In a puff of smoke, cigar shop appears on Union Ave, Laconia, New Hampshire

JohnS · May 13

In a puff of smoke, cigar shop appears on Union Ave

By ADAM DRAPCHO, THE LACONIA DAILY SUN May 9, 2025 Updated May 10, 2025

LACONIA — The idea for the new cigar store and lounge on Union Avenue started years ago. But, like a good cigar, the concept couldn’t be rushed.

“It has kind of been a three-year process,” said Tyler Parks, who along with his father Fred Parks, owns Granite State Cigar Shop at 1325 Union — the same plaza as Laconia Pet Center and the Union Diner — and is celebrating its grand opening on Saturday, May 10.

Granite State Cigar Shop, currently stocked with 75 boxes of cigars and a limited selection of pipes and pipe tobacco, is located in a space that previously contained a florist. The three-month renovation included turning the refrigerated flower storage room into something they hope their customers will find even cooler: A lounge filled with leather chairs, ashtrays and televisions for enjoying a cigar in the company of like-minded smokers.

Parks said he and his father, who also run a landscaping business in Moultonborough, were specifically looking for a location in the Laconia area because of the combination of a sizable resident population as well as flow of tourists and vacationers who might be in the mood for a good smoke.

“You’re close to everything, it’s in the middle of everything, and it’s good for Bike Week,” Parks said.

Parks said there are no plans to stock cigarettes or vaping supplies, and he’ll ask cigarette smokers to find somewhere else to light up.

The shop is for cigar lovers, by cigar lovers. Parks said he was introduced to cigars by his father, and it has since been a pasttime they have both taken to.

“Ever since he got me into them, I fell in love and have been smoking ever since,” Parks said. He enjoys the atmosphere of a cigar lounge, which he described as relaxed and inviting, and a space where someone can sit in silence while enjoying a smoke, or strike up a conversation with a stranger.

“As long as it’s a good cigar, it’s a good escape,” Parks said.

Granite State Cigar serves complimentary coffee, and welcomes patrons to bring other beverages they would like to sip while they puff. Parks said a liquor license is something he and his father are considering, but more for the greater freedom it would allow for cigar consumption rather than ambitions for drinks service. “We don’t want to be a bar,” he said.

The starting stock for Granite State’s cigar selection is curated to both appeal to the aficionado and welcome the newcomer. Available for $30 each, Parks said the Montecristo No. 2 is the most prized cigar in his store — “you would think you’re smoking a Cuban, but you’re not” — while there are several others in the $10 range he would recommend for people who haven’t yet developed a palate that would appreciate the more robust cigars.

“Everything we have is pretty good,” he said.

Parks said he expects the store to draw both well-heeled vacationers and hard-working locals who want to reward themselves.

Granite State Cigar Shop isn’t the only business of its kind in Laconia. Happy Jack’s, on Church Street downtown, has been a cigar staple for decades. Parks said has bought many a cigar there, and will continue to do so. He sees his shop as filling a slightly different niche. Happy Jack’s is close quarters and without a smoking lounge, while Granite State Cigar has plenty of elbow room.

Parks encourages people to linger, talk cigars, and sit out on the front porch to smoke one while watching the world drive past. Or to relax in the smoking lounge, which he expects will be especially welcoming in the winter.

“We see it as a cigar shop, but also a place to hang out after work,” Parks said. “Even if you’re not a cigar or pipe smoker, you’re welcome.”

Granite State Cigar Shop is currently open 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday, and closed on Sunday. Parks said the hours and offerings will likely shift to meet desires of their clientele.