Seeking Advice For The Local B&M

[papipeguy]

The B&M I've been going to for 23 years was just sold. The new owners are very enthusiastic about the new enterprise and are bringing in some very nice lines of cigars but they know almost nothing about the pipe side of the business. The new owner wants to meets with me about the pipe side- blends, pipes, etc

They carry a decent selection of McCleland blends, some GLP, Rattray and C&D. My question is what lines would you be looking for at a B&M? I would recommend a few of the popular Dunhill blends like MM965, Nightcap and EMP to start. From what I can see there is an increasing interest in Flakes. Which ones would you recommend?

Any ideas would be helpful. This is the only pipe shop for 50 miles and I'd like to see them succeed.

Thanks in advance.
John

 

[daveinlax]

Which ones would you recommend?

Nothing unless you are will to buying it for yourself at their price. 8O

 

[ericthered]

Events. The B&M chain near me (Emerson's Cigars) does occasional events to bring in people that might not otherwise come to a B&M. One event they had was a cigar & scotch pairing/tasting. Another event that was my personal favorite was a bowtie tying demonstration where a $10 door charge gets you a premium cigar and a bowtie/pocket square combo. Obviously these are cigar events, but hosting the same or similar ideas for pipes might be a good way to interest new customers.

 

[papipeguy]

Good idea, eric. We could hold one of our pipe club meetings there. I'll discuss this tonight at our meeting.

 

[smeigs]

I personally like a good selection of bulk blends as well as tins. My local B&M has a bunch of different bulk blends from Peter Stok, Lane, and the other big bulk dealers. This way I can buy bigger quantities of my go-to daily smokes at a reasonable price. As for tins... I think a good variety of everything is a good place to start. I know my local B&M has a bunch of different stuff... Lots of frog morton, VA flakes, english blends, VA pers. Of course a good selection of pipes is a whole other topic haha! Hopefully you will make a good influence on the new owner and get the pipes some more recognition!

 

[mso489]

To build on booker's post a little, I agree that some affordable pipes of reasonable quality are a necessary sideline (at least) to the tobacco selection, which sounds like it is starting out strong. B&M's can't compete with online prices, so the availability of the blends is the key, for the pipe smoker who needs a good Va/Per now! In addition to MM cobs, I think a selection of Dr. Grabows and Kaywoodie briars would be useful, to give people trying a first pipe something that won't be pricey. Then an upgrade pipe line, like Stanwell and/or Savenelli would be useful. They could offer a few or many, depending on the ability of the store to build inventory. But here's what I think is my best suggestion; if they build toward offering some bulk blends, they should just give the names of the source blender and not re-name them. Re-naming is from an earlier era when pipe smokers were not so informed. Better to just give the full provenance and blend name and number. This will immediately bond them to any experienced pipe smokers who come their way. Good luck to these brave souls, and kudos to you for offering them wise counsel. You may be their salvation with their shop.
Any chance they could carry a few pipes by carvers from around the state? My local independent B&M carries none of the state carvers (or at least last time I looked). I think both the carvers and the shop are missing an opportunity to make each other known and cultivate a consciousness in the state.

 

[woodsroad]

"Meet The..." events are great. He's fortunate to be in an area with great carvers and at least one renowned blender. "Pipes Night for Cigar Guys" might be a good combo, starting them off with cigaresque and dark-fired blends. I agree on the need for affordable pipes. The Missouri Meerschaum combo deal with Russ's cob blends should be a good seller, but I never see them at B&M's. Of course, he should try to become an Esoterica dealer, just to keep his name out there with the obsessive-compulsive, hunter-gatherer types that account for a nice slice of the sales.

 

[derfatdutchman]

When I think about flake tobacco, the two that comes to mind right off the top of my head are Mac Baren Old Dark Fired, and Orlik Golden Sliced.

 

[agnosticpipe]

I agree with mso, don't rename bulk blends. I found McClleland's #2025 English Cavendish, a nice flake, at the only two B&Ms within 100 miles of me. (I know, an odd one to stock, right?) One store is a little closer, but caters more to the cigar smoker, so I visit it less often. They both renamed that blend but I liked it and asked them what it was. One store told me what it was with no hesitation. When I asked the other more pipe-centric store, all they said was they were similar blends. I know renaming came about to discourage price shopping, as is done with many items in stores. But the fact is, I will pay a little more at a B&M for the same tobacco I can order to keep them in business. These two stores price their stock at somewhat higher prices than online, which is understandable, but as long as it's not unreasonable I will keep buying the tobaccos they stock when I can, rather than online. It's well worth it to have a place to go and meet other smokers and socialize from time to time, and that's something you usually can't buy at any price!

Hopefully you'll be a big help getting them started in their new business. :clap:

 

[mcitinner1]

I'm with Booker on the Peter Stokkebye Luxury Twist Flake.

 

[papipeguy]

Good stuff guys; I'm making notes.

 

[ericusrex]

A few lines that all great pipe shops must carry, in addition to what's already there, are Sam Gawith, Germain's/Esoterica and maybe Dan Tobacco.

 

[tarak]

The Dunhill baccys seem like an obvious move, and the other tin selection is decent nowadays for a local store. I'd say, whatever they can do to keep prices at a reasonable level- whether that's focusing on a smaller selection and buying in bulk, etc. Flakes are generating more interest it does seem.
If they have an ability to have a smoking lounge that's a big deal- and some good pipe selection. Something between a basket pipe and really expensive pipes.

 

[michiganlover]

Remember that outside of the pipe forums aromatics are the biggest sellers, as such Lane 1Q and BCA are essentials. Peterson is probably sure to be a hit as well. No harm in stocking Carter Hall and Prince Albert either as they are American classics.
As for pipes, got to have corn cobs, some value priced briars, and a higher priced line for those that get hooked.
Don't forget the accessories: pipe cleaners, Chech Tools, and Pipe Nails, maybe pipe Zippos.

 

[nathaniel]

For goodness sakes just make sure their people know pipe tobacco. I can't tell you how many shops I've been in that have no idea what Latakia is. Shoot, once my wife went into a B&M to get me something and found a bulk English she thought I'd like, just by smelling it. The counter person told her he was so sorry but that this tobacco must be rotten. .. She said "nope, that's Latakia." It was great. Silly "tobacconists"!

 

[nathaniel]

Also a lounge that doesn't charge a monthly membership fee will generate far more profit from walk-ins that will become regular customers.

 

[gregprince]

Thank you and good luck! I love a good B&M. I will intentionally pay more to a B&M rather than buy on line because I want to support them and understand that they cannot compete on price. The difference in price is not enough to break me but it may make them. The owner is lucky to have you.

 

[michiganlover]

Make sure the owner understands his customers: a exclusive pipe smoker is never going to spend anywhere near as much as a cigar smoker. A dedicated cigar smoker could easily spend $30-40 per week at the shop (seven $5 sticks = $35; $5 sticks are on the low side for cigars) while a pipe smoker is likely good with two tins or a few ounces of bulk for the entire month ($30 for the entire month). Perhaps they will buy a $100 pipe once a year.
As such pipe tobacco and pipes are probably going to be considered a slow mover when compared with cigars. It's easy to tie up a large amount of cash in pipe tobacco inventory, so as to have variety, but then get frustrated when that inventory sits unsold for many months.
Cigars are always going to be his bread and butter, with pipes secondary.

 

[pruss]

Great comments from the gang above.
I would limit my advice to the owner on tobacco inventory to simply ensuring that they have a good variety of aromatic, Virginia based, Burley based and English/Balkan tobaccos available in both tin and bulk. If they bought the existing business then the previous owners have hopefully provided them with sales and cost reconciliation information that will allow them to make informed ordering decisions prior to making changes.
I agree that the best way to drive sales is to be product smart, and to increase the opportunities for pipe-folk to connect in and around their store/brand. Hosting events like "meet the...", blending seminars, pipe-club meetings, cross-promoting with local cafes/restaurants/bars/breweries on collaboration events, sponsoring men's league sports teams. These kind of community building activities all serve to make the B&M the hub of their customers' social enterprise. Our B&M is running three events per month, minimum, all year round, and that doesn't include our pipe club meetings which we run independently from their marketing spend.
If they don't have someone on staff during peak hours who can answer any question posed by novice and apprentice level pipe smokers, then that is where they need to start investing.
Have fun with this, I hope they are successful.
-- Pat

 

[cosmicfolklore]

I just got back from a business/vacation trip, where I stopped in at every B&M along the way. This is not a suggestion as much as an observation, but it is really hard for a shop to cater to pipe smokers. They get tins and bulk at just about the same price as we do, when we order online, plus the local taxes. So, on a $15 tin, they make nothing, like maybe a dollar. Then if they carry MM cobs, they'll make nothing, maybe another dollar. With the frugal-ness of pipe smokers and the lower percentage of pipemen to cigar smokers, it's almost impossible to make any money. Add in the high cost of retail space, three times as much for commercial utilities, and it's silly to think that pipes will keep the doors open without finding some way to make money. Some keep in a huge selection of over priced bucket pipes, some just suck it up and make their money on cigars, which have the better mark-up and larger percentage of customers. The Briary here where I am is the smartest pipe shop that I've seen. He carries mostly artisan pipes a ton of handmade "pipe things" made by local artisan, pipe rests, tamps, local made pipe cases, etc... The mark up is better and appeals to the high end pipe smokers over the frugal cob guys, which aren't going to help keep the doors open.
They can choose to carry pipe stuff and make a hundred dollars a month, or they can find a way to appeal to the high end. Tobacco isn't going to be a very smart investment for the shop owner. Large selections and investment costs with very low returns on their money is almost silly. It requires space and money that could be used with expanding their cigars, which do make them money. I would suggest that they go to wholesale shows and look into expanding more with their high end pipes and searching out local ceramicists and leather workers to make things for the shop as well. Selling one $1000 pipe will go further into paying rent than selling 500 tins of tobacco.
But, the key is marketing. It is also expensive in getting word out to "us" that they have these high end pipes. It is a challenge and a risk, but appealing to just what we (on the forums) would want is a fast track to bankruptcy. IMO. I don't see how places with bucket pipes and tins stay in business, unless they are just relying on their cigar sales to carry the whole pipe end of things. And, the pipe inventory is more of a shop decoration for them.
Most that I visited seemed to be teetering on closing, relied on cigars but used pipes as shop decor, or like Skip at The Briary, they made the shop more of a high end art gallery for pipe makers. After a few years of watching how people talk about B&M's on here, even though I am passionate about my pipe hobby, I don't think I would ever want to get into retail tobacco business. It's like coffee shops, little money coming in, and the customers want to hang out and spend as little money as possible. That's not exactly a recipe for financial success. As much as I love my pipes and pipe B&M's, I prefer to feed my kids and pay my bills.