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Private Smoking Clubs

Cigars have always been a "social" pastime. All of the anti-smoking laws have put a virtual end to that. You just need to figure out your goal Jim. Are you looking for a warm moose free place to light up, or a place to hang out shoot the shit and smoke with friends and acquaintances?
 
Effective Jan 1, my local (about a 3 minute drive from my apt) started charging for access to the back to hang out and smoke. Of course, I wasn't told about this until Feb 9. Before they charged, every time I went, I bought some cigars, usually in the $20-40 range. Sometimes, if there was an event and I went, I'd spend more to get the "deal" they had. Something else to keep in mind is that all the smokes there are ridiculously overpriced. At least a forty percent markup on 90% of the walk in.

So now, for $100 a year, I now get access to the back room, which has a nice big sign saying only cigars purchased there can be smoked in the back. I also would have been given a 5 ct travel humi. In the back, there's 2 flat screens, one of which is never on, the other which is monopolized by one of the 7 people who evidently lives there. Going there for 2 years, I can pretty much count on one hand the number of times they weren't there.

There are chairs that seat about 7 around a table in front of the TV. There's 12 more chairs in the back that are up against the walls. A pool table (which is always covered with laptops, magazines, ashtrays, and bunch of shit no one will move) and a dart board (which always has someone standing in front of because it's next to the coffee maker) are also available for your enjoyment.

There used to be an espresso machine that you had to pay to use, but no idea where that went. And there's a fridge in the back where you can keep beer, liquor, whatever. Bring 12, drink 4, go back the next day, fridge is empty. Oh well.

There are no formal rules or bylaws or anything that governed use of the lounge now that you have to pay for it, which would pretty much mean it's chaos, like everything else there. So I decided I won;t be returning. Yeah, it sucks, and now I'll have to find somewhere else that definitely won't be as close to my place. But I gotta do what I gotta do. Hopefully, your experience will be much better, Jim.
 
My local B&M which is less then a half a mile away has a cigar lounge/bar in the back that is open in the evenings. but if you buy a cigar from the shop you are welcome to use it and enjoy the cigar. you can rent a locker if you wish for a fee but as long as you buy a cigar you can use the lounge for free. It is a great thing to have around for the winter months by me. the lounge is well ventilated and has a few TV's and a fully stock bar.
 
I miss B&M cigar shops. The smoking ban in the UK is so draconian that no smoking is allowed in ANY public building. My wife and I had lunch at a pub this afternoon and the beer garden outside was packed full of guys smoking cigarettes and looking miserable from being treated like criminals.

If there is a cigar club someplace in East Anglia, I sure haven't been able to find it. I don't think it would be allowed here, but I don't think I'd have time for one even if it existed.
 
Moderate thread jack…sorry Swissy

Since we are on the topic of private smoking clubs, I would like to get the insights of the BOTLs here. With my pending unemployment and the draconian smoking ban in Ohio, I have been considering starting a private club just for smokers. With that in mind, what you your thoughts on:

Pricing: Would you rather pay a yearly fee, monthly fee, or entrance fee to use the club? Would you volunteer to work in a club (housekeeping, cooking, tending bar, running the door, etc) in exchange for free membership?

Products: Would you be against allowing cigarette smokers to use the club? If cigarette smokers are allowed, should they be separated from cigar/pipe smokers? What would you think of cigarette smokers paying a higher club fee?

B&M Owners: Would you be willing to have your merchandise for sell in a club like this (in addition to your normal store front)? If so would you want exclusivity or would be willing to sell alongside other B&M owners from the same city?

Features: Typical features would include lockers, a stocked bar, food offerings, TVs, seating, and gaming tables. What other features would you like to see included in membership fees?

Pricing: If you had the perfect club (plenty of seating, free food and drink, entertainment, etc) what would you be comfortable paying on a yearly, monthly, or entrance only basis?

Thanks for any input you want to give.
 
Thanks for all the answers... gave me plenty to look at and I am making a list of questions and thoughts from all the posts. Should be interesting, especially since I have zero information going into the meeting on Thursday.

I've looked at other possibilities, most notably a shed out back and enclosing my carport into a full garage. The shed idea is ok, but the whole thing for me is having company while enjoying a cigar. Occasionally I like one alone, but more often than not I prefer a smoking buddy. So a shed is kinda out, as space would be tight, the only people possibly coming over are those I already meet with at the existing lounge downtown. Going somewhere would also introduce me to other cigar lovers. Plus the boss (aka Wife) is not too keen on another shed out back (she's anal retentive about the appearance of the house - me, I couldn't give a shit). Not to mention a neighbor is a city inspector and if he saw wires going to a shed half-assed he'd check into it, causing problems if things were not to code. The garage would be the best option, but also the WAY most expensive. It would not be just walling it in - there is concrete flooring to pull up and replace, drain to plumb, heating to add and the house foundation needs to be dug up and resealed. It would be an investment, but truth be told I doubt we'll be in the house long enough to recoup the costs.

So I'll go to the meeting talk with them, ask questions and see what happens. You never know... might be a Swissy Needs Funds sale soon! :laugh:
 
You just want some Jeeves serving you snooty hooch while you're buried in some huge leather chair, talking politics with one of your buddies from the "Regiment".
 
Keep taking the pooches for walks and enjoying the sticks Jim. You can buy a few boxes each year for that $$$$.

Find some land and start a commune, we'll all move up there and live out our days.
 
bfreebern said:
Keep taking the pooches for walks and enjoying the sticks Jim. You can buy a few boxes each year for that $.

Find some land and start a commune, we'll all move up there and live out our days.
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There is that too... both the walking of pups and the snooty pouring of booze by Jeeves! But this winter, we've had more cold days than usual (it seems) and when it's -20 for a month and longer at a time, walking the pups becomes a fast track around the neighborhood! Cigars don't take well to that cold....

All I can really say is at this point I seriously doubt I'll pony up the coin for a membership. So they have to sell me on the idea, at a cheaper than I expect cost. Since I have NO idea what their fee is going to be, I cannot commit either way right now. But in my mind, unless my cost is $250 or less, I'm staying clear of a membership. I have all the woods I want to walk in for free, a $35 a year membership to the lounge I normally use, and a deck for when it's nice. It would be nice, however, to have a really clean, bright, ventilated space for wintertime and not to mention more room for a future Alaska Herf :whistling:


And oh yeah... I already have 5 acres of view property in Homer so start selling your chit and moving this way, commune brothers! :laugh:
 
Depends completely on the use it would get, it seems to me, Jimmy.

Say it was a nice, comfy place. Say it was convenient, like on the way home, and that you'd use it twice a week. Even if it was $750.00 / year if you hit it up twice a week that breaks down to $7.21 a visit, or about $15.00 a week. Is a nice comfy convenient place to smoke in peace worth $15.00 / week? That's the question.

Now, if it's not a comfy place, or if its out of your way, and if you'd end up not hitting it at least a couple of times a week....I think you answered you own question.

One man's opinion - B.B.S.
 
ummm.... yeah. Just got back from the meeting. Looks like it will be pretty nice - wireless internet, cable TV, 2 flat panels on the walls, leather seating for up to 30, walk in humi, private lockers, 24/7 access, and more. But a nearly $2k initiation fee and $50 a month.

Looks like walkies in the woods with pups! :laugh: Don't think I can sell off enough goodies.
 
Swissy said:
ummm.... yeah. Just got back from the meeting. Looks like it will be pretty nice - wireless internet, cable TV, 2 flat panels on the walls, leather seating for up to 30, walk in humi, private lockers, 24/7 access, and more. But a nearly $2k initiation fee and $50 a month.

Looks like walkies in the woods with pups! :laugh: Don't think I can sell off enough goodies.
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OUCH! That is very steep, but 24/7 access would be nice. Especially with the other things it has to offer. Though I still wouldn't pay that much personally.
B
 
Is the 2K initiation only for a select few? i seen a place that when it started charged an initiation fee but only to the like the first 12 members and they were the only one who received 24/7 access.
everyone else paid yearly for a locker and only got access on regular business hours
 
Swissy said:
ummm.... yeah. Just got back from the meeting. Looks like it will be pretty nice - wireless internet, cable TV, 2 flat panels on the walls, leather seating for up to 30, walk in humi, private lockers, 24/7 access, and more. But a nearly $2k initiation fee and $50 a month.

Looks like walkies in the woods with pups! :laugh: Don't think I can sell off enough goodies.
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Wow that is very steep. The selling point is the 24/7 access, in your line of work that would do it.

Maybe you can negotiate a better deal out of the initiation fee, the $50 a month fee seems reasonable. I'm assuming the $2k is a one time deal and are any other perks offered?
 
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