Your Personal Tobacco Shoppe

[Deirachel]

So, I submit a thought exercise to the general Rabble, smoker and non.

If you had a small tobacco shop to stock, what would you line the shelves with?

Some general things to consider:

This is a SMALL shop. We are talking 10'X20' shop, with a 10'x10' walk-in humidor for the cigars and what-not (what tobacconist wouldn't have one?). So, very large objects are not a good bet.

This is a public shop. You are selling to the General Public. So, no illegal substances, no alcohol (not a liquor store), and probably no stuff you'd not want children to see. Outside of tobacco, specialty products might not be the best bet for profitability.

You DON'T have to limit yourself to tobacco related objects, outside of the above suggestions.

So, what would you have in YOUR Tobacco Shoppe?

[The Wizard of BC]

This is a very interesting proposition.

As a smoker I have been in many tobacco shops. Everything from mall shops that seem to care more about supposed humorous knick knacks than lighter fluid and flints, to really mind blowing shops like the one in Amsterdam that had three 80' X 80' humidors. One for cigars, one for pipe tobacco and one for cigarettes. Each with their own temp. and humidity.

As this is a very small shop in a Mall I would suggest that they concentrate on those things that their customer base would want. Domestic cigarettes, Bic lighters, and rolling papers.

Then, if they have any money left after stocking up decide on one premium line. Be it a good brand of imported Italian cigarette, a nice green band Partagas cigar, or a line of Dutch pipe tobacco. But warn them, that a cabinet of pipes can break the bank and will most likely not sell unless they are experts with pipe advice. Good cigars are the same. If you don't speak the language you won't sell the product.

My advice is to stick to the basics till you have your feet on the ground. Stock only what sells. Re-stock only what their customers have repeatedly asked for.

Leave the knick knacks like funny beer steins and the chess sets for the tourist shops. If you own a tobacco shop know what it is to smoke and what a smoker wants and needs.

Oh, and don't print business cards. Have your cards printed on match books and have a big jar of them handy and available for free. If you want to get to the heart of a smoker give them a pack of free matches. If you want them to come back have your name on the match book.

[mull]

I might consider a line of premium, wholebean coffees. Few things go as well with a good smoke as quality coffee.

[Thomas H]

Lots and lots of Scottish fare as in signage and tartan hangings would be fun .
I would sell Scottish items at the counter . like scottish candy bars and things that people dont see alot of . I think when the cusomer came to the counter , he or she would say
" oh what is this , I must buy it "
you could even sell , scottish carved pipes -I think the pipe smokers on the forum may be of better help with that .

Have fun with it

[Tobus]

I'm with Steve on this. For a small shop, I'd focus strictly on the things smokers want. One of my pet peeves when I go into a tobacco shop is that they don't carry some of the more important stuff that I'm looking for. Like a combination tool for pipes. Or even a decent selection of pipes. One little display case with half a dozen pipes just doesn't cut it. People will go elsewhere (or shop on the internet) for a better selection.

[Lime]

I think something that is often missing is the ability to buy pipe tobacco (well good pipe tobacco) in relatively small amounts. I enjoy a good pipe but it is an occasional pleasure so I either don't want to spend c.£15.00 on a tin the majority of which will go dry or don't want to pay the same for something that will disappoint. Whereas if I were able to buy smaller amounts I suspect I would be tempted to try more things and would end up spending more! I'm essentially thinking of Master of Malt's "Drinks by the Dram" concept but for tobacco: http://www.masterofmalt.com/samples/

Obviously if the person behind the counter is knowledgeable and is able to offer good suggestions on different tobaccos that helps too.

I also think it is difficult to get good quality pipe accessories (leather cases, pipe tools, stands etc).

[Gryphon57]

I'm with Tobus and Steve. I smoke either a pipe or cigar. I've been to far too many shops that claim to be tobacco shops but concentrate on paraphenalia (accessories for illegal substances) and knicknack. Good tobacco and house blends are great, but know your product. The same is even more so with cigars. Cigarettes are plentiful everywhere and you'll never compete with the outlet stores. The only exception is if you have a market for quality imports. I used to occassionally indulge in Sobranie Black Russian cigarettes. Do stock cigar cutters, pipe tools, and lighters(regular and pipe style). Matchbooks are good advertising, but some of us also appreciate small boxes of wooden matches. Wooden matches and butane lighters don't effect the taste like liquid fueled lighters. Ashtrays are good, but I know I have to frequent my favorite shop for the cork knobs that sit in my ashtray I use to bump the dottle from my pipe.

[Gryphon57]

Lime,

On the subject of pipe tobacco; having never been to Great Britain (except for Scotland), I can't comment on their practices, but in my part of the U.S., the better shops sell their product by the ounce. My favorite shop in Oklahoma also will allow you to sample a bowl of their shop blends, providing you have your own pipe. Their house blends reside in airtight jars and are measured to order. I don't smoke as much as I used to, so I now buy mine 4 ounces at a time to ensure freshness. A bit of scotch on the stone in the humidor on my desk keeps it moist between bowls.

[LitTrog]

Only the finest weed in all of South-Farthing: Longbottom Leaf. And maybe some pipe bowls fashioned from rodent skulls. That's it.

[Tobus]

Lime,

On the subject of pipe tobacco; having never been to Great Britain (except for Scotland), I can't comment on their practices, but in my part of the U.S., the better shops sell their product by the ounce. My favorite shop in Oklahoma also will allow you to sample a bowl of their shop blends, providing you have your own pipe. Their house blends reside in airtight jars and are measured to order. I don't smoke as much as I used to, so I now buy mine 4 ounces at a time to ensure freshness. A bit of scotch on the stone in the humidor on my desk keeps it moist between bowls.

The same is true here. The tobacco shop just down the road from my office has glass jars on the counter with rubber-gasket lids to keep them airtight (kinda like the jars they use in candy stores, with the lids at an angle). You can get as little or as much as you want of their specialty blends, and they sell it to you in a ziploc baggie. I really like the variety there, and they often experiment with new ones that are worth trying.