This is MY cigar

Yes, I own that sweatervest and I wore jeans on the golf course.

Yes. I made a cigar. Well, strictly speaking, I blended it. I am thrilled that it has been a VERY popular item in my local cigar shop. As a cigar aficionado, it is a culmination of something or other. It was all luck to be honest. Luck to get a spot on a trip to Honduras to start.  Here is what I wrote in my diary of that trip:

I had a definite blend in mine. Many worked from the inside out. I went the opposite way. I saw the wrapper I wanted and went from there. I wanted a cigar with a candela wrapper but was also full of flavor and distinct body. The candela wrapper was all the rage in the middle of last century. It was a distinctly green color from the captured chlorophyll because the leaf is picked early. It is seldom seen nowadays with only a few top brand names carrying them. (Fuente makes an 8-5-8 in a candela.) The wrapper was paying homage to my late grandfather who smoked Lord Beaconsfield Rounds, a short filler cigar in a candela (called Double Claro) wrapper. Even this cigar no longer comes in Candela. It is very mild but I find and earthy nuttiness to it. One of my friends compared it to "smoking spinach leaves."
To give my cigar some flavor, I chose to two ligero (full-bodied) fillers and smoothed it out with a seco filler (mild) and chose a viso (medium-bodied) binder to polish it off. My only hope was that this cigar wouldn't taste awful. Many of the guys made their cigars very full bodied, one made it very mild. Their choices included maduro wrappers or even wrappers from Cameroon. (Yes, Tobacco can grow almost everywhere.)
My recipe came as a surprise to everyone including Gustavo, the quality control manager who asked out loud, "Who the hell ordered the candela wrapper?"

I really do not miss the mustache

Not once but TWICE has my local shop sold out of this cigar. What made it even more interesting was that only recently that other cigar companies (outside of the Fuentes) have been pushing Candela wrappers. Only today, a friend looking for a good cigar said, “I’m looking for a ‘Bernard Scally’”. I gave him one of my small stash. Doubt I’ll be doing that anymore since I don’t know when more will come in.

Why I like small businesses...

Naturally, there are plenty of answers to this question. Many like this are just sound bites. For me, it is the human connection that really puts in all into perspective. Sure, the people who work at the big box stores deserve my cash now and then...and they sometimes get it. I sympathize with those in the corporate rat race, I was there once.
But take for example the latest offering at my local bookshop (seen here at left), The Spiral Bookcase; according to proprietor Ann Tetreault, in response to Amazon's latest Price Check policy, local author Andrew Ervin will pay $5 to ANYONE who buys his book, "Extraordinary Renditions" at her shop from now until Dec. 24...and that's one of many treasures to be had in this special store.
But that is not all that we find, sometimes a little stop can lead to a general improvement in well-being. On Dec. 7, I stopped in one of my favorite little gastronomic hideaways (some of the selection seen at right), the Chestnut Hill Cheese Shop. No, it's nothing like this Cheese Shop. I stopped in during a pretty dreary day. One of the employees was sharpening a knife, looking how I felt. I asked how he was and received the response of 'Fair to moderate'. In my experience, this sort of answer meant that it was indeed not such a good day after all...I told him so. After a few minutes of commiserating, both of our demeanors improved significantly.
Another reason I enjoy this shop, besides the wide selection of everything, is this policy that is posted at the cash register. This policy can be seen here in this photo. They WILL NOT SERVE you if you are gabbing on a cell phone. I certainly respect them for their principled stance on good manners.
Which leads me to my next business, BnB International Cigars, is another one of those places that serves to rejuvenate my well-being. (Yes, I am aware of the dangers of smoking. Let's move on.) I arrived here after stopping at the cheese shop and few other places. Happily, the shop was hosting an event featuring cigars from La Flor Dominicana. I have known their very able, hard-working and personable sales representative, Jon, for some time. (Both he and some of his LFD product can be found at bottom right.)
I admit that LFD is not my favorite cigar. That is not to say that their product is no good. It is very consistent, quality made and very, very affordable. But much of their product, I often find to be too full or too bold for my personal tastes. I was pleasantly surprised by their Cameroon selections but that is review for another time.
BnB is definitely a home away from home for almost anyone within reason. Conversation flows forth from a variety of experiences and spectrum. Following the unspoken rules of respecting others' opinions and never, EVER over-inflate your own importance and you'll be fine whether to sit in the front of the house or in their sizable rear lounge. If you can't fit in here, you can't fit anywhere.
In the end, what I really want from a store is the human touch, an attention to detail and human nature that is rapidly disappearing from the general landscape. That is why I like small businesses.