Union Cigar Club
Filed in: Pennsylvania
Union Cigar Club:
This week George and I had the chance and the great fortune to visit the Union Cigar Club in Gettysburg, PA. Like anything else, we had no idea what to expect, and in the end, we were very happy with the decision to pay them a visit. If you find yourself in the area, look them up.
Union Cigar Club
5 Baltimore St
Gettysburg, PA 17325-2306
(717) 339-0009
Get directions
The storefront is painted in Union blue with the store name in gold cursive bracketed by two shields painted like Old Glory, which gives you the feeling that this place could have existed during the Civil War and would have fit right in. Very classy. The place looks small and quiet from the outside, but once you open the front door, the place jumps out at you with the cigar and coffee bar in front of you, and the cabinet style humidors to your right. When we got there, the bar was full of patrons dutifully puffing on cigars and shooting the breeze.
Behind the bar we met Ben, the store clerk, barista, budding cigar pro, and all around great guy. He made us feel right at home and it was apparent that he loved his job, and loved working around cigars. Ben is a local and his knowledge is not limited to the store only. If there is something you need to find in the Gettysburg area, just ask Ben.
The next guy we met was Bill, the store proprietor. Bill described himself as a guy who is short, fat, and talked too much. Bill’s self deprecating way and blue-collar sense of humor is as disarming as his words are almost hypnotic. When we sat down in the back lounge adorned with comfy leather sofas and chairs, Bill proceeded to school us in everything from his childhood on the tough streets of South Philly, to the ins and outs of running a business. Bill might think that he talks too much, but I could have sat there all day picking his brain. Bill is a man’s man and it shows.
George, Bill, and John.
His clientele ranges from businessmen to war heroes, to college kids and the local "tough kids", as Bill put it. Everyone that walks into Bill’s place is treated with equal honor and respect, befitting a man who understands the old ways of customer service, and that the customer is always right. The cigar selection is more than ample, and the neophyte cigar smoker to the aficionado will find that there is something for everyone to smoke.
The inside of the Union Cigar Club is very classily designed with gold and maroon paint on the walls, and the same Union blue on the door trim and a dark colored chair rail running the entire length of the walls. There are ceiling fans, ample but properly adjusted lighting, a big screen flat panel T.V., good music playing, free fresh coffee, sodas, accessories, cutters, humidors, and everything else you could need. The large poster style pictures are original cigar box tops framed and hung on the walls of the back lounge. All of it works very well. I found the mood and atmosphere to be very warm and inviting, and found myself sucked into conversations with everyone in the place. This is a man’s joint for sure. I almost forgot to mention Mosby. He is named after John Mosby, the so called "Gray Ghost", a Confederate cavalry battalion commander who fought in Gettysburg during the Civil War. He is a handsome boy and tied it all together. Every cigar shop should have a shop dog like Mosby. When he wasn’t sleeping and lounging around, he was up for some spirited play. He even liked George!
The back lounge & Mosby
George & Mosby
Mosby
The back lounge.
All in all, it was a day well spent and the hours flew by. Thanks Bill.
This week George and I had the chance and the great fortune to visit the Union Cigar Club in Gettysburg, PA. Like anything else, we had no idea what to expect, and in the end, we were very happy with the decision to pay them a visit. If you find yourself in the area, look them up.
Union Cigar Club
5 Baltimore St
Gettysburg, PA 17325-2306
(717) 339-0009
Get directions
The storefront is painted in Union blue with the store name in gold cursive bracketed by two shields painted like Old Glory, which gives you the feeling that this place could have existed during the Civil War and would have fit right in. Very classy. The place looks small and quiet from the outside, but once you open the front door, the place jumps out at you with the cigar and coffee bar in front of you, and the cabinet style humidors to your right. When we got there, the bar was full of patrons dutifully puffing on cigars and shooting the breeze.
Behind the bar we met Ben, the store clerk, barista, budding cigar pro, and all around great guy. He made us feel right at home and it was apparent that he loved his job, and loved working around cigars. Ben is a local and his knowledge is not limited to the store only. If there is something you need to find in the Gettysburg area, just ask Ben.
The next guy we met was Bill, the store proprietor. Bill described himself as a guy who is short, fat, and talked too much. Bill’s self deprecating way and blue-collar sense of humor is as disarming as his words are almost hypnotic. When we sat down in the back lounge adorned with comfy leather sofas and chairs, Bill proceeded to school us in everything from his childhood on the tough streets of South Philly, to the ins and outs of running a business. Bill might think that he talks too much, but I could have sat there all day picking his brain. Bill is a man’s man and it shows.
George, Bill, and John.
His clientele ranges from businessmen to war heroes, to college kids and the local "tough kids", as Bill put it. Everyone that walks into Bill’s place is treated with equal honor and respect, befitting a man who understands the old ways of customer service, and that the customer is always right. The cigar selection is more than ample, and the neophyte cigar smoker to the aficionado will find that there is something for everyone to smoke.
The inside of the Union Cigar Club is very classily designed with gold and maroon paint on the walls, and the same Union blue on the door trim and a dark colored chair rail running the entire length of the walls. There are ceiling fans, ample but properly adjusted lighting, a big screen flat panel T.V., good music playing, free fresh coffee, sodas, accessories, cutters, humidors, and everything else you could need. The large poster style pictures are original cigar box tops framed and hung on the walls of the back lounge. All of it works very well. I found the mood and atmosphere to be very warm and inviting, and found myself sucked into conversations with everyone in the place. This is a man’s joint for sure. I almost forgot to mention Mosby. He is named after John Mosby, the so called "Gray Ghost", a Confederate cavalry battalion commander who fought in Gettysburg during the Civil War. He is a handsome boy and tied it all together. Every cigar shop should have a shop dog like Mosby. When he wasn’t sleeping and lounging around, he was up for some spirited play. He even liked George!
The back lounge & Mosby
George & Mosby
Mosby
The back lounge.
All in all, it was a day well spent and the hours flew by. Thanks Bill.
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