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Boston Cigar Cutter
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December,
2007

The House of Grauer
TRENDS AND TRENDSETTERS IN TOBACCO RETAILING
Nat Sherman Debuts New Luxury Manhattan Store

new york - Legendary New York tobacconist Nat Sherman officially opened its luxurious new retail store on December 18, just in time for Holiday shoppers. Joel Sherman, son of the late Nat, along with Joel’s wife Myrna and their children Larry and Bill Sherman and Michelle Sherman Entner, welcomed over 150 invited guests at a grand opening reception on December 12th. The evening, featuring Algonquin Pianist Alex Yearwood, gourmet hors d’oeuvres, and cocktails, was a reminder of New York’s pre-smoking ban era when New Yorkers could legally light up in clubs, bars, and restaurants.

The new store is located in an elegant, free-standing company-owned building located at 12 East 42nd Street at Fifth Avenue, across the intersection from its former location. The previous Sherman emporium had what the family describes as a “Broadway speakeasy/ Runyonesque” personality. In contrast, the new 6,000-square-foot store features a stylish and sophistication theme. The copper and stone facade features arched windows and a slanted roof reminiscent of Edwardian London. Architect Jack A. Michaelson and interior designer Charles McCarry modeled the store on Henry Higgins' library in “My Fair Lady.” The interior is appointed in rich wood and leather with a 30-foot ceiling over the ground floor and a circular balcony filled with shelves of cigar boxes stacked like books. A private meeting room and office are located on the third floor, while a cocktail bar and the exclusive Johnson Club Room occupy the lowest level of the store - an elite smoking/ meeting space lined with cigar lockers where clients can store their cigars or merely relax with a fine cigar or cigarette in a private club setting. An elevator services all three floors.

In addition to premium cigars and luxury cigarettes, the full-service shop carries pipes, pipe tobaccos, tobacco accessories, and gift items from lighters and humidors to luggage and cuff links.

In the 1930s, Nat Sherman’s was a garment district landmark and served as a hangout for the moguls of the rag trade, as well as a neutral meeting ground for the wiseguys of the day. The store has changed locations three times.


NEW & NOTABLE

  • Prime Cigar Company has opened in the Galleria West Centre, in Brookfield, Wisc. The cutting-edge “euro-styled” cigar bar in the greater-Milwaukee area features a lavish, 3,000-squarefoot lounge with leather seating and plasma TVs, a fully-stocked bar, the “largest walk-in humidor in the midwest” featuring a wide selection of super-premium cigars, according to its owners, and a selection of gift items and accessories.

  • 7 Valleys Custom Blends has opened it newest franchise in Shrewsbury, Pa. Franchise owners Therina and Vince Himes have nearly a decade of experience in the retail tobacco industry. “We’ll be carrying many of the same products as the other franchises,” said Therina. “These products have been popular in this region for more than 10 years. We already know the product, and since we have years of experience meeting customer expectations in York County, we have every confidence in our decision to open our new store in Shrewsbury.” 7 Valleys Custom Blends is headquartered in York, Pa. and has franchise locations in Gettysburg and Camp Hill, Pa. Custom Blends Franchise Services, LLC is headquartered in Hilton Head Island, S.C., providing Custom Blends Farm Fresh Tobacco as well as a wide range of MYO cigarette tobaccos and supplies.

  • Owner Bobby Chadha of Havana Cigars held an official grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony on November 4 for his Anthem, Ariz. store with special guest Rocky Patel of Rocky Patel Cigar Company. The event featured food catered by Madelyn's Restaurant, Energy Drink Samples from Kronik Energy, live Spanish and jazz guitar, Monday Night Football, raffles for cigars and a one year membership for a cigar locker in Havana Cigars’ Cabana Club. The state-of-the-art shop features the “largest walk-in humidor in Arizona,” according to Chadra.

  • SMOKESHOP - December, 2007

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