Kramer's of Beverly Hills to Close

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Richard Burley

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I just happened to be smoking some Kramer's House Aromatic when this appeared in my Facebook news feed. Never been there physically, but still sad. How many are left?

To our Friends and Loyal Customers:

With saddened hearts, we want to let you know that, after 68 years in the same Beverly Hills location, our family owned business, Kramer's Pipe & Tobacco Shop, will be closing its doors December 31.

It is bitter-sweet for Jim and me, but times change and we are looking forward.

We are forever grateful to the Glassell and the Tronstein families, our landlords for 65 years, their care and friendship meant the world to my parents and to us. They were an important part of building and preserving the village of Beverly Hills, which was referred to in a recent Beverly Hills Courier editorial, ending with "Despite all the rhetoric, about Beverly Hills being a 'village', there is very little 'village' left."

Our decision was made, and made easier for us to accept, due to many factors:

1) CA state Tobacco Taxes (now 67% - which lumps together pipe tobacco & cigars with cigarettes. What other legal product do we tax so high?) causing people to buy out of state - over the internet. (It appears that marijuana will be taxed at a lower rate in CA come January!)
2) new pending FDA regulations which would make it nearly impossible for small shops to blend pipe tobacco,
3) both city and state restrictions/legislations – that, in our opinion, unfortunately have gone way overboard in their rulings regarding, again, a legal product,
4) the city deeming it necessary for construction purposes, and seemingly their only choice, to remove our on-street metered parking since the beginning of this year - turning Little Santa Monica into a virtual freeway - to the total dismay of small businesses lining our street,

and mostly 5) the end of our lease.

One saving grace is my father's 7 private house pipe tobacco blends (from the early 1950's) now having a new life (with our exact formulas and same blending tobaccos) on-line at smokingpipes.com under Kramer's Pipe and Tobacco. Sykes Wilford, Rick Newcombe, and Brian Levine - you gave my father's legacy a chance to live on.

Good-byes are too hard. I know we will see many of you. And we are keeping our website (kramerstobaccoshop.com), email ([email protected]), and our Facebook page (Kramers Pipe & Tobacco Shop) going.

Thank you from the depths of our hearts - and my parents' hearts - for your support and loyalty.
With a flood of warm memories of our neighbors, salespeople, customers, and friends throughout the years ~

Big Thanks,
Marsha Kramer Keller and Jim Keller
 
Such a shame a shop with so much history can't make a go of it. Fortunately their blends will live on. At least until the FDA start screwing around.

Jim
 
Extremely sad news! That's basically why I posted early last Winter to stock up on ALL of your favorite tobacco's prior to March 2018, just in case the FDA pushes forward. However there will be higher taxes on ALL tobacco products again in 2018 and how long will ALL of us be allowed legally to purchase tobacco's online!!! There can be that day when NO tobacco products can be sold online. It's time to put your TAD ahead of your PAD for the time being. Just my opinion.



KEEP ON PUFFING!!!
 
Years ago I had the pleasure to shop often at the BIG Nat Sherman B&M near the NYC public library and Bryant Park. Also was a member of the Johnson Club, surely miss those days. Roughly 4 years ago I was in NYC visiting a doctor friend and we decided to have a good cigar before heading over to Jack's Steakhouse for dinner. We both walked up 42nd street and crossed 5th Avenue and could not believe our eyes!! Nat Sherman's has become a small B&M, with maybe 4 chairs to sit on upstairs. Of course we were not permitted downstairs to the Johnson Club...it was closed that day. So we walked out the door and lit our Partagas cigars and strolled across the street to Bryant Park to enjoy a cup of gourmet coffee, only to be told " there is no more smoking in this park or any other park in NYC, that really blew my mind :scratch: :scratch: What a disappointment that was! We did have a pleasant walk, over 4 miles to Jack's, still was the best steakhouse in NYC :cheers: :cheers: :king:



KEEP ON PUFFING WHILE YOU CAN!!!
 
Yeah, that's sad news. I'm just sitting here remembering some of the tobacco shops from my younger years, and it makes me sad to think about how so many of them are gone now. :(
 
Just happen to be smoking a bowl of their English Blend. So glad they were able to work out a way to save the blends. Shame they couldn’t find a way to save the shop.

Jim
 
I had to look three times to make sure I read the amount of CA tobacco tax correctly. Oy vey.
 
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