Today we’d like to introduce you to Jimmy Lewis.
Jimmy, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started working in the cigar industry over 10 years ago in Lynchburg, Virginia while I was in college. During that time we often had people driving all the way from Roanoke to Lynchburg for a cigar lounge experience since there wasn’t anything comparable in Roanoke. Unfortunately, I couldn’t help fill this gap for quite some time, but I always knew I still wanted to bring the community and experience of a cigar lounge to Roanoke. Fortunately, last year we were able to do that.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
It took us several months to open our doors. Between bad contractors and the slow bureaucracy of local government, we opened about 6 months later than we hoped to.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
There are a few things that set us apart from others in our arena. Firstly, though we are a business, we don’t see our relationships with our customers as transactional — they’re relational and intentional. We are open from 10am-10pm every day and noon-8pm on Sunday – always. We close for Christmas and that is it. Thanksgiving? Open. Snow storm? Open. Three day weekend? Open. Why? Because a cigar lounge is supposed to be about community, and we don’t want anyone spending a Thanksgiving alone when they could be in a warm room with warm conversation instead, so we’re always there for our guests. Secondly, although we carry many of the classic old cigar brands that everyone knows and loves, we specialize in boutique (younger, lesser known) cigar brands as well. This means that any time you walk into our 150sqft humidor you’re bound to see something you haven’t tried before. We always want to bring the highest quality cigar brands to the Roanoke valley, and often times that means experimenting with new and unique brands. Lastly, we are a premiere event space in downtown Roanoke. We host several events throughout the year, including private events for people who want to reserve the lounge, and we always make it a unique experience for everyone involved.
What makes you happy?
Last Thanksgiving we had eight people in our lounge. None of them had ever met before, but they all left together and rendezvoused at the home of one of the couples there. That’s what makes me happy; seeing people make genuine connections and friendships in our space. We’ve also had people connect others in the lounge with jobs, fix one another’s cars or mechanical issues at home, and there are groups that meet at the lounge every week just to unwind together. That’s what we want. That’s why we do the work we do and meticulously ensure that everything is optimized for our guests’ experience.
Pricing:
- The average cigar in our humidor is around $14
- You can rent the lounge for a private event. Prices vary depending on day of the week.
- We also provide humidors full of cigars to other local businesses (email for pricing)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bisonheadcigar.com/
- Instagram: @bison_head_cigar_lounge
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61573176428075
