I have lived in the panhandle of Nebraska almost my entire life (51 years), and I have not seen another pipe smoker since I was in school. The closest B&M's that I know of, besides Smoker Friendly's(which don't count, IMO), are in Denver or Rapid City. Online sites are definitely my friends! I have gifted a couple of starter packs to some of my daughters classmates after they had graduated. (She said they thought it was 'so cool!' that I smoked a pipe!) They already smoked cigars, so I hoped I might make some converts!
@Ropentie1 Sorry to hear about your plight of B&Ms, but I was impressed about your gifting... I have found that pipe smokers, ESPECIALLY TPLrs, generally come from the same heart...
I live in a small apartment in Richmond, Ky. It is in a pretty bad part of town and it has plenty of pipe smokers. Unfortunately I'm the only one smoking briar and cobs all the rest are glass and I'm pretty sure it's not tobacco they are smoking.
I live in central Iowa and know of one other pipe smoker in our town. I know who he is, but not very well. There is one pipe shop in the Des Moines Area "David's Brair Shop" that has a club that meets every Thursday night. I haven't ever gone due to another commitment. I set down one day and made a list of every pipe smoker I have known in my 76 years, 14 was all that I was able to come up with. I guess I'm a dinosaur.
Hmmmmm.... my list: my father of blessed memory (a sometime pipe smoker), and almost every classmate at seminary. Since then , I have never seen another pipe smoker "in the wild"(northern NJ).
I feel as though I am an outcast. I cannot remember the last time I saw anyone smoking a pipe other than my Son in Law when I got him started. We always smoked cigars together then I got him into pipes which he smoked occasionally when not smoking cigars.
One of his sons (11 YO) likes to sit near me in the summer and guess the aroma "notes" as I smoke my pipe. He does not however enjoy my cigar smoke.
On very rare occasion I have seen another Piper drive by in a car, and one on the roadside. If I had the opportunity I would have tried to stop and see what they were smoking. Otherwise spotting a pipe smoker these days seems more like spotting a unicorn. I know they must be out there because the one BM store that has pipe tobacco has a decent selection and I'm not the only one buying it. I will however note that they have a rather impressive collection of Petersons and other various pipes in the display cases.....covered in an equally impressive layer of dust with stems so sadly oxidized they look white to the naked eye. 🙄
It takes me almost a year to feeling like the Lone Ranger here where I live. When lunting or sitting on my front porch, I become an oddity to all my neighbors. Then the St. Louis pipe show rolls around and I get to sit behind my table and watch 100s of pipe smokers. I tell you, it does my heart good... 😊
Other than friends from CPCC, pipe forums, and the Chicago Pipe Show, I have only seen one older man smoking a pipe in front of a restaurant. I asked, and he said it was a cherry blend.
I cannot remember the last time I saw ANYONE smoking a pipe in my town let alone my neighborhood. I can't remember the last time I saw a cigar being smoked. That is OK, there will be more pipe tobacco and cigars for me. And what is funny I live in a small town of maybe 6,000 people total, and we have 2 stores selling pipes, cigars, and tobacco in town. We also have 2 smoke shops in the neighboring town less than 10 minutes away.
I know I am old, but the term dinosaur is beginning to apply appropriately.
I have two buddies who smoke pipe with me on occasion who live less than 2 miles away. Of course I started both of them smoking a pipe. Extremely rare to see a native pipe smoker around here... & this is even a college town.
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One of his sons (11 YO) likes to sit near me in the summer and guess the aroma "notes" as I smoke my pipe. He does not however enjoy my cigar smoke.
Ouch....
Then the St. Louis pipe show rolls around and I get to sit behind my table and watch 100s of pipe smokers.
I tell you, it does my heart good... 😊
I know I am old, but the term dinosaur is beginning to apply appropriately.