A few years ago, I was sitting down at a friend’s house. He had a beautiful addition put in with an impressive ventilation system for cigars. At the time, Kensington Tobacconist (our old home away from home) was struggling and we were kicking around ideas to help ease the strain.
A few interesting ideas came to light but the one that stood out the most came from my friend. When he lived in Connecticut he frequented a cigar shop that held weekly poker games. The buy-in for the game was a $10 cigar.
The poker games cost the cigar shop virtually nothing but aided in boosting sales. Now, I was no card player but I was willing to give it a shot to benefit the shop. Unfortunately, the idea was pitched to the patrons but it never got off the ground. Eventually, Kensington Tobacconist was forced to close up shop.
I’m not saying that it is the patron’s responsibility to keep a shop in business but if you enjoy a business enough, it goes a long way to participate in events and show the proprietor that you care. In the case of Sir Stogies (my new home away from home), the business has a tremendously loyal customer base. The shop isn’t in the slightest danger of closing and the regular customers make sure to keep it that way.
One evening a couple of weeks ago I was in the lounge killing time. My wife was babysitting for a friend and my daughter went along to play with the other kids. Rather than sit at home I ventured out to the shop to enjoy a cigar and shoot the breeze with the guys. A couple of us were sitting around when I got the urge to pull the cover off of the pool table and do some shooting.
It had been a while since I played and I had a great time. Days later I was still thinking about that pool table and going back to play some more. The old conversation I had at a friend’s house hit me out of the blue. I wonder if there would be any interest in hosting a pool tournament at Sir Stogies?
A few days later I pitched the idea to the shop owner and received the green light. The premise is simple, we’ll have an 8-Ball Tournament consisting of two man teams. We can draw names out of a hat so that teams don’t become intentionally stacked and charge a $5 entry fee per person.
The team that wins the tournament splits the entry fees 50/50 in the form of Sir Stogies Gift Cards. The tournament costs the shop virtually nothing, guys will buy cigars while they shoot, and the entry fees are guaranteed to be spent on purchases within the store. Everybody wins, right?
Do you frequent a shop which holds events like Pool Tournaments or Poker Games to promote sales and allow the customers to have a little fun outside of the typical event format?
My Local (Suburban Tavern) hosts a lot of events, and in fact tonight I’m going to a Nomad Cigar Blending event there, tickets 10 bucks and then if you purchase a box you use that 10$ towards your purchase plus 20% off. The owner tries a lot of different things at the shop from Dinner events to wine pairings, tonight is the second blending seminar, plus he is pairing Rums with it. They have played poker there and dominos there as well, although not as an official event. I will bring this up to him and see what he as to say. Great Post today Walt. thanks again
Corey,
I drive past Suburban Tavern pretty frequently (I pass it on the way to and from work). Unfortunately, his hours don’t work for me as he is closed while I’m on my way home.
I’m glad to hear Gary is doing well there. I guess you see all the guys from Kensington? Brian ‘The Hat’, Jimmy, Blair, Talkin’ John (he stops in at Sir Stogies from time to time – nice to see him after all this time), and Doug?
I do see some guys from Kurts old place but I also see them at Cigars Cigars from time to time. Gary has developed his own little crowd there or Regulars which is really nice. He is really starting to get the Botique brands in his shop as well as some old standards. His events are always solid and his prices seem right in line with other shops. Stop in one of these nights and let me know.
It’s been awhile, I am glad your website is still published. Not sure, if you ever make it to South Suburbs of Chicago, but there is a new shop with great selection, many HD TV, big leather chairs, great owners. It’s called The Tobacco Leaf. You need to check it out: http://thetobaccoleaf.com/ Good smoking!