Cigar Stores?

[Simon-JG-hr]

With regards to the NC selection, I don't know if mysmokingshop.co.uk has entered your consciousness? A possible NC competitor there.

I've seen, and checked out mysmokingshop.co.uk - they've got a few good NCs (RP, CAO, Padron...) but could certainly do better. I've got to decide where to draw the line though. I'd like to not sell Hamlets and Villigers etc... but are there too many 'cigar smokers that know no better' that will be lost as trade?

Will you be selling cigarettes?

How dare you suggest such a thing!? Again, like Hamlets, got to decide if potential turnover is worth diluting what I hope will be a reputation for only selling what I consider to be good products...

Snuff?

Possibly, along with pipes and pipe tobacco.

Will you be investigating the dispensation for tobacco stores allowing smoking inside?

How could you possibly suggest that I should demonstrate such a flagrant disregard for the laws of the land. I shall, however, be taking the opportunity to encourage people to test cigars in the shop...

[daverave999]

Most importantly, what are you going to call it?

[Simon-JG-hr]

I'm hopeless at names. I was thinking of running a competition. The winning entry (if I do get to open the shop), will win a Ltd Edition sampler.

Get naming!

[jimmy_g32]

Sounds like a great idea, Simon. I'd love to have the balls (and, for that matter, the capital!) to set up a small business in something I really loved. Best of luck with it - just a shame you don't want to come to Ipswich!

[jonnor]

Good luck Simon, hope it all works out for you, real living the dream stuff!! Not sure what your background is, but if this is your first business, see if there is an enterprise hub near you, they can offer alot of help, and its usually free

[MaledettoToscano]

Good luck Simon!

I'm not the best "namer" out there, but I'd love to see a cigar shop called "Smooth Smoke"... won't be offended if people think it is crap !

I admire your point about cigarettes although you could also think as a tool to get people in the shop and tempt them into cigars.

A bit like a dealer offering a bit of grass to turn you to crack, not that I am talking from experience

[rokkitsci]

Hah! I Win!

This is an absolute no brainer:

Simply Simon's

I'm hopeless at names. I was thinking of running a competition. The winning entry (if I do get to open the shop), will win a Ltd Edition sampler.

Get naming!

[jonnor]

What sort of market are you looking to attract (cigar smokers obviously!) are you looking to be 'Simon J Griffiths - Purveyors of fine cigars to the landed gentry' or 'Si's Smoke Shack' (I think we have a winner, competition closed ) and try to attract a younger audience who would perhaps buy into the cigar culture (if you go this way, the culture is something (IMO) that you should push) and try out new stuff.

Either way all the cigar smokers (is there a word for that?) in your area already have a supplier, be it a shop or the web (looks like the web) so you have to get them to drop their current supplier and come to you.

Personally i think you are entering a really difficult market (I assume that more tobaccanists are closing than opening still?) Have you considered maybe minimising your risk by approaching some other shops, independant drink shops, speciality shops etc and seeing if you could setup on a smaller scale in their premises? or maybe even setup 'cigar booths' in top end pubs\restaurants with changing supplies of stock, 'cigar of the week' promo's etc, and try to build a client base like that with a view to opening a shop in a few years?

How ever you decide to go, I wish you the best (taking my boring hat off, its the sort of thing I could get really hooked into), but watch your costs, shop rent+business rates+gas+water+electricity+security+shop fittings+walk in humidor+stock+VAT on most if not all of that lot is going to be a lot of cash up front.

What ever you do, bloody good luck!

All the best

Jonno

[Simon-JG-hr]

Thank you all. Some interesting name suggestions so far. I won't pass comment just yet...

How ever you decide to go, I wish you the best (taking my boring hat off, its the sort of thing I could get really hooked into), but watch your costs, shop rent+business rates+gas+water+electricity+security+shop fittings+walk in humidor+stock+VAT on most if not all of that lot is going to be a lot of cash up front.

Quite right, and finding something affordable is something that is vital in my opinion. I've been looking at lot at working out the sort of turnover that would be needed per-week and per-day to keep things ticking over (force of habit from my stint working in sales where there were weekly targets that we tracked almost constantly to see where we were).

I've found a nice, small unit for ?6,000 per annum with reasonable rates etc. (I only need something quite compact). I couldn't believe it to be honest, as I'd seen nothing for less that ?19,000 up until that point. I've had a look at it, and it is new, so a little needs to be spent on finishing it, but nothing drastic. H&F are very good about supplying humidors for stock bought off them (though I would, of course, have to source my own for most of my NC stock). The biggest capital cost that I can foresee is the cigar stock itself...

[Simon-JG-hr]

Reference the website that I linked to elsewhere... (www.southwestcigars.co.uk).

It doesn't look very cigar related... granted. It was literally just something I threw together using templates from my service provider. Not very good. It won't be the shop site, that will be very different (as, indeed, will the current one when finally sorted out).

There will be two websites (if all goes to plan), a company website, SW Cigars (hopefully a distributor of some kind if all goes to plan) and then a store website (name still to be decided - the offer/competition still stands).

As for the resizing... I agree completely, it's very annoying. As soon as I get a chance I'm going to be working on the site a bit to sort that out (indeed, a large overhaul full-stop).

As for the herf on Saturday. It was very interesting talking to Simon Chase. A very interesting and knowledgeable man. Most importantly, he has a wonderful enthusiasm for all things cigar, and I can't deny that it rubbed off in some way shape or form.

[G-man]

simonjgriffithshrPurveyors of fine cigars !

[cj121]

Late in on this one.

What an interesting venture Simon, all the very best with it

[jpmoore]

A bit late to this one but here is my 2 pence worth on names

Havanas

or

The Humidor

or

Cigarz

[Simon-JG-hr]

For want of anything else to do on this boring evening... Just thought I'd do an update, one-year on pretty much.

I have finally had a viewing at the potential units - it's only thirteen months since I first mooted the idea. One of the units is now being moved into (so I wouldn't be the only occupied unit). The prices have dropped now, down to ?4,000pa / ?7,000pa, and they are offering rent-free entry (based on cost of fitting, but hoping I might be able to extend it). The agent believes that there would be no problems using the unit for 'sampling', but it might need to be a consideration when fitting it out (presumably choice of materials).

I'd love for it to be a truly multi-product store - cigars, fine wine, spirits etc. But I would also need to keep cigars above 50% of business to allow for the sampling... (Whether I could count any online sales towards that...???)

[Pipe Dude]

Have you looked into a bonded warehouse to store your imports without paying the duty on them?