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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nBut how does a shared cigar invite conversation and relaxation? Gary Thomas, the owner, knows why it works for him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy dad smoked cigars. He never lit his cigar; he chewed on it. Everybody\u2019s got that story. Everybody knows that\u2019s what a lot of men did back in those days. They were too busy to worry about keeping it lit, so they chewed on them to get the nicotine out,\u201d Thomas said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cigars could narrate Thomas\u2019s life story. They were there when he rode the highs and lows of each new business venture. They were there when he and his wife, Peggy, retired to Tampa, Florida. And they were there when he lost his wife to COVID-19.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was in Tampa, known as \u201cCigar City,\u201d where Thomas acquired a wealth of stogey knowledge, which held more value than he realized at the time. Wanting to be closer to his adult children and grandchildren, he moved to Fayetteville following the loss of his wife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy son is a golfer, and we were sitting at the house one day, and he said, \u2018Dad, you\u2019ve got to do something. You\u2019re gaining weight. You\u2019re not exercising; you\u2019re not doing anything,\u2019\u201d said Thomas, who agreed and asked for his son\u2019s suggestions on better spending his time. The answer was to open a cigar shop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI said, \u2018It\u2019s a great idea.\u2019 So that\u2019s how Bogart\u2019s started. And that\u2019s how I ended up here,\u201d said Thomas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Named for the golden retriever who\u2019d bring his cigars, Bogart\u2019s name is another chapter in Thomas\u2019s story. \u201cBogart would bring my cigar case and sit outside with me. Most people think we\u2019re named after Humphrey Bogart, but he didn\u2019t smoke cigars. He was a cigarette smoker,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dispelling common misconceptions about the lounge, Thomas said, \u201cIt\u2019s just a great place; it\u2019s not a bar. There\u2019s no bar in the building.\u201d What is in the building sets the stage and atmosphere for story-swapping, relaxing, and making connections. Leather chairs throughout the building invite you to stay as long as you\u2019d like. There\u2019s a room with big screen TVs so you don\u2019t miss that important game or network news, and darts or tabletop shuffleboard in the game room feeds your competitive spirit. When weather permits, the large patio out back is open. Every square inch of the place invites discussions and an exchange of ideas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe have those conversations, and nobody gets angry. It\u2019s not a shouting, screaming match,\u201d Thomas said. \u201cIt\u2019s just a fun place to hang out. It\u2019s become a destination place for a lot of people. You\u2019re welcome to come in and stay for 10 minutes, two hours, or all day; we don\u2019t care. That\u2019s kind of the purpose of the place. You\u2019ve got to experience it to really understand what I\u2019m trying to say.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n While your first thoughts may be that Bogart\u2019s Cigar Lounge is a \u201cguys\u2019 place,\u201d Thomas sees firsthand that women enjoy the atmosphere and cigars, too. Thomas said, \u201cWe have a lot of women that come in, and they smoke cigars, believe it or not. We also have some little flavored boutique cigars for the ladies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In February, Bogart\u2019s Cigar Lounge hosted live music by Piper & The Hard Times, the first-place winner in The Blues Foundation\u2019s 2024 International Blues Challenge. Other live music events are to come. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The lounge is where the fragrance of camaraderie lingers long after the last cigar is extinguished. The world beyond may be waiting, but within Bogart\u2019s Cigar Lounge, the stories continue to unfold, and the echoes of laughter and quiet conversation affirm the magic that happens when diverse souls come together over shared cigars and stories. GN<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" AS YOU step into Bogart\u2019s Cigar Lounge, the door shuts in the face of whatever is weighing on you. The scent of rich, aged tobacco mingles with the lively hum of diverse voices engaged in captivating conversations. It\u2019s a haven for the unconventional, the curious, and those seeking respite from the mundane. It\u2019s where the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":22333,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22331","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-feature"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/fayetteville\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2024\/05\/Cigar-Lounge-3-1024x683.png\")
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