New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-09-05
OID-TIME TOBACCO SHOPS.
THAT DO NOT MARK
PREsENT-DAY MARTs.
49,. erorrs OF THE rIFT1Es TOOK THE PLACE
OF CLUBS FOR MAINTAINING TOBACCO
OVER THE COUNTE

r,bo oues,j71 is often asked by people who can
--.,,,I,,r things that took place away back IN
tho 0rtles." but the younger generation never
cav the institution and the tobacco shop ol 'i'9
d,vs Of their grsndCathers Is not known even
bv ricture or description. 1t was grdduaIy ou'
steadily crowded out of existence until 'o-u'! "
bas, become a dim recollection. There are d -
rlaces still in existence in New-1 ork winch o.
,o,,.r az old-tirne tobacco shops, but they nave
no real claim to the title. Inc P'H0' -
enough to merit the name. but with age 'h'y "
came transformed The old fixtures nave
replaced by modern counters, shelves ara o"'e''
Eva s,ocl, Of s,,ods had to be "up to date 10 IN
,rra continuance Of the old patrons Eoo""''i'
-, ,i..,. Nv, little the old stores have pecofiie
-. until the anti1ue picture VANISHED eht"eiy
and only the frame was Iei' .
,,ba tobacco shop OF the old days was the meet
tho nloca for congenial spirits as Wen aS 'iie
ho,d,rartars for pipes. tobacco and snun' anu III
emo Localities for cigars. There were 'ooaNO0
s.oros in Network where the regular patrons
,,ar. professional men. where scientific qnestonS
49, 7is,IIss,d and there were shops where the
.,,,,,.rs le,onged 10 the lower strata OF Soc'ey'
~, ,..rrrt-sr lremen had their iaVorlte ShoPS'
,.,, politicians tn merchants large ana
call and even church factions had ther PA4
t,crIar tobacco shop where many lniorh'di h'ee'
i,es ,y,re held The Indian sign was Ill Senoi"'
rso and while little shops were content win
miniature brave or squaw. the more pFe'eh'ous
,,.,e had ufe-size figures. Some of the shops
where the majority Of customers belonged 10 "
c,rtoi, class digregarded the unwritten law as 10
I'M. Indian sign and had sailors. hremen or SUI
d;,rs made Of wood and painted in bright co.ors
T., front Of their places Of business y hs u'e
made to represent Lord Raleigh with buhch Oh
tobacco in one hand and a pipe in me other was
f,r many years the sign in front OF an last
Broadway place. and figures Of Columbus
prrcb Pocatontas and clowns Of all KINDS were
scattered literally among the legitimate Ihuiah
tobacco signs.
PLANNED IN THE SHOPS.
1-v,,,r,iors dances parties. fights and political
,-,,"~,,,.r,s we're planned IN the tobacco shops
Chairs and benches were necessary arucieS ..
,,rrit,,re and many customers came and spent
o,lv time except when their tobacco po"ches
needed raDlenishing Then the proprietor "ou-d
mako mixture for lis customer with the care
Of an apoth.cary compoundlng prescription
T5a Lnavy the pecl.liarties of his various paois'
and # he was of the popular class he hAd d NIX
ture 20 suit any taste. The tobacco 0''II1 -
barrels and crooks in plugs and t"4s'S' XIV V''
smoker had an idea that his particular cO'"o'
nation Vas the best. IN the back ROOMS u -'''"'
Of the early tobacco shops there were S'''',
tables where the patrons pla!cd uo'H''o d."
cards and In many respects these places "a O'''
rsss took the place OF clubs. the PIPE P'aSeu
sr f-,nortant part in the lives Of many men Al
those davs and the habitual smoker c!uhs u MS
.obacco man no matter where he went because
ne alone could make the particular pipe h'IA'u'V
which Just suited his taste
There we're many shops kept by men WHO cou'
max. cigars. where part of the place was &C.
voted 70 cigarmaking, and customers "'u'' guy
tbeir daily quota Of cigars direct IIOH' '
~, and when the proprietor received new
batch Of tobacco or when he hao M up0I :"
bo,nv combination Of filler, binder and wrapper
.o,s ,,,,,ld receive the benefit OF it. and
disc1eeors as 10 the merits Of the various 10
baccos would follow.
THE WAR BROKE 1T U.
.The war broke up the oll tobacco shop slid
an old man, Just it did slavery Inc war
brought tax on tobacco and Cigars anu 'le 'i''
s+o,,ad selling from the bench and mixing over
tba counter Some OF the lower c.ass She 2s De-
came policy shops, some degenerated in'' sa-
L.. In, the better class Of these places Of busi-
ness was succeeded Ivy the cigar store OF To-Day
,,,i,, fs , NOR. Ike the olI-tirne article than
F;ftb-ava hotel ia like New-Eng!and tavern.
The al..a,c. Or chairs and benches shows that
the social PAT q The business has been dropped
and only the mercantile end remains
The smoking mixtures which made the Varl-
ors places POPULAR have outlived the shops and
many OF the popular brands Of to-day had their
origin before the war. A large manufacturer
whose father started he business lin the iiftes
tolls Of The many notable NewYorkers who used
to come to the shop for their particular mixture
The stamp act compelled the dealer to put the