If you enjoy a good cigar and a comfortable place to enjoy it, Kenneth and Mary Hall have created an environment that would normally be something found in a larger city. With a great selection and a smoking lounge that is full of big, comfortable leather chairs and couches and lockers for your drink of choice, the Cigar Shop has already proven to be a place to relax and to bring a client for a meeting.
Tell our readers about you and your journey to opening the Cigar Shop?
Mary Hall: Kenneth and I have been married for 29 years. We have 6 children. Kenneth’s first experience with cigars was in 2017, when we went with our twin boys on their senior trip to Mexico. A few of the dads brought cigars and offered one to Kenneth. This was something that he really enjoyed. Not only for the flavor of the cigar, but also the camaraderie that he experienced with the other men. Fast forward to 2019, when we went on the senior trip with our youngest daughter, her best friend, and her friend’s parents. Kenneth and his friend brought cigars on that trip and met an interesting gentleman that educated them on all things of the cigar world. That is what really peaked Kenneth’s interest in opening a cigar shop. I tried my first cigar in 2020 and have enjoyed them ever since.
Kenneth started visiting cigar shops and smoking lounges, getting ideas, and seeking advice. He met the owner of The Cigar Box in Jasper, AL, and they quickly became friends. Kenneth was able to get a lot of good information, advice, and contacts to cigar representatives. He felt like this would be a great business opportunity and felt like it was something that the Gardendale area needed. We began looking for a good location for a shop and lounge, and we were seeking a partnership with someone in this venture. My nephew, Chris, came on board, and is an avid cigar smoker too. Once we found a good location, the tedious process of building and licensing began. After 7 long months, we were ready to open for business.
What made you choose Gardendale to open your store?
Mary Hall: We chose Gardendale for this business because we needed something like this in this area, and this is where we grew up, got married, and raised our children.
What plans to you have to enhance or expand the store? What is your future vision for the Cigar Shop?
Mary Hall: Our short-term plan for the shop is to fill the humidor with more varieties of cigars, and offer more accessories for the cigar enthusiast, along with merchandise with our logo. We hope that in 3-5 years we have grown enough to either build a second location or buy land and develop a place for not only a larger cigar shop and lounge, but also have units available to rent to other businesses.
Tell our readers a little about your store and the experience of coming in and enjoying a cigar in store.
Mary Hall: Our store offers premium cigars for affordable prices, as well as cutters, lighters, and travel humidors. We have cigars ranging in prices from $6.00 – $20.00. When a customer comes in, we offer any help or advice that they may need. We are here to answer any questions that we can, in order to make the shopping process a little bit easier for the beginner cigar smoker. Once a purchase is made, the customer is invited to enjoy a smoke in our warm, inviting, comfortable cigar lounge. There, the men and women can relax, listen to music, watch tv, read a book, or engage in conversations with each other. We offer humidor locker memberships for 3, 6, or 12 months that allows our members to store their cigars and drinks if they wish.
