I did indeed start a pipe club: Greenville Pipe Club (SC). I also read the Waco Pipe Club article on how he got it started. It was very informative and helpful. But I will tell you about my journey and what I did right and wrong.
A friend of mine who lives in Greenville also happens to be a pipe refurbisher like myself. He suggested starting a pipe club, his idea was that someday it would be able to grow and have a yearly pipe show. He suggested it to me because I work for a shop in our local mall that carries pipes, pipe tobacco, and accessories. My shop also happens to have a small lounge in the back that allows cigars and pipes.
Once I decided to go for it, I got permission from the store owner to do it once a month. My eventual hopes were to do it twice a month. I pitched it to him that it might be a way to build our pipe community and by extension expand our pipe customers/profits. After I got permission I setup an official Facebook Page to post events and official news. Then I also posted a Facebook Group page, so that anyone who wanted to post about their daily smoke or special pipe, they could share!
I made up the little Pipe Club slips, five per paper, that I would put into the bag of anyone who purchased anything pipe related. Of course, if I could work it into the conversation, I told them what the pipe club slip was about. Anyway, the slips included the pipe club name, the facebook page, the date of the next meet-up, the time of the meet-up, and facts like "It's free!", "Bring your pipe(s)!", and "Free Tobacco Samples!".
Since I had a shop available as a host with benefits, I have been able to offer and do things more freely than other pipe clubs. The last couple months before summer I did do a raffle where it was $5 per ticket or 5 tickets for $20 to win a pipe plus 2-3 tins of pipe tobacco. With that being said, I never asked for dues because I was trying to win over the locals.
After all of this is said, I feel accomplished on this journey but because of April and May attendance, I had to take a break for the pipe club during the summer. Everyone is traveling. I had things I was doing. And I burned out a little.
But we are coming back with a vengeance in the fall!