Of the handful of businesses you can identify by smell alone, there is perhaps none that is as evocative or has had more struggles to survive than the traditional tobacco shop.
Boda Pipes and Cigar Lounge on South Pleasantburg Drive is one of a very small number of tobacconists whose doors remain open and after more than 40 years in several locations, owner David Fishburne says his success comes down to the remarkable nature of his customers.
“I love the customers who come in here — they’re a cut above,” Fishburne says. “The people are what keep me in the business.”
Boda began as a 160-square-foot kiosk in Greenville Mall when Fishburne bought the business in 1980. It featured a selection of pipes, tobaccos, handmade cigars and accessories.
With a degree in zoology and limited retail experience, Fishburne says he didn’t know a lot about the business when he started but learned from sales representatives and customers.
As Greenville Mall began to fail, Fishburne moved to a larger store in McAllister Square in 1993, just as the cigar boom exploded nationally and demand skyrocketed. Another move in 1996 to an even larger space at McAllister Square afforded Fishburne the room to expand the shop’s cigar humidor to accommodate a wider range of products.
Wearing a ‘kick-me’ sign
Despite cigars’ popularity among a segment of the population, anti-smoking sentiment in the wider population drove increased regulations and higher taxes on tobacco products.
Fishburne says this environment has been one of the greatest and longest-lasting challenges of remaining in the tobacco business. Lacking significant allies in Washington, D.C. and with tobacco considered a luxury commodity, many tobacco shops went out of business.
Those that remain, like Boda, struggle to meet state and federal regulations and pay the taxes imposed on tobacco products.
“We still don’t have a powerful lobby in Congress,” Fishburne says. “That means we’re wearing a ‘kick-me’ sign.”
Creating a refuge
Through all those challenges, Boda’s pipe and cigar customers have remained loyal.
With the 2018 move to the current location, which includes a commodious cigar lounge, bar and kitchen, business has grown.
Fishburne says he and his staff of seven wanted to create a refuge where customers could enjoy a pipe or cigar over a drink, coffee or a light meal.
In fact, the shop has become a gathering place for entrepreneurs and business people from all walks of life.
“The shared experience of a cigar takes networking to a whole new level,” he says.
Assistant Manager Rex Brown says the shop’s monthly Cigars and Business Cards networking events have become hugely popular and have even spawned a spinoff group of women entrepreneurs who meet to share ideas over cigars and drinks.
“You have people from all walks of life here, from retired judges to a group of retired Presbyterian ministers who gather once a year,” Brown says. “It’s the atmosphere that draws you in.
“We really do come to see our customers as family,” he adds.
Fishburne says that this atmosphere of collegiality and welcome combined with the high caliber and wide variety of cigars available make him optimistic about the future.
“It’s been a great adventure,” he says. “That’s why it’s hard for me to retire.”
For more information about Boda Pipes and Cigar Lounge, visit bodacigars.com.
Quick facts about Boda Pipes and Cigar Lounge
- Boda started in 1980 in Greenville Mall before moving to McAllister Square in 1993 and to its current South Pleasantburg Drive location in 2018.
- The shop features a walk-in humidor with hundreds of handmade cigars from Honduras, Nicaragua and the Dominican Republic, among others.
- The cigar lounge features comfortable seating, wi-fi and a full-service bar. The kitchen offers light snacks and hot sandwiches.
- The lounge hosts a monthly Cigars and Business Cards networking event. The next is scheduled for Oct. 16.
