Friday, July 15 2011
Call it the best laid plans of cigars and men. When Famous Smoke Shop decided to move their headquarters and retail cigar store to a bigger and better location Murphy's Law predictably played a role in the process. In this case, it was Murphy's second law: Everything takes longer than you think. When the company moved all of its office personnel and equipment to the new address, the store was still under construction. Yet, within a week of the move customers began showing up looking to buy cigars. Cars would drive up, see that the store wasn't ready and drive away frustrated. That could only mean one thing: local customer dollars were being spent on cigars somewhere else.
So how do you remedy the situation? You set up a small table in the entrance of the new offices with a PC and a cash register, wire them into the database, and the next time someone shows up to buy cigars,
voila!, you make a sale. That's exactly what Famous did, and business is booming! One can only imagine what will happen once the new store opens its doors. For now, customers can only purchase boxes and bundles, but there are also several samplers for sale on display. Orders can be phoned-in, but for customers coming in off the street there are catalogs on-
hand so they can find the
cigars on sale this month, or any other brands they're looking for . Moreover, all current deals will be honored.
The new Famous Smoke Shop Retail Store, which is located at 90 Mort Drive, Easton, PA, 18040, is scheduled to open in August and will be a lot snazzier than the little desk where Famous Smoke Shop salesperson, Nicole Patoki now sits. The new store will have a walk-in humidor that's almost three times bigger than the old store alone. Other new store features will include a limited number cigar lockers that will be sold on a first-come-first-serve basis. The store will also have a lounge replete with comfy furnishings and a big screen TV.
That's just the warm-up. The new store will also have an elegant bar with two TV's, about 50 different brands of beer, (many from local breweries), 10 of which will be on tap, plus an assortment of the finest wines, scotches, rums, bourbons, tequilas, and more to pair-up with your cigars.
And now for the coup de gras,. Adjacent to the new retail store will be Leaf, a smoking-permitted restaurant with rich-looking interior décor and an outdoor patio for those who prefer to dine under the stars. Headed by Executive Chef, Evan Kechely, the kitchen staff is first rate and he's created a mind-blowing menu. Moreover, a lot of the produce and meat served at Leaf will come from local organic farms, making for healthier meals, as well. (More on all of this, including some of the featured menu items in the weeks ahead.)
So, as the construction crew puts the finishing touches on the new store and Leaf during the next few weeks, Nikki will continue to serve customers from her little makeshift cigar store with a smile. Ka-ching!!
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