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Name of Shop: Centro Cigars
Date Visited: September 15, 2009
Street Address: 4811 Bob Billings Parkway, Suite C
City: Lawrence
State: Kansas
Zip: 66049
Phone Number: 785.856.7773
Hours of Operation: Monday-Saturday 10:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Sunday 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Website: http://centrocigars.com
Location: Above Average
Centro Cigars is the only cigar shop in Lawrence, with the closest store being about 30 miles away. It is located about 5 miles from the main part of Lawrence. The parking lot has space for about 10 vehicles, but it is located next to a strip mall that has extra parking space. Overall, it is an easy place to get to that is not hidden behind other buildings.
Staff: Average
I rated the staff as average, because they are willing to answer any questions I have, but they don’t give me the welcoming attitude that i’ve experienced at other shops. The staff is more of the “If they need me, they’ll come” type; however, they never make me feel like i’m not wanted.
Stock: Average
Their stock is a hit and miss. They are the only shop that I have seen Cain cigars sold, but I have yet to see a single CAO cigar. If the cigar you want is a brand they carry, they usually sell every size and wrapper of that cigar, but if it’s not a brand they carry, you’re out of luck. Their humidor is in good condition and so are the cigars that are in it. It’s a fairly small humidor for it being a cigar shop. The center of the humidor has nothing in it, which i see as a waste of space. They sell humidors, cutters, lighters, humidification devices, and other cigar items. They don’t sell any other tobacco products. Their prices are higher than those in KC, but not by much. For instance, a Oliva V Lancero will cost me $6.10 in KC, but it will cost $6.95 or so at Centro.
Lounge: Average
They have two bar tables in the store, and three tables outside the store. They have cutters, and a lighter to light your cigar. They have a lounge called Club Centro, but you have to pay for a membership to the lounge. The lounge has a few leather chairs and couches with A plasma TV. They have lockers for the members to store cigars.
Overall Opinion: Above Average
This is a good place to pick up cigars if they carry the brand you want. Don’t be fooled by the brands they list on their website, because they don’t carry all of them in store. The price is a little higher than stores about an hour away, but I expect that because of their distance from other stores.
I have been to Centro Cigars many times and I think that this review does not give their lounge proper credit. Yes, it is a pay-to-use lounge, but it’s $5/day (monthly,yearly rates available) with a cigar purchase and that includes all day access to the beautiful lounge which has a kitchen area (with a LCD TV), a TV area with a big screen LCD, 2 leather couches, 4 leather chairs and two pub tables in back to gather with friends. The price includes all-you-care to drink soft drinks and all-you care to eat snacks and gives you BYOB privileges – perfect for a Friday night watching football and kicking back some bourbon and smoking cigars.
Their cigar selection is way better than this review says as well. They always have Ashton VSG and ESG in stock, and they have the largest Don Pepin selection in Kansas – BY FAR. They have every Illusione in stock and a large line of Fuente products. Yeah, they don’t sell any Altadis cigars, but who wants them? They carry more of the boutique brands, and you can tell that their clientele have a very sophisticated palate in product.
Just because a cigar store doesn’t have a CAO product, does this make their selection bad? I think not.
I agree with The Hobgoblin… the reviewer didn’t really give the shop proper credit. While I do agree that they probably could use a larger selection what they do have is nice. You won’t find ‘junk’ cigars. In other words they use the space they have wisely.
It is possible that the reviewer posted this before Centro moved to a bigger location in the same plaza and I can’t remember when they actually did that. The lounge in the new location is VERY VERY nicely done with plenty of seating, a large HD tv, a kitchenette and free soda and snacks. Yes it does cost to use the lounge but considering how nice it is and that Lawrence has long had a smoking ban for public places it really isn’t that high for the priveledge of smoking inside when it’s cold or rainy.
Make that three votes for the shop. The reviewer applied an rather arrogant attitude to his assessment. I was in from out of town and found the shop to be as good as many other shops. The staff was, in fact, quite warm and welcoming, and certainly educated about their products. There were other brands that weren’t in stock, but that is to be expected. No shop will have everything, and because it may not always carry your favorite or preferred brands doesn’t make it a lesser shop. As an out of town visitor they did not charge us the fee for using the lounge. It wasn;t even mentioned for the two nights in a row we went.(Maybe they have dropped the fee since the year the review was done.) It was comfortable, well stocked, pleasant, and relaxing. Isn’t that what any of us would want when sitting down for a smoke?