sales, and the steep curve in estate pipes versus new pipes on sale. I really wanted to get with Russ at the P&C table for a few minutes to see what I could learn about his blends. Unfortunately, my own visit was cramped by dental problems, two molars chipped out and needing crown work within a few days, so I wasn't in financial shape to buy any pipes, nor in social shape to have conversation with one tooth bidding to extrude a large piece of enamel into my mouth. I was afraid people would think I was reacting badly to them. I did pick up the new P&C catalog and two large packages of pipe cleaners, and I hope to do a more comprehensive and sociable visit to next year's show, and maybe catch Jerry Perry at the State Fair about another pipe. I really look forward to the show, but this year, my teeth had other plans for me.

 

[carytobacco]

It's kind of a chicken-egg thing for those able to sell tobacco. If more people came to shows and bought tobacco, more retailers would bring more tobacco. But before that, retailers need to bring more tobacco for sale to the shows. But then they do, and they don't sell that much (partly because more attention is on pipes and partly because so much free tobacco is being given away so how can you compete with free).
We took a lot of tobacco to our first TAPS show and sold very little, and then even less the next year, and also sold very little. This year we didn't bring any (although we partnered up with C&D and they brought the tobacco, both free samples and tins for sale).
As an earlier post said, shows are also a good place to look for vintage tobaccos. There were a couple vendors at TAPS with some nice selections.

 

[basil]

To deepspringfarm, hope your enjoying the pipe, it was great chatting with you at the show. Thank you for supporting my work.

As a carver from Southern North Carolina, it's great to find an event close to home. This was my second year at the TAPS Show as a vendor. I thought the crowd was quite nice and the flow of people was excellent. It gave me an opportunity to chat with the folks that stopped at my table. Sold several of my pipes, including one to JimInks... but please don't hold that against me. :lol: It may take some time to go through all the free tobacco samples I picked up at the show, but it's a labor of love. I must say that this is one of my favorite shows. The folks at TAPS know how to put together an excellent event! Looking forward to being a vendor next year. Thanks again to TAPS for putting this together.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

At our pipe club we were trying to decide if we would all go to a show and which ones. But, after calculating how much it would be to go , get a room, eat, and then figuring in that pipemakers wouldn't be offering deep discounts because they have to pay to be there too, well... it just made more sense to have someone makes some pipes for us instead. We also get to meet lots of carvers by the nature of where we are. We may do the New Orleans show, mostly because of the perique factory tour, but we had a member go to the Nashville show tell us that there wasn't even much tobacco there, so we may forgo that one. If I went, it would be to stock up on tobaccos that I can't get at the B&Ms here, so...
I know that some of you guys are stuck in the middle of nowhere with no social structure of smokers, no pipe shops, no cigar lounges, so this gives you guys a place to go see what other guys with pipes hanging out of their mouths looks like. So, the show is a social thing. We took this into consideration and decided since we see guys with pipes and lack not for social smoking, that it just didn't make sense for us to go as far away as Chicago, and Las Vegas was the equivalent to visiting the moon for most of our members.
You guys have fun.

 

[freakiefrog]

cosmicfolklore; come to the NOLA show. if nothing else let me buy you one of your favorite adult liquid libations. I'm really looking forward to the show and the tour. Plus every week I see where people like the Scandinavian Tobacco Company will be there and MM Corncobs we still have months to go and the show keeps growing and growing and growing.. I live pretty close so I couldn't miss it and feel good about myself.

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I will most definitely be at the NOLA show, regardless of the club's decision. I want to hug a barrel of perique, ha ha. See you there!!

 

[lordofthepiperings]

We didn't go to the West Coast Show last year because I was way too busy to attend. We'll be there this year.

*Happy Dance*
Woo hoo!!!
We missed you here in Las Vegas last November Russ. Great to hear you'll be there this year.