Musings of a Cigar Curmudgeon

How tobacco saved Jamestown
In 1614, the new colony at Jamestown in what is now Virginia was a death camp of starving colonists with little hope of survival.  The Indians were mad at them, the London Company was tired of sending supplies.  John Rolfe, who married Pocahantas, had learned to smoke tobacco while in London and decided to take a shot at cultivating tobacco in Jamestown, and not the Nicotiana Rustica of the local Indians but he chose the coveted Nicotiana Tabacum strain then being grown in Trinidad and South America–though Spain had declared a penalty of death to anyone selling such seeds to a non-Spaniard.  In 1614, in what has been called by at least one historian the most momentous event of the 17th century, the first shipment of Virginia tobacco was sold in London. Two years later, in June, 1616, Rolfe and other leaders of the colony arrived in London to discuss the newly successful crop.  Despite James I’s disapproval of the colony’s dependence on a crop he despised, the very survival of his namesake colony could be at stake. And, of course, James could not ignore the enormous import duties Rolfes’ Virginia tobacco, “Orinoco”, brought to the royal treasury–Londoners and others around the world liked its taste and began demanding it. Since all sales had to be made through London, the English treasury grew with every transaction.  Tobacco became such a popular crop that a law had to be passed to force some food cultivation in the suddenly affluent colony.  By 1619 Jamestown had exported 10 tons of tobacco to Europe and had left behind its dismal history of starvation, cannbalism and general debotchery.
By 1639 Jamestown had exported 750 tons of tobacco. Tobacco was the American colonies’ chief export. The Jamestown colonists had not found gold, nor a route to the South Seas, nor the Lost Colony of Roanoke Island. But they had found tobacco. Tobacco had brought the settlement from wretched failure to giddying success. Tobacco had created the need for labor at any price (even institutionalized slavery), and–since it wore out the soil every 4-7 years–the mad rush for land all through the waterways of the Chesapeake Bay–or, as the entire area soon became known, “Tobacco Coast.”
Tobacco can well be credited with making Jamestown the first permanent English colony in the New World.
So tobacco has been a critical crop and an ingrained habit for many years, well before cigarettes were even invented.  In fact, the prohibition against direct sales of tobacco to other countries (all such sales had to be made through London, where hefty excise taxes were levied) was one of the main aggravations leading to the American Revolution.

Bob and Dale or Dale and Bob,

I wanted you let you know a sad
story. The B&M I would frequent, Hubbard State Cigar Shop, in
downtown Chicago has been made a smoke free cigar shop. No, not because
of the government smoking ban, but a ban placed on them from the owner
of the building they are in. The owner of the building said he has
received complaints from the restaurants that surround the shop, as
well as, the offices that are above the shop, so the owners of the
Cigar shop tried fixing the problem by remodeling the shop with a new
hospital grade air filtration system, and closed up all the open vents
in the ceiling. From what I hear from one of the employees, the cigar
shop owners spent about $20,000 in repairs to correct the issue to keep
the shop smoker friendly. About a week or two after the repairs the
landlord said they still are getting complaints from the other renters
forcing the cigar shop to go smoke free. They were given two weeks to
comply or they would void their lease. I just wanted to share with you
that it is not just the government taking away smoking right, but now
landlords too, but more than that they are taking away great times and
friendships that were formed at the shop. Yes, smoking is still allowed
outside the shop, but its just not the same. I predict in the coming
winter the shop will face real hardship and will become a ghost-town,
and sadly might force the shop to close up. Whats even worse is that
the landlord is also a cigar smoker. I have seen him come in many
times and buy a Davidoff to enjoy. I would have thought that a fellow
brother of the leaf would have understood what he was doing is harmful.
Oh and the last day for smoking inside was on April 19 and sadly I have
not made it back to the shop since.

Anyways, always love the
shows, and for some strange reason really liked it a couple weeks ago
when Brian Hewitt (show #163) joined you guys, maybe you can get him back on with
you guys soon.

Thanks,

Derek “Soprano” McKee

My reaction to this story may surprise some of you but it is consistent with my firm belief that property rights are the foundation of our freedom. Applying those principals in this situation I have to say that the landlord has the right (assuming it is legal per the lease) to ask the tenant to leave. It is very unfortunate that the cigar store has spent so much money in a failed attempt to appease the neighbors. On another point, shame on you Derek for stopping your support of the store. Follow along for an idea to resurrect your reputation and help this poor cigar store out.
I cannot help wondering what the actual complaints were and who the complainant is. So I would offer two ideas to deal with this issue before giving up and moving.

As the store owner, I would visit each of the neighbors and discuss the situation with them. Find out what the details are of the complaints (for one I would confirm that they are complaining) and perhaps you can find a compromise that will save your business. I have found that people are much more reasonable when you talk face to face. It may be that the complaints are minor and can be handled in this manner.

As for Derek, I would suggest that you help to organize a few of your fellow smokers to appear at the cigar store and proceed to smoke your stogies out front. Let the neighbors see just how many citizens this type of action will affect and how it might affect their business to pursue this line of action. The carrying of signs is of course optional.