50 TOBACCO BUSINESS | MARCH / APRIL | 22 Viewing their business as a home rather than just a retail establishment also sets the tone for everything that takes place in each store. Johnston explains that Blend Bar doesn’t have customers; it has guests. This may seem minor or a matter of semantics, but it’s an important distinguishing factor that’s key to Blend Bar’s appeal and success. Those that enter Blend are made to feel like guests in a home. There are some that use Blend’s amenities such as its members-only boardroom for meetings and others that come in regularly to work remotely and get work done. Many of Blend Bar’s guests view each other as friends and family, too, and see Blend as another home rather than just a business they visit. Guests oftentimes visit Blend several days a week and will make new friends while enjoying the lounge or bar. Guests have been known to golf together and even take trips with one another. This transformation that takes place, where strangers enter Blend Bar and leave as guests and become friends is perhaps the most important thing that takes place in Blend. Cigars are at the core of Blend Bar with Davidoff Cigars’ business, but it’s not its entire business. Approximately 20 percent of Blend’s guests do not smoke cigars so it’s important to Johnston and others to ensure those guests feel welcomed at Blend just as anyone else would. This is accomplished through the ventilation system that keeps the cigar smoke at a minimum and also through a menu that includes food and drinks. Blend Bar offers some zero-proof non-alcoholic cocktails, other spirits and food to appeal to a greater audience beyond cigars, working within each location’s local laws and taxes to develop a food and spirits program that will resonate with its customer base. When it comes to its cigar program, Blend Bar relies heavily on Davidoff to not only help it build out its humidors but also to help train its staff. Different area sales managers will come in to host a “cigar 101” session to help teach the staff how to talk about and sell cigars to customers. “It makes all the difference because a lot of these newer hires come in and are very intimidated by the humidor—just like guests can be intimidated by the humidor—especially when trying to sell a $30-$40 cigar. You have to give sales people the product knowledge, which then gives them the confidence to feel that they can sell a $40 cigar or anything high-end. Having the knowledge to be able to explain to the guests what they’re getting with a nice cigar or bourbon, why it’s that experience, why it’s like taking a vacation for two hours is important,” Johnston explains. Treating Them with Respect A lot goes into opening and running a successful retail store, lounge or bar. For the team behind Blend Bar with Davidoff Cigars, success is all in the fine details. From the start, Holden and Johnston knew they wanted to create something different. They didn’t want to create just another bar or cigar shop; they wanted to start a corporation. Holden, Blend Bar with Davidoff Cigars hired a female-led design firm to help make each location’s décor appealing to a wide range of customers, including non-smokers and women.
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