Home News Local News Local couple unveils new cigar shop in Cutchogue

Local couple unveils new cigar shop in Cutchogue

A new, top-of-the-line cigar shop is opening its doors on Main Street in Cutchogue — and the project is a labor of love for one local couple.

North Fork Cigars & Fine Gifts is slated to have its grand opening on March 15, offering over 100 different types of cigars, according to Rachel Johnson, who is launching the shop with her husband Todd.

“My husband and I decided to open a cigar shop together because what started out as a hobby had become much more. Cigars are complex and dynamic in flavor and can be enjoyed with a fine meal, brandy, wine or round of golf — anywhere, really,” she said. “It’s fun to try different types and brands; you can really build an appreciation for the depth that they lend.”

The store, she added, also offers a creative outlet for her husband. “He loves working with his hands, designing and creating. An artist’s mind is never at rest. We have worked together for the past ten years as owners and operators of our other business, Peconic Energy Corp. in Cutchogue, so we know that we work well together and have a passion for business.”

The couple plans to offer a range of cigars that will “appeal to all palates, from strong to mild, as well as varied wrappers — natural, maduro, Connecticut, etc.,” she said. “The cigars are stored in our temperature and humidity controlled humidors, which are lined with Spanish cedar.”

Some of the more recognizable brands that will be offered include Acid, Arturo Fuente, Ashton, Avo, Baccarat, Camacho, Cohiba, Davidoff, Griffen, La Aroma, Macanudo, Montecristo, Nat Sherman, Nub, Olivia, Padron, Punch, Rocky Patel, Romeo y Julieta, and Zino.

In addition, the Johnsons will also carry the full line of Xikar lighters, cutters and punches, as well as Brizard cigar cases, humidors and smoking accessories and Visol ashtrays.

Along with cigars, Johnson said, the shop will carry a selection of “beautiful pens and wine stoppers handcrafted by my husband. He works with each customer to select a color and style and makes each pen or wine stopper by hand,” with over 400 styles, colors and designs to choose from.

Also available will be a large selection of knives, from brands including Yellowhorse, Almar, Boker, Fallkniven, Frost, Grohmann, Katz, McCusta, Moki, and Puma.

“We are also very excited to be working with Laguiole de Aubrac,” Johnson said. “The company is located in the South of France and custom makes each knife by hand, an over-200-step process, that take approximately six weeks from start to finish.”

The handles, she said, are made with unique materials such as mammoth ivory, ebony and precious woods, and the blades are forged in the same manner as was used in the 1800s.

“The bee that decorates each spring plate is a well recognized symbol of prestige, and we are happy to bring these celebrated knives to the United States,” she said.

The first shipment of knives is expected next month, Johnson said.

The shop will also offer gift certificates, as well as a possible cigar of the month club, where new types and brands would be featured.

The couple, who live about a mile from their shop, said Cutchogue was the ideal spot to bring their dream to reality. Johnson was born and raised in the hamlet and her husband moved to Cutchogue about 30 years ago.

“The North Fork, and especially Cutchogue, is the perfect place for this venture,” Johnson said. “When I went to college, and people asked where I was from, no one had heard of our little town. Now we are on the map. The North Fork offers everything and anything anyone could want — great beaches, beautiful wineries, great food, and wonderful people. Why not great cigars, too?”

The shop is located at 28100 Main Road, in the space formerly occupied by the couple’s accountant, Scott Hunzinger.

“When we heard that Scott was moving two blocks east, we were so excited. The building and the shop were perfect, right down to the custom woodwork and old feel. The building was built in the 1930s and truly is a part of Cutchogue’s history. We look forward to meeting and getting to know our customers, and who knows? You might even get the chance to meet our Blue French Bulldog, Geronimo, who inspired the artist’s rendering of our logo.”

North Fork Cigars & Fine Gifts will be open Wednesday through Monday, from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. For additional information, call 631-734-5130 or go to www.northforkcigars.com.

SHARE