Local B&M

Marshallrocks80

So I stopped in to this local tobacco shop with my dad and after looking through the extremely poor selection picked up a Montecristo and a la gloria cubano to try. The cashier could tell me how old the cigars were(nothing over 3 weeks) but not what kind of wrapper they had. I rang up and it was almost twenty three bucks. I looked on cigar.com afterwards and would have saved ten dollars on the two. Hey local B&M, WTF!!!!

kuzi16

Marshallrocks80:

So I stopped in to this local tobacco shop with my dad and after looking through the extremely poor selection picked up a Montecristo and a la gloria cubano to try. The cashier could tell me how old the cigars were(nothing over 3 weeks) but not what kind of wrapper they had. I rang up and it was almost twenty three bucks. I looked on cigar.com afterwards and would have saved ten dollars on the two. Hey local B&M, WTF!!!!

to me, if i buy at a shop, i always smoke there. I am paying for the convenience of picking up one stick and smoking it there. online is where i buy in bulk.

robert69165

So I go into the three local tobacco shops here in town, and wouldn't you believe, all three had nothing but crap. Wow was I disappointed, one store had macanudos, almost nothing but macanudo, one store had nothing but low end mystery "cuban or cubanos", and one catered to just cigarette smokers. I live in a sh**** town.

j0z3r

robert69165:

So I go into the three local tobacco shops here in town, and wouldn't you believe, all three had nothing but crap. Wow was I disappointed, one store had macanudos, almost nothing but macanudo, one store had nothing but low end mystery "cuban or cubanos", and one catered to just cigarette smokers. I live in a sh**** town.

All of the tobacco shops in my town cater to either cigarette smokers or stoners...the selections of colorful glass pipes and "water pipes" is pretty incredible, if that's your thing, but nothing much in the way of cigars.

vankleekkw

I always like going to the locals and looking in the rafters for some rare stuff. I have picked up plenty of good deals while rafter searching. It is kind of like antique shopping.

bacon.jay

I'm fortunate enough to live reasonably close to a pretty good cigar shop. it's in sandusky, OH, like a half hour north of me. the guy really seems to know what he's talking about, and has a pretty decent selection.

There's been some pretty funny stories from trips up there, including one time when we were in the lounge smokin it up with some guys in their mid-50's to mid 80's, all of which were watching superbad when we got there, and laughing heartily.

Another one involves the guy that owns the store making regular trips down to DR, where he has someone that handrolls different blends just for him. I have yet to purchase any of these "home-made" goodies yet, but that is on my list for the next trip. Anyways, my friend Brad and I were looking around at what he had, and he picked up a herf-a-dor and opened it, and inside were several cigars that just made us HOWL with laughter. apparently, the guy that handrolls his homebrew sticks likes to roll different shapes, and in the herf-a-dor was a cigar shaped like a tobacco pipe, and like 4 other cigars that were shaped like dicks!!!! and i mean, mushroomcap-shaped head and EVERYTHING, with the leaf veins right where they're "supposed to be" (if you know what i mean). the shop owner said he keeps them in there for when he has female customers looking for a gag gift for bachelorette parties. it was hysterical.

Dude Love

What's the name of the place in Sandusky? My brother told me there were a couple good shops up there, but I haven't had the time to check it out yet.

bacon.jay

Dude Love:

What's the name of the place in Sandusky? My brother told me there were a couple good shops up there, but I haven't had the time to check it out yet.

the place up there is called Sandusky Bay Cigars. here's the address:

Sandusky Bay Cigars
206 W Perkins Ave
Sandusky, OH 44870
(419) 624-0230

They have a website, but i don't think it's been updated for over a year. The shop owner's name is Darrin.

I actually found a link to a video on youtube that is supposedly from a camacho event they had there in sandusky that was sponsored by the shop:

Camacho Event Youtube Video

there's a shop in port clinton too, but i've never been there, and I don't remember what it's called.

madurofan

Marshallrocks80:

So I stopped in to this local tobacco shop with my dad and after looking through the extremely poor selection picked up a Montecristo and a la gloria cubano to try. The cashier could tell me how old the cigars were(nothing over 3 weeks) but not what kind of wrapper they had. I rang up and it was almost twenty three bucks. I looked on cigar.com afterwards and would have saved ten dollars on the two. Hey local B&M, WTF!!!!

Local shops are more expensive, they have to be. First they aren't moving any where near the volume as Ccom. Second they are paying for a brick and mortar location. Finally and most importantly, your state taxes are included in the shop's price. Ccom does not charge you a state tax, HOWEVER, by law you are supposed to pay that state to your state after purchasing the cigars.

I think it is extremely important to support your local shop or they won't be there for long.

bigharpoon

madurofan:

I think it is extremely important to support your local shop or they won't be there for long.

I agree...I love supporting my local shops even with their higher prices and less knowledgable staff. Whoever opened that shop you're in had the balls to go into debt to start their own company (which sells cigars!). That's cool, even if they aren't maestros.

Dude Love

Support your local B&M:

PuroFreak

I also enjoy supporting my local shop. I am lucky enough to be right down the road from one of the best shops around. They are one of the 13 shops that got the special Halloween release smokes from Pete Johnson and ALWAYS get great people for events. Nick Perdoma was there a week or so ago, they always have Pete come in for events, Jonathan Drew has been there, Jesus Fuego, Manuel Quesada and Rocky Patel will be back for his 3rd event at this shop on April 15th. I wasn't living here the last two times Rocky was here so I will DAMN SURE be making it to this event. I'll be sure to get some pictures and an autograph while I'm there.

Matt Marvel

My local B&M isn't the best place. If you can get in there when the owner is there, you can get some knowledge and good service. However, he usually isn't there much anymore. They have a small selection, and you can't smoke inside. That said, it's close and right by where I work, so I can stop in and grab a couple of cheap sticks. It's a convenience that you will miss if it's ever gone. If it ever shuts down, the closest shop to me is half an hour away. It's a better shop, but still, it's not down the street.

dan7876

I find it odd that the cashier wasn't a cigar enthusiast...depends on the place, and of course the owner's personality, but I would sure hire people that were interested in cigars to work at my [hypothetical] cigar store. I suppose it could just be some guy who wanted a cashier job, but then they won't be bringing in any repeat business. I'm lucky enough to have 2 or 3 really good shops in town, definitely places to go and smoke there, talk shop with the owner & staff, get recommendations, hang around with like-minded people, etc. But I've seen the "other variety" of tobacco shop too, selling pipes and cigarettes first and cigars an afterthought...so I know what you're dealing with. Any other larger cities in your area - go check them out, hope you find a decent shop!

j0z3r

Dude Love:

Support your local B&M:

So that's what the Serie V figurado looks like...interesting.

Dude Love

Yea, it's a massive beast. I'm planning on setting aside at least an hour and a half to smoke it...probably land closer to 2 hours though.

PuroFreak

Matt Marvel:

My local B&M isn't the best place. If you can get in there when the owner is there, you can get some knowledge and good service. However, he usually isn't there much anymore. They have a small selection, and you can't smoke inside. That said, it's close and right by where I work, so I can stop in and grab a couple of cheap sticks. It's a convenience that you will miss if it's ever gone. If it ever shuts down, the closest shop to me is half an hour away. It's a better shop, but still, it's not down the street.

The shop you are speaking of isn't just off the North Tollway is it?

undulac

Ccom does not charge you a state tax, HOWEVER, by law you are supposed to pay that state to your state after purchasing the cigars.

I'll be sure to do that because I feel I don't pay enough in taxes. It may be just me.

kaspera79

... be sure to consult your tax attorney on this one..

gmill880

kaspera79:

... be sure to consult your tax attorney on this one..

If I have them shipped to my Swiss safe deposit box that my secret banker has a key to can I avoid these taxes altogether???

PuroFreak

gmill880:

kaspera79:

... be sure to consult your tax attorney on this one..

If I have them shipped to my Swiss safe deposit box that my secret banker has a key to can I avoid these taxes altogether???

Not anymore because the new Administration is wanting those banks to make those names public now... There is just no escaping the TAX MAN!

Matt Marvel

PuroFreak:

Matt Marvel:

My local B&M isn't the best place. If you can get in there when the owner is there, you can get some knowledge and good service. However, he usually isn't there much anymore. They have a small selection, and you can't smoke inside. That said, it's close and right by where I work, so I can stop in and grab a couple of cheap sticks. It's a convenience that you will miss if it's ever gone. If it ever shuts down, the closest shop to me is half an hour away. It's a better shop, but still, it's not down the street.

The shop you are speaking of isn't just off the North Tollway is it?

No, I actually live about 45 minutes outside of Dallas. A town by the name of Greenville.

bacon.jay

how do you guys take care of your taxes at the end of the year for the cigars you buy online? i have no idea what i'm supposed to do for mine, could someone enlighten me?

PuroFreak

Matt Marvel:

PuroFreak:

Matt Marvel:

My local B&M isn't the best place. If you can get in there when the owner is there, you can get some knowledge and good service. However, he usually isn't there much anymore. They have a small selection, and you can't smoke inside. That said, it's close and right by where I work, so I can stop in and grab a couple of cheap sticks. It's a convenience that you will miss if it's ever gone. If it ever shuts down, the closest shop to me is half an hour away. It's a better shop, but still, it's not down the street.

The shop you are speaking of isn't just off the North Tollway is it?

No, I actually live about 45 minutes outside of Dallas. A town by the name of Greenville.

Oh ok, I know Greenville very well, drive through there every 2-4 weeks when I'm going out to the lake. I thought you were talking about a shop I stop in once in a while up on the Tollway. If you were I was going to tell ya about the best shop in the DFW area that is only about 5 miles from that one. As a matter of fact there is going to be an event next wed. the 15th at my favorite little shop and Rocky Patel is going to be there. A friend of mine and I are going to pick up some smokes and hang out. Get to meet Rocky and pick up some good deals, they are also having a bunch of drawings for free stuff. Should be a lot of fun if you're free to come on into the big city.

Matt Marvel

I don't have work that day, so yeah, I would love to come out.

PuroFreak

Matt Marvel:

I don't have work that day, so yeah, I would love to come out.

Check your inbox, I sent ya a PM with the details.

alienmisprint

I have found one B&M here in Hawaii that is okay, but like everything else in Hawaii, is very overpriced. However, on my recent trip to NC, I found an awesome B&M in Wilmington. If any of you Carolinians go through Wilmington, you need to drop by there. They have a great selection, knowledgeable and friendly staff, and excellent prices. The name of the place is Davis and Son Smoker's Emporium, it is on Oleander Street, just across from the mall. If I lived in NC still, I'd be a regular there.

Marshallrocks80

dan7876:

I find it odd that the cashier wasn't a cigar enthusiast...depends on the place, and of course the owner's personality, but I would sure hire people that were interested in cigars to work at my [hypothetical] cigar store. I suppose it could just be some guy who wanted a cashier job, but then they won't be bringing in any repeat business. I'm lucky enough to have 2 or 3 really good shops in town, definitely places to go and smoke there, talk shop with the owner & staff, get recommendations, hang around with like-minded people, etc. But I've seen the "other variety" of tobacco shop too, selling pipes and cigarettes
first and cigars an afterthought...so I know what you're dealing with. Any other larger cities in your area - go check them out,
hope you find a decent shop!

This shop definitely sold cigars as an afterthought. When I walked in, half the shop was movies for rent, the other wall beside the counter was cigarettes and Garcia Y Vega packaged cigars, and they had about a fifty count humidor display with different cigars. Nothing impressive at all.

j0z3r

bacon.jay:

how do you guys take care of your taxes at the end of the year for the cigars you buy online? i have no idea what i'm supposed to do for mine, could someone enlighten me?

I've never had an issue with taxes for out of state purchases...So until it becomes an issue, I just forget about the taxes... I figure I already pay enough in taxes, this is kinda like a freebie.