Smoker's Paradise

Customers who frequent in Channahon don’t have to ask for what they want when they walk through the door. It’s already at the register before they are.

Whether it be a carton of cigarettes, a speciality cigar or some chewing tobacco, Emmanuel Raj, knows what his customers want.

“I have established customers and they tell me what they need,” Raj said, adding that he will special order tobacco products if he does not have them in his store. “My customers tell me I have the best prices around town.”

After being in business for five years, Raj has seen the fall in the economy and the rise in tobacco prices, but said he still has a steady level of smokers coming to his store.

According to Raj, his cigarette smoking customers usually buy popular brands such as Marlboro, Newport and Pall Mall. But sometimes he gets the unusual request for organic tobacco cigarettes, such as American Spirit. These cigarettes are marketed as being manufactured with 100 percent addictive-free tobacco, even though the Surgeon General warning states that its not necessarily a safer cigarette.

In the back of the store, a large humidor displays a variety of cigars from around the world. Cigar lovers can find cigars from the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, as well as cigars manufactured in the United States.

A humidor is set at a relative humidity of 68 to 74 percent and a temperature of 64 degrees, which allows for a cigar to burn evenly. Raj said that the humidor also prevents the cigars from drying out. Flavors of cigars, which range from peppery, spicy, sweet, nutty, fruity, cocoa, cedar and earthy are enhanced in a humidor. Smaller humidors for personal use are also available for purchase.

For those who want inexpensive cigars, especially for everyday use can find popular brands such as Swisher Sweets, Phillies and White Owl. These brands come in a range of flavors including, peach, strawberry, grape and watermelon.

“Summer is a big sale for cigars because people are outside more,” Raj said.

Not as popular as back in the 80's, Raj said he still gets sales for pipes and pipe tobacco. Raj sells regular pipes, handmade Italian pipes and meerschaum pipes.

Meerschaum is a soft white clay-like material consisting of hydrated magnesium silicate, chiefly found in Turkey. The bowl of the pipe is made with the meerschaum and is usually carved with artistic detail ranging from an ornately carved face to a scene portraying hunting or sailing.

In addition to tobacco sales, Raj sells tobacco accessories including Zippo lighters and lighter fluid. He also sells soda, snacks, gum and scratch-off lottery tickets. During a visit, customers can also relax in one of two comfy chairs and read the newspaper or the latest edition of Cigar Aficionado.

Raj also is proud that he is a business owner who gives back to the community. Advertisements of school and police functions are posted in the store front window. He also has charitable candy dispensers for Make- A- Wish Foundation and the Lions Club. A rack for customers to display their business cards is located near the store entrance.

“I take pride in my customers and community,” Raj said.