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TOBACCO OUTLET BUSINESS
MAY/JUNE 2013
father, Sal, was born. The stores also
carry a wide variety of top brands, as
well as limited edition cigar offerings.
“Our selection is tremendous,” says
Castiano. “We try to carry the hard-to-
find stuff, because my customers love to
try new things and both our suppliers
and my staff love to educate customers
on cigars.”
While cigars are Castiano’s passion,
all three stores also sell much more
than stogies. “In nontobacco, we sell
everything from lighters to apparel,
but liquor is by far the best ancillary
item,” he reports. “I send my bar staff
to seminars to educate them on how to
pair scotch or wine with cigars. I belong
to the Tobacconists’ Association of
America and when I speak to retailers
I tell them: ‘I know that you can’t sell
both smokes and drinks in a lot of places
because the regulatory climate in many
areas make it difficult, but if you can,
the profit margins are great.’” Castiano
is also a member of the Cigar Rights
of America and International Premium
Cigar & Pipe Retailers associations.
Customer service has also been critical
to Castiano’s success. “It’s what makes
our business,” he says. “My business is
about people loving to come here—
and not because I have the cheapest
cigars and drinks in town. People
The storefront at World Famous Cigar Bar’s downtown location
trench marketing
