Pipe and tobacco shops I have visited

Brothers of Briar

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In 1973 my wife and I went to London. BOAC airlines had a special price $750.00 for 2 people for two weeks. Air, hotel, breakfast and 3 tickets to London's Broadway shows. It was a great trip.
I bought only one pipe from Astleys on Jermyn Street. It was a freehand I can't remember the price. A great smoker I still have it. Just nearby was the Charatan Store. This was unbelievable. The pipes were all handmade and each one was a beauty. I looked but I could not afford to buy one. Robert Lewis another great shop. The Dunhill store was , well it was Dunhill, expensive really expensive but so many pipes. Again a lot of looking but no buying. We made it to Sullivan and Powell in the Burlington Arcade . I purchased a tin of 00 Mixture from this little shop. I loved this tobacco. I latter found out that Sobranie made their blends. The London trip was fantastic even though I only got one tin of tobacco and one pipe. I will never forget that trip. Oh ,so here I am thinking all these English guys are smoking latakia blends like Sobranie and 965....nope, the biggest selling brand of pipe tobacco was.......St Bruno. Believe me I asked so many pipe smokers.. I returned to London 12 years ago and I still love the city but the legendary pipe shops are all gone. What a shame !!!
 
I like reading about shops, so thank you. I managed a shop when I was younger, but I've only been in a handful of shops otherwise. I've never been comfortable in them. When I was younger, except when I was working, I was in Chuck Taylor sneakers or hiking boots, board shorts (before they were board shorts), and a t-shirt. It wasn't exactly the attire a stereotypical tobacconist would embrace in their clientele. I don't blame them for judging a book by its cover, though. I got the same unwelcoming looks at hi-fi shops, which was another hobby of mine. I don't appreciate having to prove my value, so I would refrain from sharing my extensive knowledge (which is no longer the case, as it has changed so much) and just let them judge, act like I'm wasting their time, and treat me with disdain. Human nature tends to be an unsavory thing. Is there such a thing as a hobby that isn't judgy and snooty? Even with music, there is this infamous title "record collectors are pretentious assholes." And they are.
 
I have seen what you described too many times. However, I was never witness to this behavior in a pipe shop. I have seen this in clothing stores and antique stores, to name a few.
Every hobby seams to have an elite group of "know it alls". If I can't learn from them ( and most have nothing to say ) I move on.
 
I think it was 1974 ( it is hard to remember the exact year ) I had been purchasing pipes and tobaccos from Smoker's Haven in Columbus. I find out about a small pipe producer in Vermont called The Briar Workshop. This was a small group of pipe carvers that hand made pipes with a Danish flair. I wrote to them and I was able to purchase a group of very nice pipes that I still have. One of the owners was Elliot Nachwalter who went on to own the Wilke Pipe Shop in NYC. The grain on these pipes is beautiful and each pipe smoked so nicely. Many years latter brought me to Manchester Center Vermont where I visited with Elliot at his workshop. more about that to follow.
1976 brought me to Lawrenceville New Jersey and The John David Pipe Shop. Another beautiful store in a strip mall. I walk through the store asking lots of questions when I see this large bent pipe. I take it down from the board and I turn it over and over. It is marked Charatan 44X. The sale guy tells me the X means it was a second. I loved the shape and it felt so good in my hand. I see the sticker 95.00. I start to sweat should I or should I not. I buy the pipe as well as few ounces of their fullest English tobacco. This pipe smoked sweet from the first puff and I call this pipe one of my magical pipes. No matter what blend I put through the pipe it smoked great. I still smoke this pipe and it is still "magical". A great shop that eventually moved to The Menlo Park Mall. Sadly, this shop is also no more.
 
Zeno Marx said:
I like reading about shops, so thank you. I managed a shop when I was younger, but I've only been in a handful of shops otherwise. I've never been comfortable in them. When I was younger, except when I was working, I was in Chuck Taylor sneakers or hiking boots, board shorts (before they were board shorts), and a t-shirt. It wasn't exactly the attire a stereotypical tobacconist would embrace in their clientele. I don't blame them for judging a book by its cover, though. I got the same unwelcoming looks at hi-fi shops, which was another hobby of mine. I don't appreciate having to prove my value, so I would refrain from sharing my extensive knowledge (which is no longer the case, as it has changed so much) and just let them judge, act like I'm wasting their time, and treat me with disdain. Human nature tends to be an unsavory thing. Is there such a thing as a hobby that isn't judgy and snooty? Even with music, there is this infamous title "record collectors are pretentious assholes." And they are.
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I'll have to say that my first store visit was at Bowling Green Pipe store in the early 1980's. I was familiar with pipes from seeing my father's pipe stand and pipes. I'm glad they were not unwelcoming, or I would have done the same as you. I was just a poor college kid wandering in. Coming back later, I ended up buying a CAO meerschaum and a store brand briar house sitter which I still have today. I seem to remember them selling me cavendish. It was good to me. Knowing what I do now, I'd have appreciated more advice on tobacco, although it might have seemed expensive to me. Glad it worked out that way with the owners. The store is still there in Bowling Green Kentucky, but focuses more on cigars.
 
The late 70's brought my first two daughters into my life. I also changed careers and joined a family business. The extent of my traveling was to the store to purchase diapers and formula. I worked long hours to build the business and spend time with my girls...all three. It was at this time that I was relegated to the garage to smoke my pipes. I was not thrilled but I got used to it . I still visited some of the NJ / NY shops and I continued to communicate with Joe from Smoker's Haven. I found a certain affinity for The Connoisseur Pipe Shop in NYC. I enjoyed the unique shapes as well as the private label tobaccos such as Turkish Black.

The early 80's were very busy, not many new shops to visit. Smoker's Haven was sold, Joe and his brother in law Sid retired . The new owner who I never spoke with made changes and I understand relocated the shop. Oh I forgot to mention that the English blends that were made by Sobranie were now made by Germain. Sobranie , I guess with the blending changes and ownership ,no longer were doing repackaging. The story as I understand it, is that Joe was looking for a new source for his imported blends. He went to McConnell but Joe was not a fan of the owner Mick and he decided to work with Germain instead . It was not long before the new owner of Smoker's Haven discontinued these blends and with that and I am sure other reasons, the heart of the business was gone. It was sad to see such a decline. There is a silver lining however as I previously mentioned....more latter.

I regress to 1981. I always enjoyed the full line of Dunhill tobaccos. My favorite was 965. I would purchase my 965 from a store that had a tobacco counter in the front of a store that was like a K-Mart but not named K Mart. Anyway, I get my 965 and I go to my car. I take out a pipe and fill it from the tin . The usual 965 aroma from a new tin did not make itself known. I thought perhaps I was getting a cold. I am driving and I light my pipe and now I am sure I have a cold coming on. The flavor of my 965 was gone. I puffed and puffed but other than a sore tongue, the taste I craved was missing. I realized from the tin the markings had changed. It no longer said Made in England. It said made in the UK under authority.............I found out Dunhill was no longer making their own tobaccos and they had relegated production to McConnell. Don't get me wrong McConnell made some great tobaccos for some stellar brands. It just was not Dunhill, it was different and I was used to the fermented tobaccos Dunhill had used. This was a young blend. I was disappointed very disappointed. Sobranie as I knew it was gone and now Dunhill. Oh Boy!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
It's funny ( or not ) that when you get a little older it is easier to remember things pretty clearly from the past like way back. So, I will continue in the 80's, I may take a stab at what year exactly, but my accuracy is circumspect.
I find myself in Englewood NJ visiting potential clients. I am in an industrial park and I remember that James B Russell the importer of my favorite Sobranie is there. Of course ,I find my way to their offices and I walk in. There is a wonderful lady up front who asks me how she can help me? I tell her of my interest in Sobranie. She kindly tells me that they only sell to retail establishments. I tell her of my interest in perhaps opening a mail order pipe and tobacco business ( yes I considered it ) She is so nice and tells me all the sales guys are on the road. The kind lady offers me a price list. On the price list are other brands besides Sobranie. As I am scanning the list I see some bulk blends listed. I ask her about these and she tells me they are made by Sobranie. I read the descriptions and I see JB#1 . it says something like a rich full balkan blend. The price was based on 5 pounds . I tell her this would be a great blend to sell in bulk if I open my business. I take a shot and I ask her if I can buy one 5 pound bag. A few minutes latter I find myself in the car with the tobacco, a price list and a new friend.
I smoked this tobacco exclusively for quite some time. This was a super great blend that was fuller than BS White. I was not sure but this blend made me think of Connoisseur's Turkish Black. :)
 
As you may be able to tell from my posts, I enjoyed visiting shops but also tobacco blenders and pipe makers. It is the mid eighties and I hear of a pipe show on the west coast. This is the first time I ever heard of a pipe show. One of the pipe stores that was involved with the show was Drucquer and Sons in Berkley California. I had subscribed to a wonderful publication called The Pipe Smokers Ephemeris. This was a hand typed publication done with much passion by a guy named Tom Dunn. The Ephemeris is gone and Tom is no longer with us. I am sure this is where I read about the West Coast show. If you are lucky, sometimes copies of TPSE are available on eBay. If you can find some get them you won't be sorry.
So I am curious about this show and while I could not get there I was even more curious as to Drucquer and Sons. I call them and I speak to young man I believe his name was Chan, Gaston Chan.(sp).I could be wrong. Anyway,, he tells me all about the shop and how they hand blend and tin their own tobaccos. The history goes back to England where the shop originated. I place a small order for a few of their blends. Levant, Royal Ransome, and Red Lion. My package arrived a week or so latter with the three tins, and I dive right in. One was better than the next. Tasty full bodied english blends that compared and may have beat some of the Dunhill and Sobranie mixtures I loved. No idea how they did it but it was a treat. I see a blend I have to get for my next order Cooks#5. I order and receive a tin. There is a solder mark on the bottom of the tin where I understand they heat the tobacco in the tin and then seal the hole. I know I have told of all the wonderful blends I have smoked but Cooks #5 was my new BFF :) Delicious is an understatement. I continue to purchase this blend as well as the full english line for years. Another great blend was named Sublime Port. This was a bit different but just as good I loved it. I find out years latter the blender at Drucquers is Gregg Pease. Small world ..........
I visited Drucquers years latter, they had moved and the shop was sold. I was disappointed. The new owner was not a talker, I purchased a few tins and although good were not the same. For me Drucquers was gone and so were the great blends. Gone that is until 5 or so years ago when Smoking Pipes and Gregg Pease brought back some of the Drucquer blends ...yes with the same name and great tastes.
 
My timeline is fuzzy for sure so we jump back to NJ where I search out a pipe carver In Jersey City or was it Union City, can't remember. His name is Andre Mermet. Andre's pipe factory is like a small two story building in the middle of an industrial area. It actually looked like an old house. I am welcomed at the door by Andre who for all intensive purpose is legally blind. A big man close to my 6' 4".
We go up to the second floor where there is a pot belly stove burning, the floor actually had holes and you could see to the lower level through the floor. Andre pulls out pipe after pipe and that's when I realize that some of the shapes he is showing me look like Connoisseur Pipe Shop shapes. Andre confirms that he makes pipes for that shop as well as others. I ask Andre if he will sell me a few and he agrees. I walk out with four beautiful pipes all natural and very unique. I lost track of Andre Mermet but I undersatnd he had a son I think James (Jim) who makes or made high end pipes in California.
We will return to California. and Beverly Hills and my visit to Kramer's Pipe Shop and the wonderful Mrs. Kramer yes Marsha's Mom. more to come
 
It's the early 90's and I am in LA on business. I have an appointment in Beverly Hills. I had read about Kramer's pipe shop. This was the pipe shop that all the famous Hollywood stars of stage and screen had frequented. This was a shop I could not miss. It is a small quant shop on Santa Monica Blvd. I am greeted by Tina Kramer the wife of the late Alan Kramer. She was bigger than life itself and could she tell stories of all the famous people that visited the shop. I was thrilled to listen especially to the story of her crush on Cary Grant. There was a giant poster of Cary and she told me how much she loved it when he visited the shop. The tobacco blends were the pinnacle of the shop. Of course you probably know the story of Father Dempsey an English blend that Alan Kramer blended for Father Dempsey. Many say it was a replacement for Dunhill 965. For some reason, I actually thought the blend was a very close replacement for My Mixture Medium, at least I thought so. The pipe selection was just ok. I am sure back in the day they had some wonderful pipes. After one hour of enjoying Tina's stories and what blends famous people smoked, i bid farewell to Tina, leaving with a one pound bag of Father Dempsey. A lovley blend that I smoked and reordered on occasion. The next time I revisited the store 10 years latter, at the helm was Marsha Kramer and her husband. Marsha told me her Mom had passed away and the store was just as I remembered back in the day. Early on Marsha embraced the internet with an AOL email address. I reordered Father Dempsey online via email to Marsha. If you look up Marsha Kramer you will see she was a very talented actress and singer. As I understand, Marsha passed away a few years ago. The store was closed after 50+ years in business. Smokingpipes picked up the Kramer Blends now produced by C&D. Father Dempsey is still available and still a very good blend with a great history.

I hear of a great Hunan Restaurant at The Century City Mall in LA. The very best hot and sour soup I ever had... ever!. As I walk off my lunch I see a sign that reads "Century City Pipe Shop" of course ....I walk in and meet with the owner Hugh Getzenberg ...to be continued ...........
 
Hugh was a great guy. He told me he was originally from Philadelphia. I am not sure how long this shop had been there but it was stocked with some wonderful pipes. Hugh also smoked his pipe as we spoke and of course I asked him what blend he was smoking. He responded back "Hackers" one of his in-house blends. Try some Hugh says as he hands me a large glass jar filled with a semi black tobacco. I just so happen to have my Charatan 44X with me and I fill the big bowl all the way to the top. At first light all I could think of was, this is another full english. It was delicious. We discussed the name of the blend and he told me that yes this was the blend named after Richard Carlton Hacker the famous author and consummate pipe connoisseur and customer of the shop. I was impressed and I enjoyed that tobacco so much, I again purchase a one pound bag. I returned to this shop many times and spoke with Hugh on the phone. I purchased some wonderful pipes from Hugh, one belonged to a famous professional wrestler named " The Masked Marvel " Look him up. Hugh had a long list of famous people that visited his store. He told me of the many times William Conrad would visit . Conrad had a wonderful pipe collection. I think Hugh was one of the resellers of Conrad's pipes. I know that someone who is held in high esteem on the pipe and tobacco front in these forums owns one or more of William Conrad's pipes. Not sure if Hugh was the reseller or not, but it is a beautiful Charatan. Interesting fact, Conrad who owned many high end pipes, searched the world over for his special blend., In the end William Conrad smoked Amphora Red exclusively.
On one my return trips to LA I am standing in front of what was The Century City Pipe Shop. It is now an empty store and I am devastated.
I call Hugh and he tells me he closed the store due to the fact that the mall was forcing Hugh to upgrade the store and it would cost a small fortune, so Hugh decided to close shop. I asked Hugh what will happen to the " Hackers Blend". Hugo told me it would be no more. I asked Hugh for the recipe but Hugh refused., He shipped me 3 pounds all he had left.
I stayed in tough with Hugh and he tells me one day who the blender is and if I wanted I could buy it directly. Hugh also found a 5 lb bag in his garage and sent it to me.
Unfortunately, the blender had filed for bankruptcy. I was too late. I had to make my Hackers last a long time and I did.

A number of years ago I spoke to Richard Carlton Hacker as we were discussing some estate pipes being sold. Richard informed me that Hugh had passed away. I promised Hugh I would never tell who the blender was and I never have. Hugh Getzenberg was not only a good person, he was a friend and a great human being.
 
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