La Casa Del Habano Montreal to close 5/31/20

[JamesNYC]

I just received an email that confirmed a rumor I had heard, that the store is closing, and the date of the closing is May 31, 2020.

I know the manager of the store, Antonio, and his predecessor Marc and they ran a first rate shop. When I was last there in the Summer Tony and I sat down at the bar in the back, and drank fresh espresso, drank from the stock of single malts they carry there, and some armagnac too while I smoked a cigar from his personal collection, a Montecristo especial  that had 10 years of age on it. He is an interesting and classy guy, extremely knowledgeable about his cigars, and simply a nice guy.

His store will be greatly missed.

I'll continue to visit with him, but it is a real shame the store is closing.

RIP

[JohnS]

This is terrible news. It also comes too soon after the Toronto LCDH closed down. I can't believe it...are there actually any LCDHs in Canada that will remain open?

[Fugu]

But you know, the stuff they were selling could kill you!   ?

[Puros Y Vino]

1 hour ago, JohnS said:

This is terrible news. It also comes too soon after the Toronto LCDH closed down. I can't believe it...are there actually any LCDHs in Canada that will remain open?

The one in Windsor ON still might be standing but I also heard its days are numbered.  Might have to make one more trip to Montreal before then. 

[SCgarman]

Canada. Legalized Dope. Outlawed Cigars. Makes no damn sense!

[LLC]

Too bad. I’m in Montreal frequently and enjoy spending time there. At least there are other options to enjoy cigars indoors in Montreal.


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[El Presidente]

1 hour ago, FrancisK7 said:

This is terrible news. 

Did they mention why?

Plain Packaging will be the reason. 

[BoliDan]

C'est triste. Anti-laws are killing honest people's business ability to survive. I hooe the owner and workers the best in finding quick financial recovery.

[inter4alia]

This is a huge loss to the community. My first visit was two months ago and I immediately fell in love with the place. Outstanding service and great selection of sticks. Everything about the place was so great that you could tolerate the ridiculous Canadian prices. I will be back in Montreal the last week of this month and I will definitely pay my respects with a couple of visits that week. I wish there were more places like this. Big loss. 

[Mikeltee]

At the price they pay with the tax, I can see why. At least there are places online to shop for those that love a good CC. It's a crying shame to see legitimate B&Ms go out of business after decades of service to their community. I long for the day when people find their testes and this PC garbage fades away like bell bottoms. It's our choice... if you don't like it don't do it but don't force us to become spineless like you. 

[parabola66]

I just looked the Toronto LCDH up on Google... it's a shame such a beautiful place has to close down.

If anyone who voted for these increasingly stricter regulations enjoy sitting down and enjoying wine or whisky, they're a complete hypocrite

[agentdaffy007]

Increased commercial taxes, crazy traffic, increased parking prices, construction all over town makes it hard to reach downtown, etc.

 

https://montrealgazette.com/pmn/news-pmn/canada-news-pmn/montrealers-battle-over-reasons-why-their-booming-city-is-plagued-by-empty-storefronts/wcm/7a5fd9ff-550c-4bef-a6a1-cbf24ca4f844

[CanuckSARTech]

Sad to hear. A nice place. Forum member Simon used to work there, and damn near any time any of us were in town, we’d spend a visit in there. And yes, Antonio and Marc, great people.

Similar to the Toronto one - we’ve had a lot of interactions there too, and they helped support our Toronto MegaHerf events, and Tom worked there for a stretch too in his retirement. I remember visiting the original location of the Toronto LCDH back in ‘98 and ‘99, doing VIP security.


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[CanuckSARTech]

6 hours ago, JohnS said:

This is terrible news. It also comes too soon after the Toronto LCDH closed down. I can't believe it...are there actually any LCDHs in Canada that will remain open?

 

5 hours ago, bundwallah said:

The one in Windsor ON still might be standing but I also heard its days are numbered.  Might have to make one more trip to Montreal before then. 

Vancouver will be the only other one. There’s only been four LCDHs in Canada - Toronto / Yorkville, Montreal, Windsor and Vancouver.

And yes, Windsor’s is currently on a hiatus. They’ve been “temporarily closed” for a year and a half or so (maybe almost two years already?) I believe it was a water damage / renovation damage thing. Affected them from a neighboring business, I believe. I think I read or heard somewhere that there’s insurance claims issues. The store signage and such is still there, but the store front is all papered over in the windows, and a “temporarily closed for renovations “ note in the window and notice on their Facebook from some months ago.

 

3 hours ago, FrancisK7 said:

This is terrible news.  Did they mention why?

 

2 hours ago, El Presidente said:

Plain Packaging will be the reason. 

 

I’d say yes to this, but also our anti-smoking laws in public. These businesses used to all have indoor lounges. Recent laws have gutted these out, except for the Montreal LCDH having a “cultural exception” under Quebec’s anti-smoking laws for cigar-specific businesses. But I know that the Toronto and Windsor locations were harmed seriously by the need to get rid of their outdoor patios and such (outlawed now), and I think Montreal’s has had recent issues with outdoor smoking too, IIRC.

 

But yeah, with plain packaging rules (coming?/here?) and super expensive Canadian taxes, contrasted against cheap Cuban trips to direct-buy your cigars there and/or online mail-order cigar vendors getting you pretty packaging of nice cigars at 1/4 to 1/2 of the Canadian cost, it’s become a losing business model for sanctioned LCDH shops in Canada.

 

 

 

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[Puros Y Vino]

The Vancouver LCDH isn't listed any longer. I thought it was long gone.  

[treberty]

Sad news.

With some coordination we could perhaps organize a herf sometime in March/April.

They do have nice aged stock as well.

[MrGinger]

4 hours ago, bundwallah said:

The Vancouver LCDH isn't listed any longer. I thought it was long gone.  

Yes.   The LCDH here in Vancouver closed years ago. ☹️

[CanuckSARTech]

The Vancouver LCDH isn't listed any longer. I thought it was long gone.  

Ahhh. Ok.


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[Lotusguy]

Don't worry, same stupid sh!t is coming to the USA, see Commieforn....I mean California. You can smoke dope, piss, crap, and leave needles in the street, but smoke a cigar......you're going to jail! Talk about stupid. And I mean utterly unbelievable levels of stupid. Which is why I have a bumper sticker that says "Don't California My Texas"

San Francisco isn’t all of California...

[mbflash80]

No one is going to jail for smoking a cigar...I know its hyperbole but no need to color so far outside the lines. 

[cookj1]

16 hours ago, bundwallah said:

The Vancouver LCDH isn't listed any longer. I thought it was long gone.  

Closed 2008.

[Squarehead]

I don't understand what Canada is doing.They legalize dope but ban smoking cigars.I bet there're more people smoking pot than cigars

[shlomo]

38 minutes ago, FrancisK7 said:

The place isn't closing due to new regulations, they haven't changed in a while, not that I'm aware. I'm guessing it's more to do with attendance going down and costs going up, most notably the rent. Montreal has been a nightmare of construction for the past decade. Impossible to find parking, PITA traffic and many more irritants. I avoid the city as much as possible these days. Also not everyone has the budget to pay 4x list price for their sticks (a Monty No 2 goes for about $38USD) but Montreal has enough money to keep a place like this alive. 

Monty 2 is $38usd? Prices have exploded I guess. They were $35cdn last I was there.

[Hammer Smokin']

monte 2 was $37.50 CAD last time at the Toronto LCDH (RIP).

Plus tax of course.

North of 40 bucks for a cigar that Yanks get through the mail for under $10 bucks, and they don't get dinged with duty.

We are getting it right up the pooper up here.

[leepers]

This is utter nonsense. I live in California, in Los Angeles and I smoke in a lounge daily. If you don't like the politics of a place, fine but we do more harm to each other and ourselves just typifying people and then castigated them falsely for being idiots. I enjoy a good cigar; I've not had trouble finding places to smoke. I also understand that some people don't want to have it near them. Live and let live. We're doing great here.