Brand Cigar Club, Glendale CA

[The Black Cloud]

So I was out running errands today. I was walking down Brand Blvd. in downtown Glendale when I spotted a cigar shop I'd never seen before. The place is called Brand Cigar Club. It was at this point that the sirens of the heavenly humidor sang out to me and before I knew it I was standing in their humidor. My opinions: lost of bare shelf space, not that much in the way of selection, many brands I'd never heard of, prices seemed pretty steep. I bought a Torano Virtuoso (robusto size) for $10. I'd imagine I could've found it for a better price in another B&M, but I feel weird walking out of a B&M without buying at least one stick.

However, the main thing that caught my eye was that they had a full lounge and bar in the back. I didn't set foot inside that part, but it looked pretty nice and a cozy place for us SoCal BOTL/SOTL to gather for a herf! Not only that, but they had some chairs and a bench out in the foyer.

I was just wondering if any other CP'ers know about this place, and whether it would be a good place to herf?

 

[Rod]

I live in Arcadia, but venture into Glendale every so often (only 20 min away). Never been to that particular shop, but most B&M's in Calif are way over priced. Aside from high rent, there is also a very high cigar tax in Calif (48%). I suggest making most, if not all, of your purchases online. You'll get a much better deal.

It's ashame you can't walk into a cigar shop and get a decent deal on cigars, but that's just how it is in California unfortunately.

Stop by the Glendale Hilton sometime. You can smoke cigars up on the roof near the rooftop bar/lounge. Pretty nice place.

 

[insight]

I was actually going to write the same thing as Rod but he got there first =). I really try to support local businesses but sometimes it is pretty tough. For example, in my home county (also in the bay area) there is only 2 cigar shops. One of them has high prices but not extreme given the high taxes and rent. The other, however, has attrocious prices even though it seems to have a much greater volume of business. I went in the other day when visiting family and had a lot of trouble convincing myself it was ok to buy anything there. I wish it was a different situation but I am just not paying $9 before sales tax for a short story. No WAY I am paying 30 bucks for a PAN diplomatica. I fear it will only get worse with prop 86 too =(

 

[cigargoyle]

PLEASE CALIFRONIA VOTERS: Get out and vote NO on 86!

Here's my opinion on the AFTERMATH of the succesful approval of Prop 86 after November 7th:

Nov 7 - Dec 31: 75% of all B&M's will liquidate their inventory

January 1, 2007: California customers, turned off by the new 132% tax on cigars will begin ordering their cigars off the internet

Jan 1, 2007 - the 2nd coming: California will spend BILLIONS of State tax dollars policing the Black Market created by the legislators and voters by ordering the credit card receipts of every online cigar site to be sent to the State Board of Equalization. Then, they will correlate those buyers in California with the reported Use Tax and Excise Tax Returns filed by those customers (probalby less than 0.1%) and then fining those normal everyday cigar smokers for not reporting and paying the Use Tax and Excise Tax.

Next, people will start having their cigars sent to family and friends (or agencies) in other states and having them forward their cigars to their homes in California, or smuggling them on an airplane. A new "domestic customs office" will be established in each airport, and all cars will be searched upon entry into our beautiful state.

The Tobacco Excise taxes collected (for some strange reason) then plummet, and combined with the billions spent on policing Prop 86, increases the State deficit, forcing higher general income and property taxes (i.e. "The Sunshine Tax") to offset the loss.

Corporations begin to move to other states because their taxes and their employees and their taxes become too expensive. The State landslides into a recession and forms pit of budget issues that causes the State to pull back money set aside for schools, parks, libraries, and other "non-essential" services...

And the story goes on...

CALIFORNIA! UBER ALLES!

Ted

 

[eringg]

OK OK so what I hear you sayin is vote no on 86? :laugh:

 

[cigargoyle]

OK OK so what I hear you sayin is vote no on 86? :laugh:

Funny guy...

 

[badhangover]

I live in Arcadia........
Stop by the Glendale Hilton sometime. You can smoke cigars up on the roof near the rooftop bar/lounge. Pretty nice place.

I hate to smoke in most cigar lounges. I always feel beholden to purchase things I really don't want from them, either from lack of want or begrudging the pricing. I do quite a bit of cigar smoking in dive bars in and around Arcadia. If you live there, I'm guessing you either know of them or don't care of them. If you don't know of them, and do care to know them, feel free to hit me up in PM.