Another B&M Has Come & Gone : (

[Dock]

Such a sad day for those of us living in Western Mass. Aurora Borealis smoke shop in Northampton has joined the list of B&M's that have shut it's doors for good.

This shop was where As a young newbie I bought my first tin of Dunhill's #965, my copy of Rick Hacker's "Ultimate Pipe Book" and where later I snagged up 10 tins of Bohemian Scandal right before it was snuffed out of existince. I purchased hundreds of tins of tobacco there over the years as well as an amzingly large number of BJ Long's pipe cleaners.

Though it went through a major decline over the last couple of years it was still the last real smoke shop remaining in my part of the state and now it's gone.

So sad!

 

[Tennessee Dave]

And so it continues. Sad indeed. :evil:

 

[Midnight Blues]

Sorry to hear that Doc. It seems that most things that are part of the fabric of our lives
are disappearing. America is changing and in my opinion not for the better....

 

[Stefanos]

I feel for you Doc. It's like a death in the family.
It happened to my shop and I still mourn it.

Hey, can we get the government to subsidize tobacconists?

 

[Mikem]

Sad indeed. In the last five years we have lost two pipe shops here in the Phoenix area. The father of the owner of one of the shops that I really enjoyed was a mentor to me when it came to pipe smoking. A good pipe shop is really nice to have and is indeed a sad thing to see go.

 

[Justpipes]

Unfortunately it is going to be a normal trend unless more Americans take up the cause of Liberty at the voting polls.

 

[kilted1]

Yeah, it was a sad day when Joyce shut the doors of Royal Cigar in Atlanta a number of years ago. The Atlanta Pipe Club is still pretty active and I think Joyce still has a site online, but the long days spent relaxing in her shop, browsing the shelves or enjoying a pipe with a friend are long gone.

It's such a shame that activities we enjoy are slowly and assuredly being taken away from us by those who 'know better' what is best for us.

 

[HoosierPuffer]

If you want to destroy it, tax it.

Good job, do-gooders!

Now, let's overtax the people who generate the most business in this country! Oh - wait - we already are.....

 

[TallSmoke]

I thought it was your patriotic duty to pay more taxes!!!

:scratch:

 

[Anonymous]

IMO taxes sure can lead to a businesses difficulties, but it seems the real problem stems from those of us that do our baccy & pipe shopping online to get the better deal. I'm guilty and from what I read on here most everyone else is too. (Again, it's my opinion based solely on observation.)

 

[kilted1]

IMO taxes sure can lead to a businesses difficulties, but it seems the real problem stems from those of us that do our baccy & pipe shopping online to get the better deal. I'm guilty and from what I read on here most everyone else is too. (Again, it's my opinion based solely on observation.)

I think that is at best a symptom, at worst an excuse. Like it or not in the business world, since about 1995 onward, the internet has become an increasing part of the consumer market. Those businesses who have not by now 2009 adopted their business model to include or compete with internet sales, have only themselves to blame.

It is NOT the duty or obligation of the consumer to pay MORE for a product due to your business 'overhead' or inability to compete. That is reason #1 that I so strongly disagree with government intervention and 'bail outs'.

I love being able to go into a B&M, though none exist within 40 miles of me in any direction. The last one I frequented Royal Cigar in Atlanta has on line since 1989! Though she closed the B&M several years ago for health reasons, she still does a business online.

There really is no practical reason that a business today can't also trade and compete online.

 

[Ol'Dawg]

Yeah, it was a sad day when Joyce shut the doors of Royal Cigar in Atlanta a number of years ago.

Ditto! It was a real treat for me to visit her shop every several months and gaze in wonderment at all the tins, pipes and accessories available in such a small area. It was amazing to me how she was able to know where everything was located.

Jim

 

[kilted1]

Yeah, it was a sad day when Joyce shut the doors of Royal Cigar in Atlanta a number of years ago.

Ditto! It was a real treat for me to visit her shop every several months and gaze in wonderment at all the tins, pipes and accessories available in such a small area. It was amazing to me how she was able to know where everything was located.

Jim

Even more amazing was Joyce's attitude toward the customer! On my very first visit, I met about half the Atlanta Pipe Club, and rang up my own order on the cash register! She allowed people pretty free reign in the store, behind the shelves and cases, and seemed to have that thing which so many lack, called TRUST!

Man I miss that little place Joyce was was DA BOMB! If she didn't have it, she could get it in days! She always had cookies or donuts or sometimes pizza to munch on, didn't seem to mind if you spent all day in the shop and only purchased a pack of pipe cleaners. In other words, you never felt like you were 'putting her out' or that you had to make a purchase to be welcomed back. She would often ask 'Why are you leaving so soon?' to customers who came in, made a quick purchase and left. It's been about 4 years since I last did any business with her, I do hope her health is holding up.

I found some very nice well aged tins and pounds of baccy there, and a very nice pipe or 6 in the years I did business there, but more important to me was that I made a good friend or 6 in my short time there.

 

[HistoryMajor]

Sorry to hear that. I spend as much time at my local shop as I can, and make as many purchases as I can afford. Yes, it's expensive, but with the current exchange rate + shipping, I figure it's not quite worth it to buy online because of the cost of large quantities and lack of storage space.

Also, as strange as it is, I think tobacconists are here to stay in Canada. People aren't aware of online purchasing, and if they are, they probably don't know the best places to do it, and when they get hammered by customs, they stick to buying locally. Hell, it's illegal to buy tobacco from another province. Either way, the legislation basically forces people to shop locally. It's been a few years I think since the last big shop went out of business here. There is a solid base of loyal regulars to each shop to keep it in business I think.

My point is that I try to spend a reasonable amount at that particular shop, because I don't want to see them go out of business, and I truly enjoy socializing with other cigar and pipe smokers. Sure, we may not be able to sit around and smoke together (B&Ms were not grandfathered in under smoking legislation here) but it's great to be able to talk with the owners and other smokers about tobacco and life.

The last time I was in, I hung out for an hour or two, talking with another guy, and the owner of the shop. In fact, one of the guys I graduated high school with even came in, wanting to start smoking a pipe, and we helped him through the process. Brings back loads of memories, sitting at the bar in the little shop watching Chris (the owner) teach him how to pack and light a pipe.

Also, some of the local guys (well, one in Edmonton, and one in Calgary, and a couple around Canada) have also shifted to online sales. But there is no real benefit. Prices are the same online, or in store, and it's cheaper to drive there to pick up some smokes than to pay for the shipping. Online tobacco business, as far as I can tell, is not exactly lucrative in Canada. I'm sure they do decent sales, especially to parts of the province/country that do not have local stores, though. Native reserves do particularly well, actually, because they aren't hampered by provincial taxes, I think they only have to add on a sales tax, so they are quite cheap to buy from. But still, that's only really if you can afford boxes and have the storage space, and are smoking enough to move such massive quantities.

Sorry for rambling. This sort of thing makes me so grateful for the tobacconist I've got here.

 

[TallSmoke]

I wish I had a shop in my town. We have a couple of "Tobacco Outlets" but they don't offer much in terms of the pipe smoking realm.

 

[Justpipes]

I thought it was your patriotic duty to pay more taxes!!!

:scratch:

TallSmoke,

We'll just have to take a road trip down to McCranie's in Charlotte before too long! http://www.mccranies.com/

 

[TallSmoke]

I thought it was your patriotic duty to pay more taxes!!!

:scratch:

TallSmoke,

We'll just have to take a road trip down to McCranie's in Charlotte before too long! http://www.mccranies.com/

Sounds like a plan, my friend!

 

[nyed001]

Sorry to hear it Doc,trust me I know the feeling all too well...... ipe: