82 TOBACCO BUSINESS | MAY / JUNE | 22 NFTs, networking, strategic partnerships—these are all buzzwords you’re likely to encounter on any given day while scrolling through social media. They are also the words and phrases you’ll hear from tobacconist Marcus Tinnell, operations manager at i Cigar Lounge, located within BG Bistro in Las Vegas, Nevada. Tinnell’s experiencewith tobaccoretail isdifferent frommost. His very first experience with cigars was memorable for several reasons. Tinnell, who originally worked in the entertainment industry, once worked with a singer that performed the national anthem at a Charlotte Bobcats game. When the game was over, Tinnell was invited to a private event at a local cigar lounge where Michael Jordan was also in attendance. At the lounge, Jordan spent time behind the bar, serving drinks to the guests. During the night, Jordan offered Tinnell a cigar from the lounge’s humidor, and of course Tinnell accepted it and proceeded to cut and light it. There was just one little problem: This was the first time Tinnell had ever smoked a cigar, and he had not yet learned what not to do when smoking one. “He handed me a stick, and I commenced to cut and light it,” said Tinnell. “That’s when things took a turn for the worse. Not knowing the proper cigar etiquette, I made the mistake of inhaling all while trying to blow rings because it looked so cool in the movies. Needless to say, I got sick real fast, to the point that they had to call for a car service to take me back to my hotel. I said to myself that was my first and my last attempt at cigar smoking.” That wasn’t entirely true, however. Tinnell continued to smoke cigars and learned how to do so properly. He started to become more interested in the cigar lifestyle and made friends around the world who shared his love of and interest in cigars. As he explored building an online cigar community, opportunities began to present themselves to him. It was a fateful meeting with the owner of Las Vegas’ BG Bistro that led to him opening i Cigar Lounge in 2021. Because of his partnership with BG Bistro, his lounge has a lot more to offer cigar smokers than a typical cigar lounge does. “The fact youcansip, savor andsmokemakes all thedifference,”heexplains. “The i Cigar Lounge has an Eastern European vibe, and the aesthetics are really cool. It has comfy chairs and random decor, like a unicorn inside of a gold picture frame or a picture of Arnold Schwarzenegger smoking a Romeo Y Julieta 1875 Cuban cigar. The staff is friendly, and the food is incredible! Best of all, we are located 15 minutes from the airport and the Las Vegas Strip, with ample parking and easy access to the restaurant.” Tinnell’s approach to tobacco retail is unique due to his background in the entertainment industry. Instead of thinking inside the box, he instead doesn’t see a box and therefore sees few limitations to what he wants to build. Here’s how he’s leveraged networking, partnerships and new digital tools such as NFTs to set i Cigar Lounge apart from other cigar lounges. TheOpportunity In March 2021, a couple of Tinnell’s friends introduced him to BG Bistro, the Las Vegas establishment known for its European cuisine and also for allowing cigar smoking to take place within the same space. “This was extremely rare being that there are laws that prohibit smoking in restaurants in Las Vegas, with the exception of sports bars with gaming, such as video poker at the bar,” Tinnell explains. “In my personal opinion, the downside to that is that they do not allow cigar smoking in their establishments, only cigarettes. Once introduced to BG [Bistro], I made this my home. BG Bistro checked all of my boxes: I had a place to not only relax, but I could also eat, drink and smoke cigars. It was the perfect trifecta.” N The i Cigar Lounge is located within BG Bistro, a European cuisine restaurant located in Las Vegas. It’s among the few places in the city where eating, drinking and smoking are permitted all in one place.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjgzMDM=