From Left: Matador Cigars at Sunset Station; Cuba Libre at the Hard Rock Hotel; and Marti Gras Cigars at the Rio Hotel.

The Freys continued to attend additional Big Smokes, befriending the event's staff and gaining access to pre-Big Smoke dinners that are held the night before the events. "It was here that we began to seriously network. By our second Big Smoke in Chicago we were on our way," says Michael.

"Then we went off to Miami with six empty duffel bags, and just started buying stuff, even at retail prices." It was during this trip that the Frey's met the Padron family. "They opened us up as one of their last accounts before [turning away] any new customers. We bought La Gloria Cubanas, Caribbean, La Flor Dominicana - anything," recalls Robert.

After this major schmooze tour, which lasted the better part of a year, the two brothers had hoarded away more than 300,000 cigars. Still, they had no store.

Their first retail venture came to be in the Kansas City Station Casino. Three weeks later they opened their first Vegas store in the Rio Hotel, and continued to open one new store almost every other month for over a year. "Our goal now is to be very choosy about locations," says Michael. "The great thing about Las Vegas is that the hotels are like little self-enclosed cities. People don't really venture out of where they checked in, so none of our stores really compete with the others, nor really with other stores in town."

Booming in a Boomtown
With a surge of new construction and a solid, thriving tourist market, the Las Vegas hotel sites have proven to be a goldmine for the Freys. "Our business has grown 80% every year we have been in operation, even while the market is down turning in other states like California."

After lunch we saunter over to their Caesars Palace store. At just under 300 square feet, this is the smallest of all the Frey Boy stores, but it was also the most costly to build on a per sq. ft. basis. "There's a lot of artistic detail work in this store, and that drives up your construction costs, but in the end it was well worth it," muses Michael.

After grabbing a Padron Anniversary Churchill and flirting shamelessly with one of the store's famous "easy on the eyes" cigar girls, we stroll down the Appian Way to the parking valet to move on to our next stop. A quick drive down the famed Las Vegas Strip and we arrive at the Frey's Mandalay Bay store - The Bombay Cigar Co. While all the stores are strikingly different in decor, lighting, and ambiance - a conscious effort to reflect the theme of the hotel each store is located in - the difference between the Caesars store and this one is quite substantial.

Bombay Cigar Co. at Mandalay Bay.

At over 400 sq. ft., the Mandalay Bay site has room to accommodate a small settee, two club chairs, and a coffee table that, all told, create a small lounge-like area. The Caesars store is far too small for an area like this. As the stores grow in area, so do the number of accouterments and features. In the larger stores, such as those in the Hard Rock (550 sq. ft.) and Harrah's (750 sq. ft.), the Freys have created full lounge areas, rentable cigar lockers, and larger merchandise display areas.

The Bombay Cigar Co. is quite a contrast to that of the muted earth tones and faux marble found in the Caesars location, or the red and dark wood of the Hard Rock store. It is quite brightly lit, has high "exposed wood-beam" ceilings, white washed walls, and a tropical design - all of which gives the store a very airy feel.

All the stores seem to be geared towards single stick sales (over 500,000 individual cigars annually), as well as, small accessories including lighters, cutters, cases, and long matches. Humidors and ashtrays are sparse, but well chosen. These stores are definitely here to accommodate the tourists, and not the local population.

One also couldn't help but notice that in catering to the tourist trade, in addition to the "Living Large" Vegas mystique, that the cigar prices are, well, less than generous.

After seeing all the Frey's stores, I find myself drawn most to the one in the Hard Rock, but that is purely my preference. Touring all the Frey stores in the course of my apres RTDA jaunt was one of the highlights of my time in the Silver State. It is easy to see why so much praise has been heaped upon them.

The Freys epitomize the future of cigar retailing. With maximizing sales floor and display areas; elegant and interesting, but non-imposing decor; knowledgeable, but lean staffs; and well-maintained stock. These stores reflect both the fantasy that is Las Vegas, and a commitment to an ongoing, expanding venture.

"The great thing about Las Vegas is that you never know what the day will bring," says Michael with a smirk. Adds Robert, "I couldn't imagine a better market. While retailers in other states are dealing with sales slumps or outrageous tobacco taxes, Las Vegas just rolls along." Viva Las Vegas, guys!