 |
October, 2005 |
|
Two Guys Smoke Shop Opens First Franchise Store in Seabrook, New Hampshire
Seabrook, NH - Two Guys Smoke Shop of Salem, New Hampshire, has opened the first of what it says will be many Two Guys Smoke Shop franchise stores. The new shop, located on Route 1 in Seabrook, N.H., is franchised to Roy Kirby, a 10-year employee of Two Guys Smoke Shop, and his wife Ann, who have outfitted a brand new building to host the new shop. "Roy has worked for Two Guys Smoke Shop for over 10 years and is a perfect candidate for us," says David Garofalo, president and founder of Two Guys Smoke Shop. A grand opening was held on Saturday, October 15, 2005. "We couldn't be more excited to announce our plans to begin the next step for major growth of our company," says Garofalo. After 20 years in the cigar business, Two Guys felt the business was ready to take its formula of customer service, commitment to value, and extensive selection of cigars to the next level. In the short term, Two Guys plans to open 11 franchised shops by year's end 2006, concentrating initially in the New England area . Garofalo has been selling cigars since 1985, when he founded the business with his brother John in Somerville, Mass. Additional stores were opened in East Boston and Everett, Mass., as well as a small catalogue/mail order division. When Massachussetts added its first tax to cigars in 1996, the Garafalos moved their business over the border to neighboring and "tax free" Salem, New Hampshire, and eventually closed all of their Massachussets locations. Two Guys currently sell 20 of their own private label cigar brands along with all major brands from domestic machine-mades to Davidoff Appointed Merchant brands. |
Holland's 3rd Generation de Graaff Shop Sold
Hague, Netherlands - Third-generation tobacconist Robbert de Graaff, at age 65, has turned over the reins of his family's famed tobacco shop to the husband-and-wife team of Yvonne and Ilja van Horssen, owners of the nearby Cuesta-Rey cigar shop in The Hague. Founded by de Graaff's grandfather in 1928, G de Graaff has already seen its interior restored and restocked since the May 17 sale, with 25 new types of pipe tobaccos - previously unavailable to Dutch customers - having been added to inventory.
"De Graaff needs to be known again as the best place in Holland for smoking goods," says Yvonne, who promises no drastic changes at the historic shop. "We need to go out there and search for those special products." "We need to offer what others can't: small, limited-production cigars, and hard-to-find tobaccos - products that smokers have been searching for," adds Ilja. |
Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company has added the illuminated Retro Neon Sign to its line of Natural American Spirit point-of-sale materials, available free of charge to qualified retailers. The sign is bold and bright, measuring 17" x 15" x 5" and featuring the 100% natural brand's flagship blue color surrounded by a brilliant ring of red neon. Limited quantities are available. Interested retailers should contact Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company at 800-982-7454 for an authorization form to request a sign, subject to approval.
Grand Havana Enterprises, Inc. terminated a March 27, 2005 license agreement because the proposed licensee was "unable to timely enter into a lease for a satisfactory location in Miami, Florida." Grand Havana Enterprises, Inc. owns and operates two Grand Havana Room private membership cigar clubs in New York and Beverly Hills, Calif., and one Grand Havana House of Cigars retail store located in Beverly Hills. |
SMOKESHOP - October, 2005
