The art of waiting

At the St. Louis Pipe Show, I bought myself a tin of Solani Silver Flake. It was priced on the high side for the money I took, but the sample was tasty, and it was a 100g tin. My buddy Jeff, an accomplished enabler, said it would only get better with age.

TOPS Fifth Thursday Meeting

It seems like we just had one of these, but I'll never turn down a Fifth Thursday TOPS meeting.

All around Uptown

With Romeo's moving from downtown Rogers to uptown Bentonville, more changed than just where we light our tobacco. The places I stopped on the way to Romeo's are now in the other direction. While others may and probably do have different priorities, my first task was where to grab my favorite lunch.

Tobacco Video Game Review

I've got a pair of lesser known games to spotlight today, including one that is one of the more unique gaming experiences I've had. Without further ado, I'll leap right into...

Scenes from a Bentonville Pipe Club

The Ozark Pipe Smokers held the inaugural meeting at the new Romeo's Uptown Pipes & Cigars. We had a lucky number (13) in attendance with room to spare, and we didn't even need to utilize the "front porch" area. The club's record attendance was 17, and the new shop feels more than ready for that many and more, without feeling as crowded as even the more sparsely attended meetings at the old shop. Look below to see the spacious accommodations in action.

Romeo's is moving!

Please try to be calm, but Romeo's Downtown Pipe & Tobacco Co. is leaving downtown Rogers. After more than two years, the shop has outgrown its original location, and circumstances have made this the time to find new digs.
The new shop will be at 220C N. Walton Blvd. in Bentonville, sharing a building with Radio Shack, across the street from O'Reilly's.
The new location gives Romeo's more space, and renovations are already underway to make the new shop as enjoyable for an afternoon smoke as the old shop was.
The big move is scheduled for Monday, with the new shop opening Tuesday, March 8.
It's the beginning of a new era for Frank and his little smoke shop and the following they have found in northwest Arkansas. Frank has big ideas for his new shop, and, as the consummate storyteller,
Oh, and there's one more thing. Romeo's is no longer in downtown, so Romeo's is getting a new name. Starting Tuesday, it will be Romeo's Uptown Pipes & Cigars.
Hope to see you all there.

Moving Day is Monday

There have been no shortage of offers for help in Romeo's move from Rogers to Bentonville. Some of the volunteers, particularly those working on building out the new site, are already hard at work. For those who offered to help load the truck, the day is Monday, March 7.
Frank is asking anyone who has offered their help to be at the shop at 5 p.m. Monday. He's hoping for one big trip to get all the furnishings from the old shop to the new one. Because even the larger new shop could get crowded easily, those who would still like to volunteer are unfortunately not needed, although their offer is appreciated.

First club meeting to break in the new shop

The Ozark Pipe Smokers will have their next regularly scheduled meeting Thursday, March 10 at 6:30 p.m., but those going to the usual spot will miss out. This will be our first meeting at Romeo's Uptown, 220C N. Walton Blvd., and we encourage you all to attend what is a historic meeting.
As always, TOPS' meetings are open to anyone, whether they enjoy a relaxing pipe, a fine cigar, or just the tobacco room note. For those who are unfamiliar with our meetings, they are filled with tall tales and long laughs and a cornucopia of tobaccos to try. If you smoke a pipe, I recommend bringing at least three so you can try more than one blend.
This meeting will also be the last to feature our mega-raffle. A mere $5 earns you a ticket that can be entered into one of four drawings.  Up for grabs are a box of Casa Magna cigars, valued at $250, a Thomas Christiano nosewarmer pipe, valued at $180, a G.L. Pease photo calendar featuring 12 beautiful pipe pictures, valued at $50, and a selection of tinned tobaccos. Cash only, but you need not be present to win, so even if you won't be at the meeting, feel free to buy a ticket (or two or three or four...). All proceeds from the raffle will be used to furnish the expanded smoking area at the new Romeo's, so your participation in the raffles directly influences your comfort at the shop.
Again, this will be the first TOPS meeting at Romeo's Uptown, so please come to break in the new shop and say goodbye to the old one.