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Tennessee that specializes in craft beers. He is also a partner
in Battleground Smokes and Spirits, a cigar lounge and wine
bar located in Nolensville, Tennessee that features live bands.
Horvath serves as the only full-time employee at Cigar Station,
where he’s responsible for virtually every aspect of running the
store. “My wife is a director for the company, and she’ll help out
when I’m in a bind, and I also have two part-time employees,
but otherwise it’s just me,” he says. “I do everything.” That
includes everything from waiting on customers and all of the
ordering at both stores to keeping the store in shape.
Cigar Station is a relatively small venue, with an 800-square-
foot interior, a 500-square-foot enclosed deck and an even
smaller open-air deck. However, despite its size, the location’s
unique look and highly focused inventory help make a strong
statement. “Despite appearances, the building is only eight
years old,” says Horvath of the store’s vintage look.The original
owner had modeled the gas station after a 1947 plan, complete
with era-specific fuel pumps. “It was something he put in for
Spring Hill, and it lasted as an ice cream store for about nine
months, and then I moved in, and ever since then it’s been a
cigar store,” says Horvath.
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The aptly named Cigar Station boasts more than 400
different cigar facings and over 120 different craft beers, plus
a wide variety of torch lighters, cutters, humidors, pipes and
pipe tobacco. “Some of our most popular facings include
Perdomo, EPC, Asylum, Arturo Fuente, Crowned Heads,
Nestor Miranda, Drew Estates, Room 101 and Camacho,”
says Horvath, who advises retailers to tailor assortment to their
customer base. “I’ve been carrying American Spirit [cigarettes]
as well, but the profit margins on cigarettes just isn’t enough,
and I’m not that kind of store.”
His own experience as a customer influences his business
purchasing decisions. “I’ve been smoking for a long time and
I feel that I’m a pretty good judge of cigars,” explains Horvath,
describing his buying approach. “I can fit a profile to most of
my customers and I owe a lot of that to attending IPCPR
shows, getting to know all of my reps and vendors, and most
importantly smoking the product. I won’t put something in
the store I haven’t smoked. That’s not to say everything in the
store has to be something that I like because I do carry certain
facings that I don’t care for, but they sell. I do choose everything
and I think it works because taste- and profile-wise, I’m a good
judge of what makes a good or bad cigar.”
Knowing his customers and what those customers want is
what helps Horvath curate the collection of specific products he
carries. “Spring Hill is a relatively small town of 30,000 people
and it’s a down-to-earth, largely blue-collar community in farm
trench marketing