Step inside the newly opened Third Street Cigar in Waterville and you’ll not only find plenty of stogies, you’ll find a big slice of local history to ponder while shopping or lighting up a smoke.
On one first-floor wall is a life-sized photo of the store taken in 1890 when it was R.W. Rupp’s Dry Goods (note that they sold Dutch Masters cigars).
On the opposite wall is an assortment of black-and-white portraits of blues artists, all of them taken locally by local photographers—most by John Gibbs Rockwood and John Kuser.
“We bought the building and we wanted to capture the historical theme,” said John Henry, one of four primary owners along with Dave Webb, Tom Clark, and Randy Tucker.
Henry is a hardcore music fan who has been collecting memorabilia for decades. With the display of Rockwood and Kuser photos, he’s made Third Street Cigar a double-feature with its stogie selection and a local version of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The historic building has been extensively remodeled, with hickory floors, leather chairs, two 70-inch TV screens, conference rooms that can be reserved (no charge), free wi-fi access, and a private members’ lounge now under construction.
Walk-in humidor
Walk-in humidorThe walk-in Spanish-cedar humidor, custom built by co-investors David Graven and Bob Miller, differs from most cigar stores, Henry said, because it contains only stogies for sale. No retail space is needed for storage because there’s a second humidor for that purpose in the basement. The shelves are well lighted, the cigars clearly labeled, and the humidity computer-controlled at a perfect 70 percent.
When Nick Perdomo, renowned cigar maker, visited the Waterville shop and saw the humidor with its vaulted ceiling and spacious displays, he told Graven and Henry they had the second-best one he’d ever seen—after his own.
“You can look at the cigar business like this,” Henry explained. “There’s the price buyer; they’re going to buy their sticks online. There’s the convenience buyer, they’ll go to the closest cigar store. We sell relationships, ambiance, the whole experience. We’re trying to capture the whole rock thing.”
Henry has mapped out the rock displays with great thought and attention to detail. The first floor features traditional blues artists who paved the way for rock and roll. The photos, with engraved labels, include Little Walter Mitchell, Art and Roman Griswold, Muddy Waters, B.B. King, and Bo Diddley at Hines Farm.
From Bowie to ZZ Top
Upstairs, the concert shots include Freddie Mercury of Queen, Elvis Presley in 1956 at the Toledo Sports Arena, Van Halen at the Sports Arena in 1979, Carlos Santana at the Toledo Zoo, Bob Dylan, Rush, Styx, David Bowie in 1974, Simon and Garfunkel at the University of Toledo homecoming in 1973, Frank Zappa backstage at the Sports Arena in 1974, and even ZZ Top before they sported bushy beards. (Prints of the framed photos will be available for purchase.)
Henry is adding signed guitars and block-print posters. The second floor, with more leather chairs and the TV screens, is called the Big Jack Reynolds Lounge, named for the late Toledo bluesman. And there’s more than just a name attached to Big Jack’s lounge. Henry plans to display the bluesman’s guitars and harmonicas and, on a landing leading up to the room, there’s a framed portrait and a blue-and-gold urn containing Reynolds’ ashes.
Henry, who was a friend of Reynolds, said it’s a long story how he ended up with the ashes, but he believes Big Jack would be pleased to find his final resting place among Toledo’s musical masters and memories.
Third Street Cigar, 20 N. Third St., Waterville, is now open but will celebrate its grand opening with festivities July 11 and 12 including live music by Curtis Grant Jr. and the Midnight Rockers, 6 to 9 pm July 11.
Information: 419-441-0020 thirdstreetcigar.blogspot.com.
