By Nancy Edwards
Barbara Munchel began smoking cigars in college just to shock people. She wanted to prove she was a feminist.
“Once I got over that (phase), I thought ‘I like cigars, Now what do I do?’” she asked.
Today she manages Cigar Haven at 11017 Allisonville Rd.
“I am extremely fortunate,” Munchel said of the opportunity to manage the store under Gene Burt, the owner. “He knew my passion for cigars and said he’d find a way to make it happen.”
Since 2005, Munchel and her 75-pound English bulldog, Mouse, have been greeting customers as they walk through the door. Mouse is often found sitting in a leather chair as patrons enter.
“We’re a package deal,” she said.
Cigar Haven has a room within the store where regular customers gather and kick back with an adult beverage and cigar.
“We are like (the TV show) ‘Cheers,’” she said. “We have our Norm and our Sam. You see the same people. Most cigar smokers are the most independent, self-assured group that you will ever meet.”
Munchel said people often become cigar smokers due to bonding over common rituals, such as the birth of a baby, a golf outing, and at weddings, as “an excuse to get off the dance floor.”
“Cigars are just so relaxing,” she said. “There’s that period of time where life is pretty good and you forget about your problems.”
