@jfreedy What a lovely sight. No pipe shops around me anymore. So looking at the pictures you posted are like stepping back in time. The place has the look of a old neighborhood pharmacy back in the 50s'. Being that I'm a resident of Indiana I don't know a thing about the shop or it's history ... but I'd say by the look of it the shop remains unchanged since the day it opened. It's got the nostalgic charm of the old stores and shops I'd frequent during my youth in the 50s'. Family owned specialty shops like camera stores, TV repair shops that had a machine in the corner for testing the TV tubes to see which one was faulty, shoe repair shops, neighborhood convenience stores that seemed to carry a little of everything ... especially a vast supply of penny candy, little hole in the wall stores that sold paperback books and magazines, Mom & Pop drug stores, toy stores, and even the neighborhood tobacco shops. Looking at that photo brought them all back to me.
@ghostsofpompeii - It absolutely is like stepping back in time. I wish now I would have bought some of their tobacco. Just couldn’t find any that really “spoke” to me. We still have a few storied old pipe shops in Oklahoma (specifically, Ted’s in Tulsa), but this place was pretty special. Plus, the old guys behind the counter had that wonderful thick Boston accent that was the icing on the cake.
Churchills in Topeka Kansas is the closest pipe and cigar shop near me. They have a real nice selection of pipes with a decent bulk tobacco section. They lack in their tin variety but tins can be ordered. If one enjoys cigar's they also have a well stocked walk in humidor. If anyone finds themselves in Topeka I would recommend stopping by the shop ,good people and service. Q PS You can also see an exquisite four bowl Preben Holm pipe there.It is not for sale but one of a kind.
@qmechanics ~ Yes! I frequent Churchills as I live in Topeka. The owner, "Grumpy" is quite a character. He is actually good friends with Erik Nording and Nording has done a few presentations at the store over the years. I'm hoping they continue selling bulk as most of theirs was McClelland. Neat place for sure!
The yellow tins are housing L.J. Peretti Company's. famous blends. This is one of the oldest tobacconists in the USA with many offerings available online. Known as the kings of Burley for their great Burley blends ,they also have excellent English, Balkans,Virginia etc. blends as part of their offerings. Some of these go back 100 years or so. This does not include the custom recipes/book of blends kept for their customers through the years.Here they typically start one off with one of the std blends and tweak them to one's liking. It requires a request and some time sampling the tobacco until it is just right. They then keep the desired mixture notes on hand for one's custom order. .
I say tobacconist because they are truly old school professionals. Q PS I am not sure how common the offer of tobacco customization is these days. However when I lived in MA the L.J. Peretti Co. tobacconists came to know me and my love of pipe tobacco eventually offering to customize a blend to my liking.
If one orders a few ounces they take the order from their blends, seen in the bulk jars in front of the scale, weigh and bag ... For larger orders 8ounces etc. they have the tobacco previously weighed and housed in the yellow containers sealed like a paint can... PS Look through the reviews on tobaccoreview to see how others rate their tobaccos....a not so hidden jem
@qmechanics - I have two private blends made for me by Jon David Cole at the Country Squire. I came up with the basics and he worked with me on fine tuning it.
I'll also be visiting McCrainie's in Charlotte, NC next week. I love this pipe shop as well and always make time to drop by when in Charlotte. I'm actually leaving home on an earlier flight so I'll have time to smoke a bowl the evening prior. They've got a nice little smoking lounge too.
McCrainie’s Pipe Shop in Charlotte. They actually still have some McClelland bulk (mostly aros) for sale. They also have several high-end estate pipes for under $200 (Castillo, James Upshall, Charatan). This is my favorite pipe shop so far.
Pipes Magazine did a good article written on McCrainie's in 2010. What they say still holds true today except that all their tinned tobaccos are now gone with the passing of McClelland.
My favorite pipe shop has been gone for many years, the last I heard. It was the Vottis pipe shop in Schenectady NY, which I only got to visit during the winter of '73-74 twice, and where I got the English blend that I've been trying to find a match for ever since. Mr Vottis sold me one of his "chain smoker" nose-warmer pipes as well as my first vest pocket pipe.
Balkan Sasieni, I would have to say, comes about 2/3 of the way to what I'm looking for. On occasion, when lighting the Vottis blend, it would briefly smell like one was trying to light a dishwashing liquid on fire. But once that dissipated, it was a pretty good smoke.
More McCrainie’s Pipe Shop pics. Very nice selection of Castello Pipes. They also had a largish selection of tins including Presbyterian Mixture. This place is a must for any pipe smoker visiting Charlotte.
I saw that this one was mentioned before, but it's one of the best, The Country Squire in Jackson, MS. Jon David is the owner and will make you feel very welcome, as will anyone else sitting around smoking.
@rumrum4me — If you haven’t already you should listen to the Country Squire Radio podcast that Jon David co-hosts. There are many CSR fans (including me) on this forum.
For the hell of it, I visited one of the local roll-your-own/vape/head shops around here, and asked the sales clerk if they carried any actual Pipe Tobacco. He said yes, and led me to the one and only one he knew for sure; and one I've never even heard of:
Tobacco Galleria Fox & Hound, distributed by Altadis USA "A traditional mixture of Red Virginia,Turkish, Burley, Latakia and Perique" -- from the pouch
in a 1.5 oz pouch. I decided to go ahead and try this one out, but I can't say it was particularly memorable. Can't say that I exactly found any hint of latakia noticeable, either.
He did happen to have a few blends hanging on one wall that I've seen are carried by Pipes & Cigars, from such as Smokers Pride and Farmers Gold.
If you are in East Tennessee, make the effort to go visit the Gatlin-burlier in Gatlinburg. It's not a very big place by the people working in there are very knowledgeable and friendly. I walked in and the man behind the counter immediately said, "Pull out your pipe and load up a sample..."
The place has an interesting history and they make their own house blends.
My wife and I were in Gatlinburg two years ago for a week to hike the Smokies. I ran into a fellow on one of the trails who was taking a break and smoking his pipe. I stopped to chat a while and he told me about the Gatlinburlier. He HIGHLY recommended their Cade's Cove Cavendish house blend. Needless to say, I found the shop, enjoyed a sample of Cade's Cove and walked out with a couple of ounces. Great shop as @PappyJoe has said.
Just spent 3 hours in Iwan Ries in Chicago. Wow!! I mean... wow!!! This is the pipe aficionado's Mecca! The pipe selection is amazing, but I think I was even more impressed with the tobacco selection. Plus, super friendly and knowledgeable staff. I just missed out on getting a tin of Pelican to a very sweet & knowledgable administrator at the Pipe Smokers Den website. Oh well... I still got these great tins. What an amazing place.
Sadly, this is the last day of business for Bayou Tobacco in Baton Rouge. The owner died in October 2016 and his wife has kept the place opened until now. She said their plan was to retire this year and close the shop so that's what she is doing.
@jfreedy, that pipe shop in Boston looks awesome. Did they have a smoke room? The guy at the counter in the white shirt almost looks like a painting...he almost has an expression that he's in deep thought about something. Maybe the fate of his shop due to tobacco taboo.
I love going to McCranie's here in NC. But they need a shop closer to Raleigh. Good finds for you.
@Londy3 - Yeah, McCrainie’s is still very special to me. It just feels more like ‘home’ to me. Probably because it’s Southern. Last time I was there they still had a few tins of Somerled which was made by McClelland. Excelland mild Virginia.
@PappyJoe — that’s really sad about Bayou Tobacco. I hate hearing that “another one bites the dust.”
Back to Iwan Ries... I’m still in Chicago but won’t be going back there. They closed early today (before I was done with work) and they are closed tomorrow. So I’m super glad I got to spend so much time there yesterday. Again, you owe it to yourself to visit if you’re anywhere close by.
This is a video made by Muttnchop Piper showing a tour of the Briar and Burley tobacconist in Bloomington Indiana. Thought it was a really cool shop and wanted to post the video link for everyone to check out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yoipcDl8w7I
Comments
Q
PS You can also see an exquisite four bowl Preben Holm pipe there.It is not for sale but one of a kind.
I say tobacconist because they are truly old school professionals.
Q
PS I am not sure how common the offer of tobacco customization is these days. However when I lived in MA the L.J. Peretti Co. tobacconists came to know me and my love of pipe tobacco eventually offering to customize a blend to my liking.
PS Look through the reviews on tobaccoreview to see how others rate their tobaccos....a not so hidden jem
Balkan Sasieni, I would have to say, comes about 2/3 of the way to what I'm looking for. On occasion, when lighting the Vottis blend, it would briefly smell like one was trying to light a dishwashing liquid on fire. But once that dissipated, it was a pretty good smoke.
Tobacco Galleria Fox & Hound, distributed by Altadis USA
"A traditional mixture of Red Virginia,Turkish, Burley, Latakia and Perique" -- from the pouch
in a 1.5 oz pouch. I decided to go ahead and try this one out, but I can't say it was particularly memorable. Can't say that I exactly found any hint of latakia noticeable, either.
He did happen to have a few blends hanging on one wall that I've seen are carried by Pipes & Cigars, from such as Smokers Pride and Farmers Gold.
The place has an interesting history and they make their own house blends.
I love going to McCranie's here in NC. But they need a shop closer to Raleigh. Good finds for you.
@PappyJoe — that’s really sad about Bayou Tobacco. I hate hearing that “another one bites the dust.”
Back to Iwan Ries... I’m still in Chicago but won’t be going back there. They closed early today (before I was done with work) and they are closed tomorrow. So I’m super glad I got to spend so much time there yesterday. Again, you owe it to yourself to visit if you’re anywhere close by.