Bloom Cigar Company
Encyclopedia
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
-based premium cigar store. Founded in 1955, Bloom Cigar Company is the Pittsburgh area's largest retail
Retail
Retail consists of the sale of physical goods or merchandise from a fixed location, such as a department store, boutique or kiosk, or by mail, in small or individual lots for direct consumption by the purchaser. Retailing may include subordinated services, such as delivery. Purchasers may be...
and wholesale
Wholesale
Wholesaling, jobbing, or distributing is defined as the sale of goods or merchandise to retailers, to industrial, commercial, institutional, or other professional business users, or to other wholesalers and related subordinated services...
distributor of cigars. An weekly informal gathering of cigar aficionados and a unique ambiance contribute to its reputation.
History
The history of Bloom Cigar Company dates to the 1920s, when it was operated by the great uncle of the current owner, Marc Adams, who has run the store in its current incarnation since 1955. Bloom Cigar Company is now the largest wholesale and retail cigar store in Pittsburgh, supplying cigars online and at the South SideSouth Side (Pittsburgh)
South Side is an area in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, located along the Monongahela River across from Downtown Pittsburgh. The South Side is officially divided into two neighborhoods, South Side Flats and South Side Slopes. Both the Flats and the Slopes are represented on Pittsburgh City...
location. Bloom Cigar is the cigar supplier for Primanti Brothers, famous for their unique Pittsburgh-style sandwiches.
The interior of the store creates a unique ambiance; the walls are lined with photos of famous cigar smokers, including Terry Bradshaw
Terry Bradshaw
Terry Paxton Bradshaw is a former American football quarterback with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League . He played 14 seasons. He is a football analyst and co-host of Fox NFL Sunday...
and Art Rooney
Art Rooney
Arthur Joseph "Art" Rooney, Sr. , often referred to as "The Chief", was the founding owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers American football franchise in the National Football League.-Family history:...
, and dozens of bras donated by female customers in exchange for a free cigar hang from the ceiling
Cigar Camp
In the early 1990s, Adams turned an ad hoc group of cigar connoisseurs that gathered at the store on Saturday mornings into "Cigar Camp," described as a "safe haven" for Pittsburgh's cigar lovers. Cigar Camp has developed a cult status, growing by word of mouth and attracting regulars and out of towners. Adams estimates that 30-40 men attend "Cigar Camp" at any time, with 150 attending throughout the day. Bloom Cigar purchased the adjacent building to expand Cigar Camp and added a large-screen television and other amenities. The modifications expanded the humidorHumidor
A humidor is any kind of box or room with constant humidity, and ideal temperature, used to store cigars, cigarettes, or pipe tobacco. For private use, small wooden or acrylic glass humidor boxes for a few dozen cigars are used, while cigar shops may have walk-in humidors, sometimes consisting of a...
by 66% and displaced some of the original lounging area that had been reserved for Cigar Camp, riling some of Bloom's regular customers. "Cigar Camp" is a registered trademark.
Notoriety
The Pennsylvania Attorney GeneralPennsylvania Attorney General
The Pennsylvania Attorney General is the chief law enforcement officer of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It became an elected office in 1980. Currently, the office is held by Linda Kelly.- Authority and Responsibilities :...
, in his investigation centering on the 2006 Pennsylvania General Assembly bonus controversy
2006 Pennsylvania General Assembly bonus controversy
In 2007, Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett began investigating $3.8 million in bonuses paid to legislative staffers in the Pennsylvania General Assembly. While the bonuses themselves are not illegal under state law, the Attorney General is investigating the possibility that the bonuses...
, discovered that former employees of the Pennsylvania House Democratic Caucus
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two year terms from single member districts....
rented an office above Bloom Cigar to create a phony job for a staffer's mistress, who was then a 21-year old former legislative intern and graduate student. The grand jury's presentment described the office as "dingy" and was "used as a cigar-smoking spot by individuals who came up from the cigar store." Marc Adams is a friend of former Pennsylvania House
Pennsylvania House of Representatives
The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Pennsylvania General Assembly, the legislature of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. There are 203 members, elected for two year terms from single member districts....
Majority whip Mike Veon
Mike Veon
Michael R. Veon is a former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, representing the 14th District from 1985 through 2006.-Personal life:...
, who has been charged by the Attorney General in connection to the 2006 legislative bonus investigation
2006 Pennsylvania General Assembly bonus controversy
In 2007, Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett began investigating $3.8 million in bonuses paid to legislative staffers in the Pennsylvania General Assembly. While the bonuses themselves are not illegal under state law, the Attorney General is investigating the possibility that the bonuses...
.
Adams has not been accused of any wrongdoing and was "shocked" after learning about charges against Veon.
The store was used to film scenes in the feature film 10th & Wolf
10th & Wolf
10th & Wolf is a 2006 film about the Mafia directed by Robert Moresco. It is based on a true story of a mob war in South Philadelphia. The film stars James Marsden, Giovanni Ribisi and Brad Renfro and features appearances by Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer, Piper Perabo, Lesley Ann Warren, Tommy Lee,...
, about a Philadelphia mob war that was filmed in Pittsburgh. Owner Marc Adams has spoken out in the media against the now-repealed Allegheny County smoking ban and in favor of the new Pittsburgh Police public urination patrols in the South Side area.