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TOBACCO OUTLET BUSINESS
MAY/JUNE 2012
trench marketing
that Gonnello and Pantaleone plan to repeat it again this
year. “Having multiple vendors lets us offer something for
everyone, whereas with a single vendor you might have
someone say, ‘Gee, that’s not a brand I care for.’”
All events are promoted in the store and through a
direct mail postcard campaign, adds Gonnello, who says
the store maintains a list of 1,200 customer emails but has
rarely used it to promote events. “We will be doing more
of that now though,” he says, explaining that recently a
last-minute event didn’t allow time for a mail campaign.
“We sent out an email expecting to get maybe 10 people
and 70 showed up. That’s kind of changed our view on its
potential.”
Going for Golfers
Since spring in the rural area of northern New Jersey
heralds the beginning of golf season, The Cigar Room
begins opening earlier to capture the pre-game golf
business. Recently the store expanded on this effort by
beginning to work directly with the area golf courses, says
Gonnello, who urges retailers to do the same. “We have a
travel humidor with a handle that holds 30 cigars on three
levels,” he explains. “We say, ‘Why don’t you buy a few
of these and give it to the cart girl [who travels the course
selling beverages and sandwiches],’” he explains. “We
offer them a good price and good service because we’re
local. And it works well for the courses, because they want
to be able to offer variety but they don’t necessarily want
to buy big quantities of cigars. We are working with six golf
courses now. Any retailer operating in a golf community
should look into opportunities like that.”
It’s savvy marketing moves like that one that ensure that
The Cigar Room continues to fare well despite intensifying
competition from both the Internet and other brick-and-
mortar retailers. Two new cigar shops have opened in
the region over the past two years, notes Gonnello, who
seems unfazed by the influx of competition. “We are
looking into adding another location,” he says, noting that
The Cigar Room has an edge that most businesses simply
can’t replicate. “Our customers aren’t just customers,
they’re friends—practically family.”
TOB
The Cigar Room Fast Facts
Where:
Lafayette, NJ
Focus:
Premium Cigars
Assortment:
Over 750 facings of cigars
Philosophy:
“We believe in karma; you do
good things and good things come back to you.”