Colchester Sam's Aroma House opens in Culver Street West (in Essex, United Kingdom)

[JohnS]

Colchester is a town located 50 miles (or 80 kilometres) north-east of London in the county of Essex. We wish Sam all the best with this business venture in Colchester...

Colchester Sam's Aroma House opens in Culver Street West

New - Sam's Aroma House (Image: Newsquest)

By Cameron Poole - 16th January

A COLCHESTER businessman is promising to give the city "something different" after moving into the former site of a restaurant with plans to create a "luxurious cigar lounge".

Sasan Nejad, 49, better known as Sam, has lived and worked in Colchester since 2004.

The businessman used to run Sam’s Convenience in Crouch Street and other ventures across the city.

Now, he’s set up Sam’s Aroma House at 7 Culver Street West, the former location of Hank’s Colchester.

Boss - Sasan Nejad (Image: Newsquest)

Hank’s Colchester was a popular vegan restaurant which opened in July 2021, but it closed last May after trouble with investment in the business.

The unit has been empty since May and Sam’s Aroma House finally opened at the end of December.

It currently sells tobacco-related products such as hand-made cigars, vapes, shisha pipes, and more on the ground floor.

Mr Nejad has bigger plans for the unit and will be submitting a planning application for the upper floors to make it a “luxurious cigar lounge”.

Shop - inside Sam's Aroma House (Image: Newsquest)

He hopes to make the first floor a gift shop, build an elegant cigar lounge on the first floor, and then a VIP lounge on the top floor of the building.

Mr Nejad wants to offer residents in the city a place to purchase fine cigars, nice whiskeys and fancy ties.

Gone - the building when it was Hank's Colchester (Image: Hank's Colchester)

He said: “I know the Colchester people; I’ve had five or six shops in the area.

“The people are friendly.

“I want to open something nice in the city centre which is different from the others.”

Castle Ward Councillor Mark Goacher “hopes it works” and is “very pleased” to see the building in use again.

Castle ward - Councillor Mark Goacher (Image: Newsquest)

He said: “I walked past it this morning the new signage, I did have a smile.

"My first thought was will this survive if it is a tobacconist as the government is reigning in on smoking.

“I then thought, from the signage, a luxurious cigar place, this is the sort of niche market we need in the city centre.

“It’s different, unusual, it sounds like a good idea, let’s just hope it works.”

Mr Nejad is hopeful that once the planning application is submitted, the fully realised lounge will be able to open within five weeks, if approved.

Source: https://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/24853083.colchester-sams-aroma-house-opens-culver-street-west/