82
TOBACCO BUSINESS
JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014
trench marketing
edge of the suburbs in a great location with bars, restaurants and
shopping,” says Foster. The store, which is approximately 1,500
square feet, is located in a historic brick and mortar building that
was built in 1898, and its Old World feel provides an appropriate
backdrop to what’s going on inside.
Banking on Boutique
Foster’s product leans heavily toward boutique brands,
with more than 700 different facings in the store. “There’s a lot
crammed into a relatively small shop,” he says, “everything from
Ashton, Arturo Fuente, Tatuaje, Don Pepin Garcia, Prometheus,
God of Fire, Kristoff, Alec Bradley and so much more.” Foster
opted for reach-in mahogany file cabinets that are eight feet
tall to showcase his specialty products because he believes
that they’re easier to light behind glass. “Cigars are beautiful,
especiallywith their bands, and youwant themwhere customers
can see them,” he says.
In addition to cigars, Fidel’s carries a broad selection of
tobacco products, including pipes, pipe tobacco, flavored cigars,
e-cigarettes, hookahs and roll-your-own, as well as humidors,
lighters, cutters and other accessories. “Being diversified is
important,” he says. “We’re traditional, but we’ve embraced
modern products, and pipes and pipe tobacco represent 25
percent of our business. That grows every year because these
30-somethings saw their grandfather do it, they remember the
smells, and it sparks memories. It’s nostalgic, trendy, a sign of
stature, and demonstrates character. These younger customers
are more willing to try whatever you suggest to them, which is
why it’s important for your staff to be incredibly knowledgeable.”
Aside from having a diversified product selection, customers
are drawn to Fidel’s because of its lounge. “We did the transition
into a Graycliff cigar lounge back at a time when tobacco stores
didn’t have lounges,” he says. “I caught a lot of flack for it
because you couldn’t serve alcohol there, but I really wanted a
place for customers to smoke, so I turned half of the store into an
800-square-foot cigar lounge.”
Graycliff helped decorate the store by flying in a designer who
picked out chairs and helped pull together what Foster describes
as a traditional Cuban living room. “It has 18-foot high ceilings,
six chandeliers, oriental rugs, and a very warm feel of someone’s
own home,” he says. “We put in some high-end smoke eaters
because as much as we enjoy the smoke, we want to be able to
see. It’s a place to engage customers, a place where you can sell
and experience products, and it’s still comfortable for everyone
during events.”
Welcome to the cluB
As if the lounge wasn’t attractive enough, Foster installed 24
private humidified lockers that customers can rent on an annual
basis to store their cigars, bring in their own alcohol, and gain
access to special discounts on purchases up front, as well as first
dibs on rare precuts that come in. “They feel that they’re a part
of a club,” says Foster. “They’re a part of the store. I wish I had
more, but I don’t have more room; I’ve used every square inch in
the store, and there’s a waiting list to get the ones we have. But
what we have definitely works. Customers want to store their
cigars there, and it creates loyalty and camaraderie.”
Foster holds monthly events in the lounge because its three
flat-screen TVs and wireless Internet make it a great place for
customers to hang out even when events aren’t going on. “We
get them to come in, smoke and learn about it,” he explains.
“We’ve got something going on in there once a month from
5 p.m. to 10 p.m., and we’re open seven days a week up until
midnight on Friday and Saturday. Since we’re in a bar district
and no one else is open that late, this is the only store to go to.”
To keep customers engaged and coming back, Foster
communicates actively with clients via email and social media.
“We try to capture customers’ email addresses and enroll them
when they make their first purchase, let them know about sales
and specials via monthly newsletters, and send them e-vites
