Soulard seems to have everything: a farmers market, restaurants, bars. Ah, but not a cigar shop – that is, until business partners Fred Barrera and Jimmy Turner opened Gran Cru Cigars earlier this month at 1030 Ann Ave.
Both a cigar retailer and lounge, Gran Cru Cigars carries a significant selection of boutique cigar lines. “Seventy-five percent is from micro-makers,” said Barrera, who became a cigar aficionado in the late 1990s. He learned the cigar-making process and now even rolls cigars at private events. “The lines [of cigars] we’re having are more exposed now. People are excited about seeing new and different things,” he said, likening the rise of micro cigar-makers to the surge of microbreweries. Gran Cru also carries cigars from well-known lines such as Monte Cristo and Padron, Barrera noted.
Those who want to smoke their stogie on-site can take a seat in Gran Cru lounge, which is humidity controlled and has an air evacuation system, meaning “there’s no smoke billowing around the room,” said Barrera. Gran Cru also rents individual temperature-controlled cigar lockers for those who want to store their stash at the shop.
This article appears in August 2013.