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BOTL UPCOMING MAINTENANCE
Hi Everyone, as mentioned in my introduction post, BOTL needs quite a bit of updating, patching and whatever else I might come across. Over the next few weekends BOTL may be unreachable on occasion as I do migrations or updates, etc. Just be patient - we'll be back! I'll generally try to keep these maintenances until later in the evenings.
In need of help from my brothers!!!
- Thread starter Lasalt
- Start date
If I walked into a cigar lounge with a good game of CoD or Battlefield Bad company 2 going on, I would pull up an air mattress and live there.
I moved, but back in MD I have a pretty good sized group of friends all around 18-21 that would love a place that doesn't cater 100% to the older generation, so I'm sure there must be more like us. Not that I have a problem with a good old fashioned cigar lounge, but I think it would be nice for us youngsters to be recognized.
Oh, and have good ol sweet tea on hand. There's nothing I love more after a wonderful smoke. Plus, good coffee and non-alcoholic drinks are a good idea if you do decide to care about us young people
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if no video games, dart boards are always classy. cheers!
AWESOME. I'm a 360 guy, so as far as those-
Modern warfare 2, Halo 3 (the ultimate multiplayer haha, and you can get it mad cheap), Madden is an absolute necessity, and a good racing game would be a good idea as well.
Have a cot or a sleeping bag on hand too. Then I could smoke, drink, and play games without my wife complaining....and then have a place to sleep when she finds out what I'm doing!
theribdoctor
Certifiable.
As my B & M owner suggests, open a franchise of another store that has a good selection. You will be hard pressed to get any Tatuaje, Liga Privada, Fuente, and the like without a prior account, or a boatload of money.
Dan i got your package thank you sir
Cigar List.
This is the list i plan to carry. please tell me if i forgot something
Acid
Alec bradley
Arturo Fuente
Ashton
Avo
Baccarat
Camacho
CAO
Cohiba
Cuesta Rey
Davidoff
Don Carlos
Don Diego
Excalibur
Gurkha
H.Upmann
Helix
Hoya De Monterrey
Macanudo
Montecristo
Nat sherman
Omar Ortiz
Partagas
Punch
Rockey Petal
Romeo y juleta
Saint luis Rey
Cain
Nud
Oliva
Carlos torano
la flor dominica
Man o war
Zino
Tatuaje
Cruzado
perdomo
padron
Tell if i should add or lose anything
This is the list i plan to carry. please tell me if i forgot something
Acid
Alec bradley
Arturo Fuente
Ashton
Avo
Baccarat
Camacho
CAO
Cohiba
Cuesta Rey
Davidoff
Don Carlos
Don Diego
Excalibur
Gurkha
H.Upmann
Helix
Hoya De Monterrey
Macanudo
Montecristo
Nat sherman
Omar Ortiz
Partagas
Punch
Rockey Petal
Romeo y juleta
Saint luis Rey
Cain
Nud
Oliva
Carlos torano
la flor dominica
Man o war
Zino
Tatuaje
Cruzado
perdomo
padron
Tell if i should add or lose anything
Crypto Sailor
Loose Lips Sink Ships
Never had a Nud or Rockey Paetal are they any good?
Of course you can't please everyone, but I appreciate a quiet area away from the TV, where I can either work, or read, or get into a good conversation. In general, I don't like bars with loud music. I look to cigar smoking as something soothing.
Herfin' Harg
BoM March 2012
In my experience, Helix and Baccarat will never move. They're cheap, but not cheap enough for the guys that smoke the $30-40 bundles, and anyone that's buying because they actually like cigars will grab something like an Oliva G, Punch, or Sancho Panza at or near the same price point.
Don Diego babies sold at my old shop, but nothing else, for the same reasons listed above. H. Upmann didn't move worth a damn, either.
A couple of other things:
I see Cruzado up there, but not Illusione. You need to carry Illusione if you can. Our old shop didn't because of the scale of their production back then, and we suffered for it. It's a popular brand, not too pricey, and it'll move.
I'd also advise you to carry the DPG lines.
I'm not sure if you're already talking to reps about carrying these products, but if you haven't, you're probably not aware of how branding, etc., works in the business. If you're gonna carry Altadis and General products, they're gonna want you to carry more brands of their products than you'd like. If you're gonna carry Davidoff/Zino (and to a lesser extent Fuente and Ashton), each is likely going to want "preferred" placement in your shop such that they stand out - usually the stuff right in front of you when you open the door to the Humi. That can be a pain, because as a retailer, you want to give that spot to something that moves well and gives you a higher ROI.
If you're running a lounge, you want dark tile/wood floors, hopefully for obvious reasons. You'll want solid (preferably modular) lighting, and dark wall paint, as well.
Also, incentivize staying around. Good ventilation, keep coffee and water available, as well as menus for local restaurants that deliver. If there's a game on, leave the shop open til a half-hour after it's over. If you're gonna do a lounge, don't forget that you're providing a service as well as selling a product.
If a newly-released stick has a buzz about it, be the first shop in the area to get a box or two (even if you have to pay at or near retail), and send out an email announcement that you have it, and that it's a limited supply. It gets folks in the shop, and if it moves, you can develop the vendor relationship to make more money on the next box.
Humi floor space will be limited, and you need to think about what will sell best per square foot. That may mean carrying the full line of Tats and four sizes of Macanudo, or the opposite, and you just have to watch/listen to your patrons to get that ratio correct.
Good luck.
Don Diego babies sold at my old shop, but nothing else, for the same reasons listed above. H. Upmann didn't move worth a damn, either.
A couple of other things:
I see Cruzado up there, but not Illusione. You need to carry Illusione if you can. Our old shop didn't because of the scale of their production back then, and we suffered for it. It's a popular brand, not too pricey, and it'll move.
I'd also advise you to carry the DPG lines.
I'm not sure if you're already talking to reps about carrying these products, but if you haven't, you're probably not aware of how branding, etc., works in the business. If you're gonna carry Altadis and General products, they're gonna want you to carry more brands of their products than you'd like. If you're gonna carry Davidoff/Zino (and to a lesser extent Fuente and Ashton), each is likely going to want "preferred" placement in your shop such that they stand out - usually the stuff right in front of you when you open the door to the Humi. That can be a pain, because as a retailer, you want to give that spot to something that moves well and gives you a higher ROI.
If you're running a lounge, you want dark tile/wood floors, hopefully for obvious reasons. You'll want solid (preferably modular) lighting, and dark wall paint, as well.
Also, incentivize staying around. Good ventilation, keep coffee and water available, as well as menus for local restaurants that deliver. If there's a game on, leave the shop open til a half-hour after it's over. If you're gonna do a lounge, don't forget that you're providing a service as well as selling a product.
If a newly-released stick has a buzz about it, be the first shop in the area to get a box or two (even if you have to pay at or near retail), and send out an email announcement that you have it, and that it's a limited supply. It gets folks in the shop, and if it moves, you can develop the vendor relationship to make more money on the next box.
Humi floor space will be limited, and you need to think about what will sell best per square foot. That may mean carrying the full line of Tats and four sizes of Macanudo, or the opposite, and you just have to watch/listen to your patrons to get that ratio correct.
Good luck.
Hawg, when you refer to your "old shop", are you referring to one you ran, or one you shopped at. Just curious.
