jr store in Statesville to close

[DrT999]

In the article (link below) the plaza owners state they decided not to renew the lease on JR store in Statesville, NC.  The article claims they will open a smaller store in Mooreville (that's south of Statesville, about 30 miles north of Charlotte).  The article says that will be cigars only, but hopefully they'll still have pipe tobacco, a wide range of Grabows, etc.

jr article

 

[J Soshae]

Has that been the pipe shop in that area? It looks like a Dollar General.

 

[DrT999]

Has that been the pipe shop in that area? It looks like a Dollar General.

JR Cigars has some actual stores, and also in an e-tailer:

jr cigars link

I haven't been to the other stores, but the one in Statesville does sell a lot of odds and ends (lots of sports and motorcycle memorabilia, NC touristy things, etc.). That's about 2/3 of the store. They also have a huge cigarette counter (this is right off a major N/S highway, so lots of signs saying 'cheap cigarettes' and 'world's largest cigar store'). The other 1/3 is the cigar store/smoking room, and I don't know about world's largest, but the square center counter/humidor is about 18 feet long per side for open boxes of the quality cigars. Around just over 1/2 of the outside walls are stacks of boxed cigars. About 1/3 of one wall is pipe tobacco, accessories, Grabow and MM pipes, etc. There is also a variety of ground coffee and beans for sale. there are also seats, and although I've never smoked a pipe there, there are usually a couple guys smoking cigars.

 

[idbowman]

CRAP!

We drive past that exit all the time when we travel to and from Florida...I finally realized (just this summer) that JR Cigars is the same JR Cigars that I've bought from online in the past. I'd actually penciled in a plan to pull off and stop by next summer when we make the trip. Just my luck!

 

[Richard Burley]

There are still the other stores, one in Selma and one in Burlington, NC.  I've been a customer since the '70s, buying cigars in the Manhattan and Paramus, NJ stores.  Their prices blew everyone else out of the water.  Not sure who or what the company is now.  I believe the founder, Lew Rothman, sold out quite a while ago, and it doesn't seem the same.  Their catalogs are certainly more boring, for one thing.

 

[Bullwinkle]

we always stop in on my way from OH to FL to stock up. the cigar store/lounge within the store is totally different from what you see outside. if it wasn't for all the out of state cars that whole intersection might as well close. it was a great place to pit stop use the restrooms, stock up on junk food for the car and pick up a couple of boxes of cigars and a handful of tins.

 

[puros_bran]

I've been to all three.  I hate that Statesville is closing, that's the easiest to get a semi into without anyone raising Cain, or actually having to break the law.

Before they shrank the pipe offerings, I prefer'd the Burlington store for selection. They literally had isles of pipe tobacco..I know it's hard to believe but it's been less than 5-6 years ago that they shrank back on pipe stuff.

The Statesville store used to be a secret stash of aged tins... I was in store the day the Dunhills quit marketing some of the blends in the States (before they went away completely and the. Came back).. This dude had every tin of Nightcap, London mixture and Elizabethan mixture at the counter buying them... I was so pissed off I couldn't stand it.

 

[Cadfael]

Say it isn't so! Guess I'll have to drive to PA to Boswell's now!!!

 

[DrT999]

The Statesville store used to be a secret stash of aged tins...  

Don't know about any current stash there, but the last time I was in they had some discontinued cans of discontinued OTCs. I seem to remember various HoW and a can of Holiday

 

[puros_bran]

They moved them to over buy the smoking couches... Dwindled to nothing.. Those shelves on the wall used to be plum full of pipe tobaccos. McC, Sam Gawith, C&D , Orlic, Dan, Dunhill. I'm telling you brother, once upon a time (not to long ago really, 5 yrs or so) it was such a glorious place to be.

 

[Puffy]

I'm told that the new place will be just off I77 at exit 36 in what used to be a Bob Evans resturant.It supposed to be renovated of course.

 

[puros_bran]

If they insure truck parking that would be alright.

 

[bentbulldog]

The JR in midtown by me used to have a good assortment of tinned pipe tobacco. Last I checked it was reduced to a shelf of some "house" blends. Local pipe tobacco sources seem to be dwindling.