The Fate of the Local Pipe Shop

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carytobacco

Can't Leave
Nov 23, 2012
302
0
Cary, NC
That's surprising, kind of. I've been to the shop before and while they definitely had a really nice cigar selection, that pipe and tobacco selection was 2nd to none. And for the hour or so I was there the register was ringing non-stop with pipe and pipe tobacco purchases. I've always wondered what cigar guys thought about buying cigars from a place that heavily catered to pipe smokers. Looks like it works pretty well!

 
Heck, I do not know of any pipe guys in real life that doesn't occasionally smoke a cigar, or vice versa. It is really only on here (forums) that I have encountered a bias. But, Skip has said that the profit margin is greater on each cigar sold than tins of tobaccos. But, yeh, I buy about three cigars a week, and I have seen many a cigar guy buy their first pipe there. I'm not sure why one wouldn't try a cigar occasionally if they like pipes. I will enjoy conversation with anyone hanging out at The Briary, whether they are smoking stogies or a cob. And, I have no problem at all with taking my pipe into a cigar shop. I have never been told to leave for smoking my pipes.

 

seacaptain

Lifer
Apr 24, 2015
1,829
7
Our local shop is really just a cigar lounge and they cater to cigar smokers. They have a surprisingly large pipe section but most of the pipes have dust on them and they have Dunhill tins priced at $21.99 and Capt Black pouches priced at $12.99.
I only go there to buy butane.

 

deathmetal

Lifer
Jul 21, 2015
7,714
32
I miss European-style old school tobacconists. They sold everything from cigarettes to loose tobacco and cigars, plus accessories, and sometimes also some refreshments and sundries (like a 1950s American drugstore). It seems to me that is the only business model that is sustainable. Cigars are still a huge trend right now, like pipes were 2006-ish (if memory serves, which it may not). Vapes are a newer trend that is thankfully peaking. Everyone's chasing those dollars.

 

Perique

Lifer
Sep 20, 2011
4,098
3,884
www.tobaccoreviews.com
A good tobacconist can help you save money in the long run by helping you choose what to avoid, not just what to buy. When you go into a shop and there is 400 different tobaccos in stock, the tobacconist should be able to ask a few simple questions about your smoking preferences and eliminate about 80% of the stock from consideration. Once you zero in on that, you're more likely to find something you really like. Rather than blindly sampling for all across the choice spectrum.
Great point.

 

sablebrush52

The Bard Of Barlings
Jun 15, 2013
19,625
44,844
Southern Oregon
jrs457.wixsite.com
For tobacconists the money is in cigars. I do support my local B&M by buying tobacco there, even if it is more expensive. I like having a place where I can go and meet other enthusiasts. If the alarmists predictions of a banning of Internet sales ever happens, you better hope that B&M's are still around.

 

gregprince

Starting to Get Obsessed
Jan 29, 2014
276
0
OK, I don't live in Canada, but I'll always spend a little more to help keep the B&M in business. They have enough going against them without my trying to save a few bucks by putting my business on line and theirs on the line.

 

deathmetal

Lifer
Jul 21, 2015
7,714
32
As with all things in my town, appearance is not reality. There's a boutique place down in the villages which is rather expensive, quite "precious" and a bit snobby, as a means of conning people into buying. In response, a number of out-of-the-way places have appeared, catering to less of a yuppie/scene smoker. If you want fussing over and need the pretense, the in-town place is great, but I don't know any serious smokers who go there.

 

PlanxtyPipes

Starting to Get Obsessed
Mar 6, 2013
222
2
I'm very lucky to be in Charlotte, NC where we have McCranie's Pipe Shop. I don't get over there as often as I like, I need to start supporting them more. It is cheaper and more convenient to order online and you have more selection, but McCranies is a true pipe store with their own blends and a really good tobacco inventory for a B&M. I am starting to realize how lucky I am to have a place like this nearby.

 

carytobacco

Can't Leave
Nov 23, 2012
302
0
Cary, NC
I'm very lucky to be in Charlotte, NC where we have McCranie's Pipe Shop. I don't get over there as often as I like, I need to start supporting them more. It is cheaper and more convenient to order online and you have more selection, but McCranies is a true pipe store with their own blends and a really good tobacco inventory for a B&M. I am starting to realize how lucky I am to have a place like this nearby.
Yes!
NC probably has a weaker pipe shop community as a whole than many other states, but McCranies is a great shop. Thanks for supporting your local shop.

 

brass

Lifer
Jun 4, 2014
1,840
7
United States
I had the pleasure of smoking a couple of bowls of Stonehavena and Rich Dark Flake with Al Jones last week. In the course of the conversation, he recommended John B. Hays Tobacconist as an honest, nicely stocked pipe and tobacco store.
This thread motivated me to visit the store over the weekend and I'll attest that they stock more pipes and pipe tobacco than any store in the DC metro area - at least of those I've visited. The staff is knowledgeable and they can talk informatively with the pipe aficionado.
John B. Hayes Tobacconist is located in Fairfax, VA in Fair Oaks Mall. Unfortunately, the mall allows no smoking and the owners are search of new real estate so that the issue may be addressed.

 

deathmetal

Lifer
Jul 21, 2015
7,714
32
Our local pipe shop scene is interesting. There's a "protect your feelings" style boutique for the tourists, but off the beaten path, a network of places that are both good stores and fun to hang out at.

 

nhpro

Starting to Get Obsessed
Aug 12, 2014
116
11
All good points, but I see the political correctness crowd also having something to do with declining sales.

 

huntertrw

Lifer
Jul 23, 2014
5,221
5,341
The Lower Forty of Hill Country
"CVS President & CEO Larry J. Merlo said, "We came to the decision that cigarettes and providing health care just don’t go together in the same setting.""
Mr. Merlo's statement strikes me as hypocritical seeing as how most, if not all, CVS stores still offer liquor of various sorts for sale. So the potential for alcoholism, drunk-driving, broken homes, physical and mental abuse, and death does go with "health care"? I don't think so.
As for the fate of your local brick-and-mortar pipe and tobacco shop, it's fate is partially up to you.

 

deathmetal

Lifer
Jul 21, 2015
7,714
32

Mr. Merlo's statement strikes me as hypocritical seeing as how most, if not all, CVS stores still offer liquor of various sorts for sale.

I'll take that one further: we cannot create health by crusading against evils. Perhaps smoking two packs a day while lounging on a couch, getting no exercise and eating nothing but pizza pockets will doom one to early death. Then again, I know a fair number of people who smoke, are physically active and eat (mostly) well, and I think they'll do just fine. No one lives forever, and sometimes a quick exit is preferable to years of health misery.

 

deathmetal

Lifer
Jul 21, 2015
7,714
32

As for the fate of your local brick-and-mortar pipe and tobacco shop, it's fate is partially up to you.

One thought on this: tobacco taxes are killing the B&Ms. It's hard to justify spending twice as much to buy something in person.

 

juanruiz

Lurker
Aug 19, 2015
25
0
"most, if not all, CVS stores still offer liquor of various sorts for sale."
Depends on the laws of each state. In VA you can get wine and beer just about anywhere, but liquor only at state monopoly stores. In NY, you can only get beer at grocery stores. In others, all three are found only in liquor stores. As for cigarettes, I believe CVS made about 2 cents a pack profit, so it was no great humanitarian action on their part, but good PR.

 
^^ some of the new convenience stores here have been built without a space for cigarettes. It seemed odd to me. I asked one cashier at one about it, and he said that the company just doesn't make any money off them, so it wasn't worth the expense. But yeh, you can only buy liquor in Alabama in one of the state stores, and they're all located in the worst parts of every town.

 

drezz01

Can't Leave
Dec 1, 2014
483
6
The general tolerance for alcohol and demonization of tobacco has always seemed strange to me. In Formula 1, tobacco companies can no longer sponsor teams (though it is unclear whether marlboro continues to financially support Ferrari despite the lack of visual presence) while cars can be plastered in Johnnie Walker logos.
Don't get me wrong, I partake in both vices in moderation. It just seems strange how tobacco laws are popping up around Canada banning the sale of flavoured tobacco, as it is perceived to seduce under-aged smokers, yet butterscotch schnapps is still a thing.
Don't even get me started on marijuana - (and no that's one vice I do not partake in though I have no issue with it what so ever and would love it if it was regulated and taxed ... I've already said too much haven't I...) I'll be quiet now.

 
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