1. Relaxing atmosphere.
2. Helpful/Nice employees.
3. WiFi.
4. BYOB

I was thinking about starting my own B/M her also, but the amount to lease property here wouldn't make it feasable. That's why all the local B&M in Northern VA mark up their cigars, rent is too expensive.

Having WiFi and BYOB will create that enviroment where people would like to actually stay there long periods of time and just relax. With more customers staying longer, they'll tend to buy more cigars and smoke it there on the spot.

Another idea (might want to make sure you can do this) is to have private rooms with a table. You can rent it out for free for 1 hour or 2 to anyone who purchases $100+ worth of cigars. So, local customers who have weekly poker games can use that room to play poker. You are just providing a room and a table (whether normal table or a felt table), so the customer would have to bring their own poker chips and cards. 6-8 players, that's new customers for the store and you get business for the 2-3 hours they are there drinking and smoking.

There are a lot of ways to improve on a B&M. Just as long as you have cheap rent, and a great selections, it will be successful.

Andrew