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Posted on 07/23/2012 3:55:10 PM PDT by arderkrag
My favorite smoke shop is closing.
I first went in it as a boy, with my father. I used to stand at the glass and gaze on the brilliantly carved meerschaum bowls as he talked to the owner. Years later, when I bought the first of several pipes, it was the first place I turned. It sat on the bottom floor of the Augusta Mall for years, a fragrant scent of flavored tobaccos filling an entire section of the open breezeway. Before the nanny state ban on smoking indoors, I used to buy a cigar on lunch and sit in the store front puffing on it to clear my head. It shifted locations once to a slightly smaller store, but kept chugging along through the years. Every few months, I tend to go in for some new tobacco, or a pipe, or just to give my regards.
Until today, that is.
I went in to find the old pipe rack almost empty, the shelves barren except a few last items, and the clerk half-asleep. I asked if they were clearing out the old stock and she informed me that they were clearing out all of the stock. The owner is ready to retire, and despite the prominence of her business and its reputation in the community, she can't find a buyer. Therefore, the last day Tobaccoland will be open is next Tuesday.
Because the private sector is "doing fine".
Because of socialists in control of this country.
Because of people like Obama and Romney.
When we, the capitalists, wrench control of this country back from the authoritarians, I hope it's a sore day for them, the sorest they could possibly imagine.
(Excerpt) Read more at freerepublic.com ...
Didn’t mean to make it an excerpt. D’oh!
Still, it is sad to see any business close, especially one you have a lot of memories of. All of my favorite video arcades from the 80's are gone. Things change.
Damn all those people who quit smoking!
In my area there is a bunch of smoke shop chain stores that have opened up over the last 4-5 years.
Now that Obamacare and the Death Panels are in place to fix the Social Security and Medicare financials, smoking is not needed any more.
Communmists and socialnists made them do it. Thank God there are still so many smokers in the gay community.
The ones around here are closing because of selling spice under the counter.
Spice? The sleeper must awaken.
I don’t equate retirement with burning out.
Spice? The sleeper must awaken.
The business is burning out, not the person.
Take up smoking.
Sad to here about your Favorite shop closing, all of the small smoke shops in my area closed too, the only ones left are over in Westport and they are head shops.
Which isn't somewhere you can take a family on an outing.
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