tobacco store communities refuse to let these smoking traditions burn out

4/13/2016 Tobacco Store Communities Refuse To Let These Smoking Traditions Burn Out

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Tobacco Store Communities RefuseTo Let These Smoking TraditionsBurn Out

by HOSU LEE Mar 01, 20:49

Surrounded by mahogany walls, a dozen middle-aged men

lounge on huge leather couches, puff stogies and drink whiskey. It

feels like a 1920s movie set. But it?s a smoke lounge at a cigar

shop in suburban Illinois.

"There is absolutely a community,? said Jordan Hirsh, the owner of

50-year-old Cigar King in Skokie, Illinois. ?There are everyday

customers who come from all different walks of life, but they all

like tobacco and they?re all friends.?



?Everybody here knows everyone else at least by his or her first name,? said Sean Walsh. (Hosu Lee)

From construction workers and bikers to accountants and

physicians, a growing number of eclectic groups of people gather

at over 2,000 cigar shops nationwide where they read books,

solve Sudoku, play pool, watch sports, or simply talk to each other.

Some tobacco stores even host Halloween parties, Thanksgiving

dinners and Super Bowl watch parties. It?s akin to the Rockwellian

barbershop communities of old, where people would gather to

banter and relax.

Over 12 million people ? including quarterback Tom Brady and

Whoopi Goldberg ? smoke cigars in the U.S., according to the

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While cigarette

smoking is slowly declining, the total consumption of cigars in the

U.S. has increased dramatically since 1993, according to the

Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. Between 2000 and

2014, for example, cigar consumption increased by 122 percent

while cigarette consumption declined by 40 percent. One reason:

people mistakenly believe cigars are not harmful, when in fact

they can be just as addictive and unhealthy as cigarettes.



?A cigarette is a two-minute nicotine injection,? said Jordan Hirsh, owner of Cigar King. (Hosu Lee)

Cigar aficionados avoid inhaling the smoke, which reduces the

risk of lung-related health problems. But those who switch from

cigarettes to stogies ?should not expect to cut their health risks,?

said Lynn Kozlowski, a University of Buffalo professor of public

health who studies tobacco use.

Cigars have more tar and other toxins than cigarettes and can

cause cancers in the oral cavity, larynx, esophagus and lungs,

according to the National Cancer Institute.

Yet, even well-educated users seem to think the government is

blowing smoke.

?When I see my dentist, he checks my mouth,? said Mark Schacht,

61, a Chicago physician. ?But if I?m going to worry about anything,

it?s driving in a car and eating fatty food than having an occasional

cigar.?

Schacht comes to the cigar shop once or twice a month with his



business partner.

?The best part is that you get to spend time with your friends,? said Sasha Stojanovic. (Hosu Lee)

?My partner and I don?t socialize much other than when we come

here and chat,? Schacht said. ?It?s more of a guy-bonding

meeting.?

He says cigar smoking is one of the few remaining male bonding

rituals along with playing poker and going to bars, which he

dislikes. ?We don?t have a lot of guy?s nights out in the U.S.,?

Schacht said. Some countries have bathhouses or saunas where

people gather and mingle, he says, and cigar smoking ?fits into

that kind of thing.?

Like many smokers, Schacht says cigars make him relax. A

Chicago consultant, Sean Walsh, 34, says it can even be

meditative, like reading or doing a crossword puzzle. ?Its almost

like guided distraction,? he said.

Jordan Hirsh, the owner of Cigar King, also says while female

smokers are rare, his customers love it when they see women puff



a cigar. ?They think it?s sexy,? he said.

While the origin of the cigar remains unclear, Columbus first

discovered Native Americans smoking twisted tobacco leaves in

1492. They called it sikar. The Spaniards translated it as cigarro.

Spain then claimed Cuba, a fertile land perfect for all types of

tobacco leaves, and created a massive cigar industry that lasted

until 1817. When Cuba nationalized American-owned oil refineries

without compensation in 1960, the U.S. embargoed Cuba, banning

the famous stogies from getting imported to the States. This led

the U.S. cigar industry to a significant downfall. But during the

1990s, popular culture and celebrities, such as Arnold

Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone, Pierce Brosnan and Michael

Jordan, rejuvenated the industry.

?I think cigar is a social vehicle,? said Robert Ashe, owner of Cigary International. (Hosu Lee)

A manager at Ford Motor Company, Alex Szokolyai, 21, recently

moved from Philadelphia to Chicago and didn?t know anyone. He

happened upon a local cigar shop called Bull & Bear, where he

formed close friendships and eventually found his roommate.



?I don?t think my time in Chicago would have been as enjoyable if

I hadn?t met all my friends at the cigar shop,? he said.

Szokolyai says he doesn?t need to go to the store to buy cigars,

since he can find them cheaper online.

?Where I see the value is not necessarily buying cigars, but

sharing the experience there,? he said.

Most cigar stores provide a smoking lounge for free as long as

you buy or smoke their product. But some, like Cigary

International in Wilmette, Illinois, requires a membership or a $10

fee to use the space.

Robert Ashe, 69, runs Cigary International, says tobacco stores

draw people for practical reasons as well.

?You can?t smoke anywhere else now,? Ashe said. Since 2007,

bans in public venues such as restaurants, bars, concerts, movie

theaters and stadiums have left tobacco enthusiasts looking for a

space to unwind. ?So you fish where the fish are,? he said.



Customers play pool at Cigar King in Skokie, Illinois Dec. 3. (Hosu Lee)

Although not a regular customer, Michael Lavin, 69, appreciates

the community at Cigary. It reminds him of the old days when one

would go out for a dinner, sit at a lounge, have a nice cognac and

smoke a cigar. ?It makes you feel good to be part of this tradition."



As the Pink Floyd song goes, ?Have a cigar.? (Hosu Lee)

Despite the Surgeon General package warning that ?cigar

smoking can cause cancers of the mouth and throat, even if you

do not inhale,? Lavin believes this tradition won?t go away anytime

soon. ?Smoking has been around since the ancient times,? he

said. ?I don?t see any reason why it would stop.?

Cover photo: Hosu Lee

tobacco store communities refuse to let these smoking traditions burn out

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