Michael Frey has been called the “cigar king” of Vegas, and he’s associated with some of the big cigar bars in Caesar’s Palace and other places. His various enterprises have helped make the city one of the most iconic and popular tourist destinations, offering guests a world-class cigar experience.
According to Frey, there are two cigar cultures in Las Vegas: one on the Strip, and the local scene. “The local stores are like those in any city,” he says. “There you find people getting together, enjoying tobacco, sharing stories, and becoming friends. On the Strip, it’s different, and that’s my specialty. The average stay is around two and a half days. I like to say that we provide a nice respite where time can stand still. If you’re here as a tourist, you’re constantly on the go. We offer a place to relax and enjoy a cocktail and cigar where you’re removed from the tumult of Vegas life.”
Back when he started, there were only two stores in town, a Tinder Box off the Strip and a tobacconist across the street. Neither one is there today. There was nothing in the hotels. Frey and his brother, Robert, created that aspect of Vegas cigar culture. “Over the past 30 years, a lot of the other retailers were my patrons before going into the cigar business themselves,” says Frey. “While I lost good customers, I made lifelong friends and good business allies.”
Las Vegas cigar businesses face the same challenges faced by tobacconists in other cities. In the past, you could pretty much smoke a cigar anywhere in a hotel and now it’s more restrictive. You can still smoke at most casinos when you’re gaming, but a lot of places have designated cigar bars. “We always have to stay one step ahead of legislation and monitor that situation,” says Frey. “Organizations like the PCA really keep an eye on that and inform members about what’s going on, so it works out great.”
Last year, Frey along with some fellow retailers worked with PCA to help pass a premium cigar tax cap. “For over 26 years, we’d been paying 30 percent tax on the wholesale price for cigars,” he explains. “Both the state and retailers were losing money to out-of-state internet retailers. Together we were able to get a tobacco tax cap of 50 cents passed. As you can imagine, this has made a great change in our fortunes for selling cigars in our state, providing us an opportunity to compete with internet companies.”
To get the tax cap, Frey and his associates hired a lobbyist and political action firm, then presented their concerns to the Legislature as a small business issue. “Lo and behold, they understood our objectives and wanted to help,” says Frey. “There was bipartisan support on the Assembly side, a Democrat and Republican working together to get the bill through. We just kept hammering away. It was even tougher because it was a tax issue, requiring a two-thirds majority in both the lower and upper house.”
Overall, business has been great and Las Vegas keeps growing as a city. “It’s more exciting now with all the proliferation of professional sports in town,” he adds. “The Oakland A’s moving here creates thousands of jobs and that’s perfect for cigar smoking.”
Frey recommends several cigar-friendly places that PCA attendees might want to visit while in Las Vegas. He says, “On the Strip, a really nice lounge is Eight Cigar over at Resorts World. The Wynn Hotel has a cigar-friendly bar, the Overlook Lounge. The Wynn is probably our most luxurious hotel. The Fontainebleau that just opened a couple months ago has a big center bar where you can smoke cigars and it’s a wonderful hotel.”
Downtown is the Tap N Ash Cigar Lounge, which is close to the Strip. “That’s a great place to go smoke,” says Frey. If you want to get in the car, you can go visit some local stores. There’s En Fuego Cigars with two locations, one close to the Strip and one in a nice area of Henderson. Another good spot a little off the Strip is called SMōK Cigar Lounge, a brand-new business that opened a few months ago with a bar and where you can get food.
“My businesses include the Montecristo Cigar Bar at Caesars Palace and a newly opened one at the Paris,” says Frey. “We also have Casa Fuente inside The Forum Shops at Caesars Palace, which after 18 years is still the mecca of cigar bars in Las Vegas. I have a great place called Cigarbox, right behind the Strip on the other side of the freeway. It’s open during the day and attracts both locals and tourists. We get a lot of people during PCA come by and hang out there.
“Another business I have is a gallery called FreyBoy Art Salon (aka FAS44). After 30 years of collecting art and photography, I’m thrilled to have this passion project as my next endeavor. It’s a place for the curious to challenge their expectations and have stimulating conversations about culture and the nature of being. We invite our patrons to participate in the exchange of ideas, each featured artist bringing a curated collection made to elevate Las Vegas’ aesthetic landscape.”
– Casa Fuente photo by 501 Studios. All other photography provided by Michael Frey. Story by Ray Owen.
This story first appeared in PCA24 Attendee Guide. Current members of PCA received a copy in the mail; additional copies available at the trade show. Join or renew today at premiumcigars.org/membership.