70
TOBACCO OUTLET BUSINESS
MAY/JUNE 2013
things picked up. I then opened up
Sal’s Longshot Lounge—named for my
father—in the space adjoining the Cigar
Bar. I doubled my space and times were
looking bright.”
Surviving a bumpy start didn’t stop
Castiano from opening a second shop
in 2007, a 2,800-square-foot location
in the Gulf Coast Town Center,
Southwest Florida’s largest shopping
mall. Both locations have a traditional
non-pretentious and comfortable feel.
Through his stores he met Rocky Patel,
who lives in nearby Naples, Florida,
and who became both a supplier and a
regular customer.
Acquaintance turned into friendship
and, in turn, into a business opportunity.
Soon Castiano found himself partnering
with Patel to open the $2 million Burn
by Rocky Patel, a 3,500-square-foot
luxury cigar lounge and nightclub. “My
other two places are more traditional
cigar bars, but Rocky likes to see flash,”
he explains. “So in this one, everything
is imported and we have a gemstone bar.
It fits Naples perfectly.” Gone are the
days where Castiano has to walk down
the street to sell cigars. Today, the three
shops cumulatively sell about $2 million
in cigars each year.
Mixing it Up
For obvious reasons, Rich’s strongest
brand is Rocky Patel. In fact, Castiano
and Patel also partnered to create
the 1929 Castiano Cigar, which
commemorates the year Rich Castiano’s
trench marketing
