Are brick & mortar shops planning big changes?
We phoned up tobacco retailers around the country—businesses on the current PCA membership list (some old, some new)—and asked the above question to see if we could discern any trends. Some pleaded out: “No time to talk.” Others hung up, apparently thinking we were a sales call. No one ever confessed to making any “resolution.” Even so, quite a few merchants did agree to talk, and some offered interesting takes on the question.
Of course, even if a tobacco seller were to implement some jazzy new strategy for the coming year, that doesn’t mean every store owner should follow suit. But the approach of any New Year’s Day generally stirs some creative juices, even subconsciously, which is one reason that New Year’s Resolutions are a tradition in the first place. At any rate, it is always useful to know what people in the game are thinking.
At least 10 respondents offered some kernel of practical advice, and that advice ran the gamut: Improve your store’s appearance; embrace social media; tend to your website and your lounge—and especially your customers. Join the fight against government regulation. Attend the trade show. And the old stand-by, “endeavor to persevere.”
“Have you made a 2024 New Year’s Resolution for your tobacco store—and if so, what is it?”
“I would like to start getting my new cigar line out beyond the area around Durango. Also, I’ve been needing to increase my social media presence, which I hope will increase my younger customer base.” – Courtney Callahan, owner, Durango Smoke Shop in Durango, Colorado
“I have not made any New Year’s Resolution for the store, but we are working to upgrade our website, bighumidor.com.” – Mark Hardesty, owner, Big Humidor Cigar in Bridgeville, Delaware
“We have not made any New Year’s Resolutions. We are relatively new in the business—2 1/2 years—so we just want to keep growing the business. We bring in a lot of police and fire people and veterans, so our clientele is distinct, and we try to be mindful of their needs. I am an Army veteran myself, so I get it. I understand people’s need for a place to decompress. I am just going to concentrate on providing that.” – Megan (Beckel) Simpson, co-owner, Beckel’s Humidor in Centerville, Ohio
“At Boswell Pipes we are constantly changing. We’re going into our 50th year. It is difficult to make a resolution because resolutions seldom come true. You just never know what’s around the corner, and you have to be able to change and adapt, whatever atmosphere you’re in.” – J.M. Boswell, owner, J.M.Boswell’s Pipes & Tobacco in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania
“I haven’t really thought about things in those terms. We just take things as they come, and make basic, normal improvements when needed. I’m not planning any major changes. We run a pretty tight ship and things are going well.” – Kendrick Woolstenhulme, owner, Beehive Cigars in Salt Lake City, Utah
“I haven’t made any resolution. Wintertime kills cigar sales around here, and our taxes are extremely high. So I am turning half of my place into a coffee shop. We’ll be opening that within the next couple of weeks.” – Jeff Masters, owner, Rat Pack Cigar in Fairbanks, Alaska
“Well, we’ve only been open for three years in December, but things seem to be going pretty well. I don’t think the store has any big changes coming up in 2024.” – Joyce Scott, store clerk, El Dorado Cigar & Pipe in El Dorado, Kansas
“I have not made any resolution. Last month we celebrated our first anniversary, so right now we are just endeavoring to persevere…although we are looking at maybe adding on a private lounge next year. My main word of advice: You just have to remember that the customers are here for us, so we have to be here for them and give them a good cigar experience.” – Robert Martin, owner, Paradise Cigars and Tobacco in Gonzales, Louisiana
“This store has been in business for 61 years, so we’re due for a facelift. We are in the process of re-branding. We’re going to be a lot more elegant.” – William Scoggins, owner, Briar Shoppe of Houston, Texas
“I haven’t specifically looked at 2024 yet, but I think just try to keep building the Gran Crü brand, mainly by associating it with boutique cigars, and offering our customers an opportunity to spread their wings with new cigar experiences.” – Jimmy Turner, owner, Gran Crü Cigars in Saint Louis, Missouri
“No, I haven’t made any resolution. We’ve been in business for 153 years. We are very traditional. Most tobacco shops are not really tobacconists at all; they just sell cigars. But we have tons of pipe tobacco in the house, and we blend our own. I tried having a small lounge for a while, but I didn’t like it. Got rid of it. My attitude is get ’em in and get ’em out.” – Stephen Willett, owner, L.J. Peretti Co. in Boston, Massachusetts
“I have not made any type of resolution. But if did, it would be the same as last year’s: Try to boost sales by 10 percent. And we’re up by 16 percent in 2023, so even if we have a slow December, we’re going to make that goal.” – Bill Thruman, part owner, Bonds Fine Cigar Shoppe in Suffolk, Virginia
“I don’t believe we have made a New Year’s Resolution for the store. What we are already doing is working pretty well for us.” – Brennan Kunard, team leader, Fireside Cigar in Olathe, Kansas
“I started in the cigar business in 2020 when I bought a pre-existing store, and I’m still learning the seasonality of the business. We are handling the holidays better as we learn. There are so many great cigar releases coming out right now. You’ve always got to be moving, curating. I would say that retailers should definitely attend the trade show and do some networking.” – Donovan Short, owner, Casper Cigar Company in Casper, Wyoming
“We only sell premium cigars and accessories, and we have a cigar bar. Things are going very well, but we are always making changes. I have two pieces of advice for tobacco retailers: First of all, aim big; and secondly, embrace social media. That’s made a tremendous difference for us. We are very restricted in how we can advertise, so social media gives us a valuable platform.” – Michael Correia, owner, Regency Cigar Emporium in East Greenwich, Rhode Island
“My advice would be, keep fighting. Our biggest competition is the government, so get active in efforts to fight regulation.” – Adam Wehrer, co-owner, Cigar Daddies in Lacey, Washington
– Story by William C. Nelson.
This story first appeared in PCA The Magazine, Volume 4, 2023. To receive a copy of this magazine, you must be a current member of PCA. Join or renew today at premiumcigars.org/membership.