Have A Cigar!

After a long day of classes, work or fighting a hangover, most students could use a break in their busy schedules to kick back and relax. If a friendly atmosphere, good conversation and a fine cigar fit your description of relaxation, then Slippery Rock Cigars might be just the place for you. Slippery Rock Cigars, located off Kiester Road at Pine Glenn Apartments, offers more than 100 brands of cigars to the Slippery Rock University community, ranging from machine-rolled cigars, such as Swisher Sweets, to smooth hand-rolled cigars, such as La Gloria Cubana.

Joe Durso, who owns and operates the shop, believes smoking cigars is more of a hobby than a habit. Loud, good-humored and talkative, he offered me a cigar before the interview even began. I gladly accepted, even though I'm a non-smoker, saving it for the end of our meeting.

Durso said he did not open the cigar shop simply to make money. He did it for the enjoyment of cigars.

"It's more of a social thing," Durso said. "A good cigar helps melt the stress away and creates a fun environment. I want people to feel at home when they come here."

The shop has a relaxed and laidback atmosphere, which was Durso's set goal. As soon as the door is opened, the smell of cigar smoke gently greets the customer, a sweet aroma of flavor and robustness.

There is a smoking lounge in the shop as well, complete with a leather couch, two leather chairs, ashtrays and a television. But Durso said it is the conversation that is the lounge's best asset.

"Students will stop by after or even between classes, and we'll smoke together," Durso said. "People who travel to the Grove City Outlet mall will also stop by as well. While their wives shop, the guys will come up here and spend a couple hours smoking."

However, so as not to exclude women, Slippery Rock Cigars has planned a ladies night event for Oct. 21, during which the lounge will be set aside for women exclusively.

"That way they won't have to worry about men hitting on them the whole time," Durso said.

The main source of revenue for Durso is through the store's Web site. Customers can order cigars online and have them delivered to their homes. Durso said he has had customers from all over the United States, including California and Michigan, and even had an overseas request once.

"The Internet business is growing fast," Durso said. "Slippery Rock is a small town and business has been good for what I expected. But the Internet is the future in terms of actually making money."

Customers can also purchase cigar accessories, such as cutters and humidors, which are climate controlled wood containers that can hold about 15 cigars. The humidity inside the wooden boxes is kept between 65 to 75 percent to ensure the freshness of the cigar. Durso keeps all the hand-rolled cigars in his shop in a walk-in humidor, a climate controlled environment of 70 degrees Fahrenheit and 70 percent humidity.

Durso also keeps a thick binder of all the cigars available in the humidor, detailing which country they were rolled in, strength of the cigar, taste, etc. There is also a strength chart on the wall, which ranks the cigars from one (mild) to five (full). All of the cigar boxes are marked with a number ranging from one to five to help the customer realize the strengths of the different cigars.

Durso said you do not have to be an expert cigar smoker to enjoy his shop.

"I love to teach young smokers," Durso said. "I like to make them feel at ease by teaching them the basics. We were all at that level once."