Along with Shawn’s brother, Steve, the three opened the space they felt was missing in The Woodlands area.
“We had talked about a bar at one point, and then Steve had a great idea to do a cigar lounge,” Marshall said. “We blended the two together, and here we are.”
Steve said he took inspiration from the time he spent in Oregon, where he frequented a cigar lounge, before moving to the area. The three co-founders opened the lounge Feb. 4.
Since opening, the lounge has grown to offer monthly events with cigar and spirit pairings along with food trucks.
Filling a need
Shawn said before opening Clubhouse Cigar, there were not many options available from a late-night standpoint in the Creekside vicinity.
“We serve as a kind of after-dinner drink spot,” he said. “A lot of people love after-dinner cigars.”
Alongside its various cigar offerings, the lounge offers beer, wine, bourbon, whiskey and tequila options. While the lounge does not have a kitchen, it allows patrons to order meals to be delivered to the location.
Steve Ford said the draw of a cigar lounge can be the conversations that occur at the locations.
“I hung out at a lounge for a good six or seven years,” he said. “One of the things that intrigued me about being in a lounge was that new people would come in; you would sit down and have a cigar with them. ... It was kind of the neutral factor, and you always had good conversations.”
Shawn said the difference between a cigar and a cigarette is the crafting process.“It is kind of like whiskey or bourbon or any kind of craft,” he said. “You find a lot of different people with a lot of different palettes, different brands, different leaves and different profiles. ... It is a conversation.”
Keeping it simple
Marshall said the staff at Clubhouse Cigar has been well trained to remove the intimidation factor for new guests, including teaching them how to properly cut and light the cigar.
“If you have never been in, we can walk you through the humidor to help you pick something that is not super strong. ... We can guide you in that process,” Marshall said.
Marshall added the staff at Clubhouse Cigar will also suggest drink pairings to best match the style of cigar a guest has selected, depending on tastes.
All three co-owners said the lounge’s monthly events are the best way for guests to experience new cigar and spirit pairings.
Looking to the future, Marshall said the hope is to expand into additional locations, though locations had not been identified as of Sept. 30.
Clubhouse Cigar
27030 Kuykendahl Road, Ste. 220, The Woodlands
281-547-8994
www.clubhousecigarbar.com
Hours: Sun.-Thu. 10:30 a.m.-10 p.m., Fri.-Sat. 10:30 a.m.-1 a.m.
