got some unexpected bad news the other day when I took my son for a haircut. The cigar shop that had been next door to the barbershop had shut its doors for good.
I felt terrible for the proprietor, who seemed like a great guy and was always patient with me as I explored the cigars, and with my son on the occasions when I brought him along and he was (to put it nicely) slightly more eager to leave than I was. But I wasn't surprised. The Washington D.C. area is like everywhere else, it seems -- it's harder to smoke in public, which means there's less walk-up business than ever. You can't grab a single stick to smoke at the pizza place next door any more, for example, because that's now illegal.
I've definitely a smoker who likes to buy cigars online, for the same reason I buy almost anything else online -- the selection is better, the prices are lower, and it's much more convenient. And while I'm sure that is part of the reason the bricks-and-mortar store near my house closed, I place more blame on the local laws that really have eroded the appeal of the spontaneous purchase. There's no point in picking up a last-minute cigar for that trip to the restaurant or bar if I'm not allowed to light up at either place.
How are cigar stores faring where you are? Do you do any shopping there, or do you stick to buying your smokes online?
I felt terrible for the proprietor, who seemed like a great guy and was always patient with me as I explored the cigars, and with my son on the occasions when I brought him along and he was (to put it nicely) slightly more eager to leave than I was. But I wasn't surprised. The Washington D.C. area is like everywhere else, it seems -- it's harder to smoke in public, which means there's less walk-up business than ever. You can't grab a single stick to smoke at the pizza place next door any more, for example, because that's now illegal.
I've definitely a smoker who likes to buy cigars online, for the same reason I buy almost anything else online -- the selection is better, the prices are lower, and it's much more convenient. And while I'm sure that is part of the reason the bricks-and-mortar store near my house closed, I place more blame on the local laws that really have eroded the appeal of the spontaneous purchase. There's no point in picking up a last-minute cigar for that trip to the restaurant or bar if I'm not allowed to light up at either place.
How are cigar stores faring where you are? Do you do any shopping there, or do you stick to buying your smokes online?
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