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| April 6, 2000 |
By K.C.
MYERS
 The leather easy chairs, the
crystal lighters and overstuffed leather couches reek of the decadent
indolence of an exclusive club. Since the Barnstable board of
health imposed a ban on smoking in all bars and restaurants on Monday,
Puff the Magic owner David Wood has added more wines and beers to the
menu. He and his partner, Valerie McIntosh, anticipate increased business
now that theirs is the only smoking game in town. The business is not
required to abide by the smoking restrictions because it's the only one in
town that depends on the sale of tobacco products. Just 15 percent of its
sales come from people buying drinks. But that could change. "I know I stand
to gain the most from the smoking ban," Wood said. But, Wood says frankly,
he isn't so sure he wants the average cigarette crowd. With seating for
only 21 people, he wants his regulars, often the rich and occasionally the
famous, to remain comfortable. The bar has been a bastion for the
passionate puffer since it opened more than a year ago. It's a place where
the wealthy come to smoke a $100 Opus X and to sip a snifter of Louis XIV
cognac, at $125 a shot. Customers can rent one of 30
tobacco lockers in the humidor for $350 a year, or free if you buy your
entire annual stock of stogies there. While businesses often rent lockers
to entertain clients, several single smokers also find it a worthwhile
expense.
One client of Puff the Magic rents
two lockers. The Hyannisport resident, who apparently has money to burn,
"wanted his cigars to be comfortable," Wood said. So he had tiny furniture,
including staircase and piano, installed inside the two lockers. Recently,
the customer purchased two specially designed, limited edition humidors
containing 200 Romeo Y Julietas for $3,500 each. The guy possesses passion
for cigars, Wood said. "When he first started coming in
here, he would just sit in the corner and not say a word," said Wood. "I
thought he hated me." Eventually, the two started talking
and it turned out the gentleman's father had just passed away. His father
smoked cigars. "Cigars to him mean something," Wood said. Another locker renter,
Lauren Litchfield, keeps her tobacco at Puff the Magic because she does
not want to get grief from her 11-year-old son when she lights up at
home.
"He despises smoke," said Litchfield, a travel agent. "So it's my escape.
It's a great place for a cognac and the occasional cigar." Locker renters
Tom and Jennifer Roberts dip into their private stash after going out to
dinner.
"My friends come in and leave cigars in my box," said Roberts, owner of a
marketing firm for accountants. "It's comfortable here and I really
don't like bars," added his wife. Right now, the bar functions much
like a club. Wood and McIntosh know most customers by name. But that could change this summer
when smokers pack the place. In that case, Wood may have to charge a fee
to enter the building if people don't buy enough tobacco. The possibility of
expanding is out of the question because board of health rules prohibit
it. Wood
and McIntosh, who met over a cigar on a cruise ship, have traveled
throughout the world and seen many bars in many countries. They said they
strive to strike a balance between bar and private club. When all the
lockers are sold out, Puff the Magic plans to double the annual fee, so
the first renters become a privileged class indeed. "That's what they do at
the Dunhill Shop in London," Wood said. He recently met a man who still
pays $150 for a locker he rented in the 1960s. The same locker goes for
$5,000 these days. While Wood won't lack for customers, he is not happy about the
smoking ban. He said the board of health gave him only a two-year
variance, at which point, he must re-apply. For the most part, his
customer are also not pleased. But Litchfield, the mother of the
anti-smoking son, had to admit: "I went out to dinner last night and
instead of having four or five cigarettes, I only had one when I had to go
outside. Maybe it will be healthier for all of us." |
Jeff Binder, left, and Bob Burns enjoy cigars
and liquors at Puff the Magic in Hyannis.