Regardless of its title, Legacy Cigar Lounge is about far more than cigars: It’s about constructing neighborhood. It’s about providing an expertise that everybody can get pleasure from – even those that don’t smoke. From the cigar lounge to the restaurant and bar to the varied weekly and particular occasions, individuals go to Legacy to attach with others and calm down.
That is the mission that motivated Penn State alumna Adrean Turner and her husband Rick Turner to open their enterprise in West Studying, Pa. on September 1, 2023.
“While you come to Legacy Cigar Lounge, you get to satisfy individuals of all totally different backgrounds, all ages, and all walks of life,” said Adrean. “Everybody feedback concerning the socially inviting and enjoyable ambiance. Some come for the nostalgia of smoking a cigar and reminisce a few member of the family who smoked. While you’re smoking a cigar, it’s not about you: It’s concerning the cigar and the expertise.”
She added that patrons don’t should be members to get pleasure from Legacy Cigar Lounge and there’s no cowl cost except there’s a particular occasion on the day of your go to. Their institution affords cigars at each worth level. Clients are welcome to cease by, get pleasure from a cigar, a chew to eat, and a cocktail, and simply calm down to the jazz or smooth reggae music taking part in within the background.
Adrean goes on to clarify that she and Rick love giving again to the neighborhood, they usually all the time dreamed of beginning a enterprise collectively. Rick is a cigar aficionado and the couple thought of putting in a cigar lounge of their basement. Then inspiration struck after they watched an episode of the fact tv present, “Love and Marriage: Huntsville,” through which a married couple opened a cigar lounge. The remainder, as they are saying, is historical past.
Constructing the ‘Legacy’ Expertise
The Turners wished to create an expertise that everybody may get pleasure from – they name it “the Legacy expertise.” When patrons enter the lounge, they’re instantly greeted by a licensed cigar sommelier tobacconist (CCST), who helps stroll them by means of the method of selecting a cigar based mostly on the flavors they get pleasure from and the form of expertise they wish to have. Then the CCST cuts and lights the cigar and recommends a foods and drinks pairing.
It was essential to the Turners that each one staff who work with cigars develop into licensed cigar sommelier tobacconists to allow them to present the very best expertise to prospects.
Along with a cigar lounge, Legacy affords eating choices. The 4,500-square-foot facility features a restaurant, bar, and numerous lounge areas together with a non-smoking part. They plan to renovate the decrease degree for conferences and different particular occasions.
The bar serves premium hand-crafted cocktails, they usually boast that they serve the ‘finest previous fashions on the town.’ “And we have now the freshest cigars round – we concentrate on taste,” Adrean added, explaining that their premium cigars are hand-rolled and touched greater than 500 occasions within the cigar-making course of. Paired with the menu that provides Creole-Latin-Soul flavored meals, it’s an expertise to savor.
Cultivating an environment
The lounge creates an intimate setting through which patrons can get pleasure from a calming, snug atmosphere, with heat hues all through, outsized leather-based sofas and chairs, sport tables, and trendy facilities like flat-screen TVs, encompass sound, Wi-Fi, and a state-of-the-art air filtration system.
Legacy additionally has out of doors seating, dwell music, and weekly and particular occasions like jazz brunches, chess tournaments, karaoke, trivia, salsa and ballroom dancing, and, sure, girls’ night-themed actions.
“Ladies smoking cigars is extra mainstream than individuals suppose,” defined Adrean. “It’s an expertise. It’s about slowing down and being aware.”
Adrean said that she enjoys smoking a cigar now and again and she or he prefers slender cigars with notes of vanilla and almond, whereas Rick enjoys fatter cigars with notes of walnut.
Forging a brand new path
Opening Legacy Cigar Lounge has been a labor of affection for the Turners. Each loved lengthy, profitable careers earlier than embarking on this new journey.
“We did quite a lot of market analysis, went to different cigar lounges, and met with consultants,” defined Adrean. “The cigar neighborhood has been so useful. We’re not in competitors with different cigar lounges; it truly is a neighborhood.”
Each Adrean and Rick introduced a substantial amount of advertising expertise to the enterprise. Each labored within the pharmaceutical business and served as advisers to the PA Small Enterprise Improvement Facilities. As well as, Adrean works with the Jap Minority Provider Improvement Council.
A local of Philadelphia, Adrean earned a B.S. in economics with a minor in quantitative evaluation from Penn State College Park in 1990. She then went to work as a gross sales consultant for a big pharmaceutical firm that supplied tuition reimbursement, so she promptly enrolled within the MBA program at Penn State Nice Valley, incomes her diploma in 1994. After 23 years in prescription drugs, she determined to retire from the business and began a training and coaching consulting firm, Turner Teaching Coaching and Consulting, which offers profession and management coaching and public talking companies.
She credit the Penn State Berks LaunchBox, an innovation hub of Penn State Berks, with offering helpful assist and sources and serving to her to develop a method for her consulting enterprise. She started working with the LaunchBox in 2017, and since that point, Adrean has served as a coach for entrepreneurs and a contest decide, and now serves as adviser. She added that she likes to assist entrepreneurs of their journey.
Adrean can also be the writer of Match for Success, which may be discovered within the Library of Congress. As well as, she is an adjunct professor at Alvernia College, a frequent speaker for Berks Women2Women and Larger Studying Chamber Alliance occasions, and even held the title of ‘Mrs. Berks County’ in 2018.
In the meantime, Rick has had an equally spectacular profession journey. Initially from Baton Rouge, La., he moved to California along with his household as a younger boy and enlisted within the Navy after highschool. When he graduated from boot camp, he was deployed to his first ship, which stopped in Valparaiso, Chile. That’s the place he smoked his first cigar, a Cuban Choiba, and found a life-long ardour.
The truth is, the Navy not solely performed an element in Rick’s love of cigars: It was additionally a part of Rick and Adrean’s love story. They met when Rick’s ship, the USS Constellation (CV-64), docked on the Philadelphia Navy Yard and shortly started relationship.
After the Navy, Rick started his profession within the pharmaceutical business, working his means up from custodian to biotech engineer to gross sales and advertising govt. Throughout that point, he earned his baccalaureate diploma in enterprise administration from Gwynedd Mercy College in Philadelphia, and his MBA from Alvernia College in Studying, Pa.
“We assist one another in our particular person objectives, and we have now been dreaming of learn how to deliver our lives collectively for a ardour,” said Rick.
Adrean additionally helps Rick’s ardour for bodily health: He has competed in eight Ironman Triathlons.
Rick has been a lifelong cigar aficionado, touring to cigar lounges in Philadelphia and different areas all through the area for the expertise that he and Adrean have now created at Legacy Cigar Lounge.
Lending that means to ‘Legacy’
The Turners have been married for 32 years, they usually have three grownup kids and two granddaughters. Their two sons work with them at Legacy: Jordan is assistant supervisor of the humidor and cigar expertise and Rick IV handles total operations. Their daughter, Angelique, is employed as a nurse in Philadelphia and she or he can also be concerned within the household enterprise, lending a hand with particular occasions.
“Household is the rationale behind the title ‘Legacy,’” defined Rick. “We wish to have a legacy to depart to our youngsters and grandchildren.”
When requested how the enterprise has been acquired, they are saying that the general public reception has been nice. Additionally they commented that the West Studying Neighborhood Revitalization Basis and all their neighbors in West Studying have been very welcoming to the ‘new youngsters on the block.’ They’re additionally in search of alternatives to accomplice with different West Studying companies. They’ve already shaped a partnership with Trisha’s Specialty Cheese Muffins to supply a particular bourbon cheesecake that can solely be accessible on the lounge.
And what does the long run maintain for Legacy? The Turners have already got huge plans for the long run, together with renovating the decrease degree to show it right into a convention and particular occasion space and rising the cigar expertise past Berks County.
Everyone seems to be welcome to hitch the neighborhood
Whilst you don’t must be a member to get pleasure from Legacy Cigar Lounge, those that do wish to be part of get pleasure from an extended listing of advantages together with a customized humidor cigar locker; reductions on cigars, meals, and equipment; personal members-only occasions and superior occasion registration; and precedence reserving for personal occasions, all for the $100 monthly membership charge. Greater than eighty members have joined because the lounge opened in September.
Legacy Cigar Lounge is situated at 559 Penn Avenue in West Studying (web site of the previous Chef Alan’s Restaurant.) For extra info, go to Data@legacy.com
