Jack’s Tobacco, 324 E. Sixth Ave., is much more than a place to buy tobacco products — it’s a place to buy everything from wine bags and gift baskets to Jack Daniels collectibles.
The owner, Jane King opened Jack’s Tobacco the middle of June right next door to King’s Liquor. She originally opened the store to enhance her husband, Keith King’s, business.
“When we started out, our main focus was to complement the liquor store,” Jane King said. “I wanted to have items here that they couldn’t get at the liquor store.”
At the rear of the tobacco shop sits a large humidor filled with specialty cigars. The humidor keeps the cigars, which are from around the world, at a precise temperature and humidity level, King said.
“We do not have Cuban cigars,” King said. “They are still illegal. But I’m told these cigars are grown by Cuban seed. We take good care of our cigars.”
From novice to aficionado, there is something in the store for everyone and advice and information to go along with each purchase. The store carries cigar cutters.
“In cigars you want a clean cut, you need a good cutter,” King said.
Throughout the store are countless items — many of them, King said, are unique to her shop. Among some of the items are pop and juice mixes, party supplies, stir sticks, wine glasses, wine openers and ice buckets. And a wine guide. The store carries mulling spices to add to wine to spice it up, especially during the cold winter months.
King offers a gift basket service for those who would like to put together just the right present for that special occasion.
“I can also make gift baskets,” King said. “I can put things together with wine glasses and even a cigar. A lot of people will buy a bottle of wine for a gift. I have bags.”
King’s inventory features mirrors and pictures suitable for a home bars and large Budwieser bottles often used as a repository for those saved tips, King said. Among the hard to find specialty items is a Jack Daniels’ whiskey thermometer used to measure the temperature of whiskey when it’s distilling.
“We have lots of Jack Daniels stuff,” she said. “We try to get things that you can’t buy anywhere else or hopefully items where they can do a one-stop shopping (trip) here.”
When deciding what to put in the store, King said she considered unique as well as common items people might need.
“I kept making a list to complement the liquor store,” King said. “And then the catalogs just started coming in. It’s an ongoing process. I’m always getting new stuff.”
King said the ongoing process has been fun.
“People are always asking for different things,” she said. “That makes it fun to go on a search for different items.”
The building that Jack’s Tobacco is housed in is unique in itself. It was built in the 1930s and originally was a gas station. Before the King’s decided to convert the building into the shop, it was formerly used as an auto repair shop. Evidence of the old bay doors still can be seen in the front of the building. The doors have been removed, and smaller windows replace them, but the framing is still there.
“It took almost six months to remodel,” King said. “The building had to be gutted. It was really fun getting it all fixed up and set up.”
King said she enjoys running her store and she’s been on a learning curve, having come from being a secretary for years.
“I am learning about having employees and state and federal regulations,” she said. “It’s been a real learning experience.”