[RevSmoke]

Originally Posted by OLS

I would say that we are in another boom in one respect. I can't speak for anyone here, but I THINK
that what happened now not-so-recently, in Chicago, scared a lot of people back to the B&Ms. This
might lead to a bit of a boom as people who were poised to grow these great big collections of havanas
are forced by fear and intimidation and a lack of vendor support to fall back on the old standbys.

Couple that with the fact that even the people who were never in the market for havanas are all of a sudden
burning up the forums with requests for lists of "cheaper cigars that are good", increasing the business
of the Holt's, JRs and eek Thompson's. By design this increases the number of cigars sold by the BIG players
as they sell these generally cheaper 'cuban-branded' smokes by the big players.

Then add to that the previously discussed strategies of the boutique guys, who seem to realize that
their time in the game might be short, so they maximize the cash flow NOW with these must-have limited
editions. To me it even creates two distinct types of cigar stores. You have the old guard who are bound
by tradition or contract to offer ALL of the brands from the big players, who are also increasing their lines
and need for shelf space. Then you have the mavericks who will not be dictated to by Altadis who
can still have a kick a55 store by offering all of the boutiques that are more in demand and snubbing the
Altadis stuff altogether. But even though smoking laws are drying up the real estate that's smoke-friendly,
people still want to smoke and will find someplace to do it. I think on balance, we can be considered
in a mini-boom, constrained only by the crappy economy.

And you know how I know it?? Ask most retailers who will tell you the truth, and they will tell you demand
has slipped very little in 15 years.

Some interesting thoughts to ponder there. Thanks for the imput.