The Wooden Indian Expeditions

[Smoked!]

Shop: The Brass Pipe – Ft. Pierce, FL 34982

Location: This shop has stood at the corner of US 1 and Virginia Avenue in Historic Ft. Pierce for approximately 35 years.




Wooden Indian: Oh, yes! This is an excellent Cigar Store Chieftain. The store arrangement is a little different than you may expect. Look at the merchandise in the background. I’ll explain. Check it out:










Atmosphere: The Brass Pipe has been through many changes in recent years. I can remember when essentially the entire store was a walk-in dedicated to cigars and pipes. They are still focused on tobacco, but also sell magazines, some adult material, and non-tobacco smoking paraphernalia. When communities change, shops have to adjust in order to survive. I’m not saying that it’s right, but I can understand.

Service: The guy at the counter was awesome. He didn’t approach me, but when I initiated a conversation has was more than willing to discuss the shop and its wares. He was very friendly, candid, and engaging. Plus, he has a cool handlebar mustache.

Walk-in: The square footage dedicated to the cigar humidor has been reduced. This is one of the alterations since my last stop at the Brass Pipe; it’s a reflection of the changed merchandise mix. It’s also partly a result of the hurricane destruction back in 2004 and 2005. When the roof blew off, they had an opportunity to reevaluate the design and came up with the current configuration. The humidor is still a respectable size and the temperature/humidity conditions seem about right.






Cigars: There is a good selection of brands and sizes. I noticed a healthy selection of Padron Anniversary editions – and I mean boxes upon boxes of them. You can see them on the upper right on the back wall. Prices are fair for the market.

Merchandise: Aside from the non-cigar related articles, they stock a nice selection of desktop humidors, cutters, lighters, and travel related gear. Prices seem a little better than other outlets in the area.

[Smoked!]

The Brass Pipe – Ft. Pierce, FL
(Part Two – Putting the “pipe” in The Brass Pipe.)

Additional offerings: The most unique merchandise is the display of Meerschaum pipes. I believe these have been in the shop for many, many years. They are hand made in Turkey and signed by the artist that carved them. I don’t know much about pipes, but these are exceptionally well priced compared to others of similar quality that I have seen. Check out the detail and craftsmanship on these.












Summary: This is a great little cigar store. Where else can you can get a cigar, a magazine, and a h@sh-pipe all in the same place. *sigh* It’s a one-stop vice shop. If you find yourself passing through Ft. Pierce for business or pleasure, make it a point to stop in and say hello to the guys at the Brass Pipe. Pick up a few cigars or some pipe tobacco, too.


Disclaimer and Full Disclosure:
Do not smoke too much; it is bad for you. I have the utmost respect for our Native American brothers. They never wear metallic armor. Ice cream is good. Sometimes I use Stay-Puft marshmallows in hot cocoa. I have no financial interest or ownership interest in any cigar shop, store, retailer, wholesaler, distributor, manufacturer, packager, shipper, stevedore, roller, farmer, harvester, or tobacco farm land lease holder, nor do I receive any other benefit, explicit or implied, from the inclusion of or review of any establishment herein named, referred to, or otherwise described. One guy did give me a free cigar. I do watch the Big Bang Theory on CBS. I think Wooden Indians are cool.

[prophetic_joe]

Definitely a slick store. I am not a huge fan of the Indian, to feminine for me. excellent detail and carving work done there just not a tough enough looking chief. Very cool store though. Keep it up.

[mrtr33]

Another great store review. Thanks so much for these! I always look forward to them.

We went to St. Augustine this past summer. There were a few shops around, but not really much selection. Then again, St. Augustine is a tourist trap.

[cinda]

[Smoked!]

Joe - Yeah, he does look a little soft for a Chief. I was informed that this is not the store's first Indian sculpture. The original is at the owner's residence... that's the story anyway.

mrtr33 - Thank you for the compliment. I have been to St. Augustine many times. The historic sites are interesting and I liked the beach, but there's not much more going on there.

Cinda -

[droz]

I love these posts, you have got a perfect mix of great writing and well captured photos. Keep up the good work, it is the first post I check when I log on. Great stuff.

[Smoked!]

Is That a Fact? #8 Not all Cigar Store Indians are created equal. The original European “Virginian” statues, or “Virginie Men”, were often depicted as black men adorned with feathered headdresses and wearing kilts made of tobacco leaves. Few European sculptors had ever seen a Native American. The American made Cigar Store Indians were clothed in fringed buckskins, draped with blankets, and decorated with feathered headdresses. They were sometimes shown holding a tomahawk, a spear, or a bow and arrows. Most of these "generic" statues rarely resembled members of any particular American Indian tribe. (cigarstoreindian dot com) Very few were crafted in Terra-cotta.