The Story of Cigar King
From Chicago to Scottsdale
I was sitting in my office this morning and reflecting on my personal history. You see I haven’t been in the cigar business for 40 years. Rather I started my career as a commodity trader at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Learning everything I could from veteran traders wasn’t easy, but I absorbed everything I could to better myself and grow as a responsible trader. The life isn’t an easy one. It’s high stress and requires a great deal of patience and understanding.
One thing that caught my attention and ended up being my impetus for leaving the “trader” life was a fine, premium cigar. Many of my mentors and friends would venture out after a day of trading and smoke a cigar on the Lakefront. It was a tremendous opportunity to relax and “vacation” for an hour. So, I decided to buy my father’s store in the suburbs and turn it into the ultimate cigar lounge where people could enjoy a good cigar year round in a comfortable setting akin to their own living room. The Cigar King was born.
I’ll fast forward a bit here. The Cigar King in Skokie, IL quickly established a reputation (that it still holds to this day) as a premier destination for cigar smokers. I established a premier mail order web site (www.cigarking.com) where customers all over the world could purchase their favorite premium cigars at discount prices. This business grew by leaps and bounds and I was ready for another challenge.
So, I headed out west and settled in the Scottsdale, AZ area. I moved CigarKing.com out here and opened another retail location in the middle of an industrial park. It may not seem like the best location for a cigar lounge, but it has many advantages in this day and age. The “smoking police” don’t bother us. We’ve got plenty of parking and a facility that is a true oasis for cigar smokers. It’s the perfect spot to enjoy a cigar!
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mitchel Hirsh - Cigar King
Mitchel Hirsh, owner of Cigar King and Arizona Fine Time, has been working the retail trade since 1960. His father started one of the 1st discount beauty stores in the Chicago area and began teaching him the ins and outs of retail at a very early age.
Throughout out his life, premium cigars, fine watches, and luxury goods have always been a hobby and a passion. After a successful run as a commodity trader at Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Mitchel decided to retire and return to his roots in retail. He purchased his father’s business and began the transformation from a discount store into one of the premier retailers for premium cigars in the country; The Cigar King was born.
The Cigar King is a place where customers can smoke and enjoy a premium cigar and choose from a selection of 200 brands. Displays filled with any type of accessory the mind could imagine line the store, and a beautiful lounge is available for consumers to smoke their cigars in comfort. Realizing he had a captive audience of consumers with a fondness for the finer things in life, Mitchel called on one of his other passions and created Arizona Fine Time, a boutique watch store.
Today, Arizona Fine Time stocks over fifteen unique lines that are exclusive to AZFineTime.com in Arizona if not the entire US. Built beautifully into a nook at the Cigar King, his dream blossomed into a solid business that allows him to work on projects that he has been passionate about for over 40 years.