What is your dream B&M?

[cosmicfolklore]

Funny story... my favorite B&M is a high end pipe gallery with the finest example of pipes by the masters. My pipe club meets there and a friend was constantly telling Skip that he should carry some Missouri Meerschaum pipes. Skip kept trying to explain to him that it wasn't "that" type of pipe shop. This was like asking a high end shoe store to carry flip-flops, or asking a jewelry store to sell bubblegum jewelry. But, after a couple of years of hearing his constant bitch about them damned abominable corncobs, when he walked in for pipe club night, Skip surprises him with one of those cheap ass cardboard display cutouts of some MM corncob pipes, marked $12.

And, without skipping a beat, he said, I can get them cheaper online.

It took the whole pipeclub to keep Skip from killing that cheap ass SOB and cramming that cardboad display up his ass... although we all did get a kick or two in while he was on the ground.

 

[jazz]

And, without skipping a beat, he said, I can get them cheaper online.

:D What a swine. I could see it coming but I still chuckled.

 

[brian64]

Nope, the wholesalers are also the distributors now.

I agree that B&M prices would still be higher than on-line even without punitive taxation, but I still think their prices would be significantly lower than they are now.
Also I only place large enough orders on-line to avoid shipping charges. At a B&M you can purchase smaller quantities to sample a blend, as well as the benefit of being able to inspect a pipe before purchasing it. Then there is the added luxury of a smoking lounge of course. So I wouldn’t say B&M’s are in absolute direct competition with on-line vendors. The real problem imo is government costs making it too expensive to own and operate a small business...especially if it’s a tobacco business.
We’ve been living through the wild-west days of the internet. I suspect that will not continue much longer if the powers that be have their way with it. And they eventually seem to always get their way.

 

[mayfair70]

My dream B&M will have a foyer with Italian Marble flooring and a coat check girl. The place itself will have deep shag carpeting and look like the smoking lounge or library of a high end estate or mansion. It will also have a full bar and Ice Cream parlor. So, basically like this but with big leather couches, reading chairs and oak tables to put your crap on. Oh, and everything is free if you know the handshake...

 

[jpmcwjr]

Wouldn't vintage Persian carpets be nice??
Great spot. Where is that library?

 

[pappymac]

When I win the lottery...

I am going to open a combination pipe & cigar shop and coffee shop. One side of the building would be pipes and cigars only, the other side would be a coffee shop selling fresh brewed coffee, pastries and coffee beans. There would be a large covered sitting area between the two. Big signs would say "NO CIGARETTE SMOKING ALLOWED" and it would be enforced.

 

[mayfair70]

@Jpmcwjr - It is the Szabo Ervin Library in Budapest, Hungary. I want to visit before I die. :worship: Yes, Persian rugs would be even better.

https://www.pinterest.com/korenyagi/fszek-metropolitan-library-budapest/

 

[sablebrush52]

I don't see why you guys have to get so damned fancy about it. For BM's this works just fine:

 

[huntertrw]

I'll see your wooden backhouse and raise you one (or two) with this B&M for BMs:

 

[sablebrush52]

Touché!

 

[shaintiques]

Thanks for all of your comments guys. I personally like to be able to look at and hold pipes. The Briary is a great example of a pipe shop that seems to be from a bygone era. It is a pipe smokers dream, much like Perettis in Boston, the difference though is that you can smoke at the Briary. The problem I have encountered is that most "cigar" shops may have a few pipes but the owners are very uneducated as to pipes or pipe tobacco. And it seems like they don't care to be educated because they don't make the big money there. I want a shop that is different. Where a pipe smoker can come in and load up a bowl and not feel pressured to buy a cigar to smoke there. Have a cup of coffee or a beer, sit back, relax and enjoy a bowl. And I may just open such a place one day.

 

[hawky454]

My dream B&M would be the one that I own. I’ve never been but I sometimes dream about Boswell’s. I think that is one of the coolest pipe shops ever. The Briary sounds perdy dope too.

 

[theloniousmonkfish]

Saw dust on the floor, smoke to the ceiling.

 

[ashdigger]

My home office is perfect for me. A nice selection of curated tobacco, all the pipes smoke amazingly well, a very comfortable chair, excellent audio/visual equipment, plenty of reading material and the bourbon or scotch is appropriately within reach.

 

[lestrout]

Telford's Pipe Shop in Mill Valley, Marin County, Cali is about good as they get. If only they blended like Peretti's or Watch City. Very friendly, classy, immense number of pipes, especially estates, huge array of tins. The Golden Gate Pipe Club meets there, and I had a grand time a couple of Sundays ago.
hp

les

How do I rotate that pic?