CityView Magazine

business A Smoking Success Longtime family-owned business boasts impressive location in the heart of Fayetteville R By Sara Cooke eclined in a leather chair and taking a deep inhale of a sweetly fragrant cigar, soft-spoken Ben Anstead re-tells a favorite anecdote: "A Fort Bragg soldier once told me that the most effective way to keep his soldiers attention for an entire meeting is to gather them together and smoke cigars. It keeps them focused and interacting for a solid forty minutes." "A tobacco shop is all about the social experience," said Anstead. By nature, it sparks conversations, usually beginning with the question "What are you smoking?" Such a unique, luxury business attracts like-minded folks. Those who indulge in the occasional cigar appreciate the flavors and smell of a tobacconist and see the hand rolling of premium, artisan cigars as a labor of love. Ben is General Manager of Anstead's Tobacco Company, owned by parents Wayne and Edith. The family has been in the cigar business in Fayetteville since the late 1970s. Until earlier this year they kept shop in Cross Creek Mall. Business was good, but believing the future of the industry is in freestanding destination stores, the family purchased an empty building on McPherson Church Road that the company now calls home. On the outside the business resembles a huge red barn. The interior features two floors that have an open space concept with plush dark leather couch- es, rich wood and of course, an abundance of all things tobacco. "We gave it a significant facelift," expressed Anstead. "We redecorated and repainted the inside and outside. I credit my mom with design and furniture choices." Aside from the new freestanding structure, customers will notice another improvement. Anstead's now offers a full service lounge, serving wine, craft beer and top shelf liquors. Weekend nights average as many as 45 clients unwinding with a smoke, enjoying ESPN on one of the big screen TV's or socializing and sipping on a drink. Because the lounge serves alcohol, it is considered a private club and therefore requires a membership fee. But don't let that deter you, it's only one dollar annually. Everyone is welcome to drop in, browse and purchase products. Ask Anstead and he'll say that as far as premium cigar sales are concerned, the Internet is their biggest competition. Cigars are the shop's specialty with their sales accounting for 70-percent of the company's total profit. Sold alongside accessories such as lighters, cutters and humidors, the artisan items are priced anywhere between $2 to $30 a piece. Rustic wooden lockers are set to match the humidity level of the store's walk-in humidor. They are available to customers who choose to rent out space. "We pride ourselves in being helpful and customer service oriented," stressed the young GM. Customers inCityViewNC.com | 27

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