SEABROOK — Roy Kirby described his business, Two Guys Smoke Shop in Seabrook, as "stogie heaven."
Kirby said he opened up Two Guys Smoke Shop two and a half years ago in Seabrook and has been in the cigar business for 12 years.
Cigar smokers are a select group of people, according to Kirby, who said they are usually people who are looking to relax more than anything else.
"It's a trend of people who have a disposable income who want to take time and relax," Kirby said.
Two Guys Smoke Shop offers strictly cigars, specifically premium, hand-rolled cigars, said Kirby, who adamantly said that he does not sell cigarettes.
Kirby said one of the current trends in cigar smoking that he has seen in his store is customers purchasing Nicaraguan, Honduran and Dominican cigars priced between $5 and $10.
Another trend in the cigar smoking world that Kirby has begun to notice is customers purchasing stronger, fuller-bodied cigars, which he said have a richer taste, but there are still those that prefer milder cigars, he added.
Kirby said a lot of his business comes from word of mouth as well as television and newspaper advertising. He noted that a large contingent of his customers come from Massachusetts where residents realize that they can go to New Hampshire and avoid paying tax.
Kirby said that what sets Two Guys Smoke Shop apart from others is that it is the largest cigar store in the United States, offering thousands of cigars in its 3,000 square feet of space.
Two Guys Smoke Shop is also one of only two cigar stores in New Hampshire that offers the elite Davidoff cigars, which can cost $33 each. To offer Davidoff cigars you have to be an appointed merchant, said Kirby, adding he had to go through a process where the company came to look at his store before allowing him to sell their full line of cigars.
Kirby said the past few months have been stymied by the cold weather and New Hampshire's new smoking laws that restrict lighting up in restaurants, but nonetheless business is picking back up.
"I have a lot of regular customers that come in on a regular basis who hang around in the store and smoke cigars," Kirby said. "I've seen a lot of newer customers. With warmer weather, there is a whole new emergence of people."
