The cigar lounge.
A place for relaxation, savoring a fine cigar, a taste of whiskey, and a place to meet new people, making connections, and enjoying some pleasant conversation.
For those who do attend, many use the opportunity to learn more about cigars, sample various cigars, and purchase them as well.
While cigar bars have been around for years, interest in them developed in the 1990s when cities and government entities began instituting smoking bans but provided exceptions for establishments that catered to smokers. The City of Springfield thanks to longtime resident Joseph Hendrix, now has a cigar lounge of its own.
Hendrix, originally from Chicago, has resided in Springfield for nearly twenty years and says “This is my home now; I’m a die-hard resident of downtown Springfield.”
Hendrix began his career working in the Human Resources business for roughly thirty-two years, since then he’s been traveling all around the country. He states, “It’s safe to say that I’ve been in a lot of cigar bars and my dream was that if I ever had the opportunity of starting my own cigar bar, I would definitely do it. After years of observing and frequenting them, I knew exactly how I wanted to set it up and I had the opportunity here at Springfield to do it and here we are today. Smokey Joe’s is the only private Cigar lounge in all of Springfield.”
Hendrix says, “First we were at a smaller location; we were actually right around the corner located at 395 Dwight Street. We had the opportunity to expand to the location where we are today which gives us a lot more room to host more events in addition to live entertainment and private functions.”
“There is a significant difference between the two locations. First of all, it is a bigger location which creates more opportunities to do different types of entertainment. We were really kind of limited at our old location.
Hendrix volunteered advice to other minority owners saying “First of all, follow your dream. There’s going to be obstacles. I don’t care how you look at it, whether it’s individuals not supporting your project or lack of financing. The first thing that you need to do is come up with a solid business plan; you’ll probably scrub that business plan another ten to twelve times until you get it right. However, you can’t be frustrated, just make sure you have a solid business plan and believe in yourself. That’s the advice that I would give to anybody who is going to start a new business.“
Your product or service has to fit a need, it has to be something people really, really enjoy and at the end of the day the only thing you are going to have is your reputation, a good product, and good customer service. The people will come out and they will support you and that’s the most important part.
Regarding his clientele, Smokey Joe’s has four different memberships with different amenities that come along with each package.
Hendrix encourages cigar lovers to come for the fun, the fantastic entertainment, and the customer service that is second to none.
He said: “People can feel intimidated when they walk into a cigar lounge because they think that if they don’t know something they’re going to feel less than. The goal is to work to ensure that everyone feels comfortable and encourages patrons to ask as many questions as needed.”
