Publicity

Below, find a list of all the articles we’ve been mentioned in. Our thanks go out to all the publications that recognize our success!

Habana Premium Cigar Shop moves to former Tri-City Luggage

Habana Premium Cigar Shop said this morning it had quadrupled its store space with a move to the former Tri-City Luggage shop at 1645 Central Ave. in Colonie.

The shop also has expanded its inventory to include leather briefcases, pens, wallets, watches, shaving kits hats and pocket knives.

The shop, which began as a cart in 1996 at Colonie Center, previously was located in a 2,000-square-foot space at 1537 Central Ave. The new store occupies 8,400 square feet.

“I believe that history repeats itself. So I’m trying to recreate an old-fashioned Alfred E. Dunhill-type of store that caters to the needs of the discerning man,” said owner Scott Bendett. “Toward that end, we’re integrating some of the Tri-City Luggage business into our new store.”

Cigar shop owner strikes match with owner of luggage store; expands space and offerings

Scott Bendett peddled his first cigars from a cart in Colonie Center in 1996.

Despite pulling in $200,000 that first year, the then 29-year-old had grander plans: He socked away all the money he could to buy his own business.

He bought his first cigar shop in 2003.

Today, the Niskayuna native owns Habana Premium Cigar Shoppe in Colonie and North Greenbush. Together, they generate sales of $5 million a year.

Habana cigar shop opens in new location

Habana Premium Cigar Shop has relocated and opened its new store at 1645 Central Ave. in the former Tri-City Luggage building, about a block from its previous location in Albany, N.Y.

The new location is four times the size of the previous store at 1537 Central Ave. The added space has allowed the shop to broaden its line of cigars, humidors, lighters, pipes, pipe tobaccos, roll-your-own cigarette tobacco and imported cigarettes. The shop incorporates some of the merchandise previously sold at Tri-City, including pens, leather folios, briefcases, wallets, watches, shaving kits, hats and pocket knives.

Smokin’ (and hanging out) in Schenectady

Smoking cigars isn’t the same as lighting up a cigarette. People see stogie smoking as an art and a hobby, says Scott Bendett, who owns Habana Premium Cigar Shoppe in Colonie and Schenectady.

Cigars come in many different shapes, sizes and colors. They’re thick or thin, long or short. Some make you thirsty, others make you drool (you know what we’re talking about — that image of a man gumming on a soggy-tipped cigar). Some even choke you in the back of your throat. And certain smokers like this effect.

Best of the Capital Region – Best Cigar Store

A vote for Habana is a vote for Scotty Bendett, the personable owner who treats customers like family and offers a stellar supply of cigars. “Scotty started Habana Premium Cigar Shoppe with 15 boxes of cigars and a dream,” reads Habana’s Web site.

A Pipe Dream For Days of Old By LENORE SKENAZY | June 15, 2007

“After the 1964 Surgeon General’s report came out, there was a big influx of pipe smokers because the report said that pipe smokers actually lived longer than the nonsmokers,” Mr. Stanion said.

“Now those numbers have changed,” he added. But he still thinks there was some truth in them.

So does the owner of the Habana Premium Cigar Shop in Albany, Scott Bendett.

“If you saw some of the fossils who come in here for their pipes … ,” he said. “If this is so horrible for you, how come this guy is 99 years old?”

Mr. Bendett believes pipes fell out of favor simply because of the time they take. “When your husband comes home, does he sit on the couch and wait for dinner?” he asked. “That’s what my dad did. He didn’t do dishes. He didn’t do anything. He had time to sit around and smoke a pipe.”

Colonie pipe and cigar shop operator says walk-in and Internet business is booming

The upstairs lounge, a comfortable space with leather chairs and free soda in the mini-fridge, at Scott Bendett‘s store is one of the few remaining public places in which it’s acceptable to light up. Despite a declining number of smokers in the state, Bendett, who runs the Habana Premium Cigar Shoppe in Colonie, said business is thriving.