Latest / Johnny's World / Episode 38- The Country Squire

Transcript

Episode 38- The Country Squire · Johnny's World

• 0:38
  SPEAKER_04: All right, great Johnny podcast.
• 0:41
  SPEAKER_04: I'm here Johnny with uh B Duffy.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_04: How are you doing today, B Duffy?
• 0:45
  SPEAKER_04: What's going on?
• 0:46
  SPEAKER_01: Hey Johnny, doing good.
• 0:49
  SPEAKER_04: It has been a long time.
• 0:51
  SPEAKER_04: Glad uh glad you got back going.
• 0:53
  SPEAKER_04: You've got uh you've got a lot of stuff going on in your life.
• 0:56
  SPEAKER_04: You got a new addition to the family.
• 0:57
  SPEAKER_04: Tell the listeners about what's going on.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_01: That's right.
• 1:00
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, we took a little break.
• 1:01
  SPEAKER_01: It was crazy at work and um didn't have as much time to hop on.
• 1:06
  SPEAKER_01: And then uh my wife's been pregnant and uh with our surprise number four child, she was born um June 14th.
• 1:13
  SPEAKER_01: And so she's about three weeks old now, Lucy May Wally.
• 1:18
  SPEAKER_01: And so we have four kids.
• 1:20
  SPEAKER_01: I never thought, you know, 20 years ago, if you would have asked me how many kids I was gonna have, I would have never told you four.
• 1:25
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but everybody's doing well.
• 1:27
  SPEAKER_01: We seem to be adjusting to life.
• 1:30
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, we we understand how to keep take care of kids now.
• 1:33
  SPEAKER_01: It's just the the more of them you got to play zone defense and make sure the house didn't get destroyed.
• 1:38
  SPEAKER_01: But we're hanging in there.
• 1:40
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, well, that's awesome.
• 1:41
  SPEAKER_04: Big congratulations.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_04: Uh the other kids uh they they're they're gonna get used to having another another another kid in the family, huh?
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, they they all like her, they all want to hold her.
• 1:53
  SPEAKER_01: And um, of course, you know, they're they're they're not that gentle with her.
• 1:56
  SPEAKER_01: So like she'll be asleep and they're like, you know, trying to like pat her on the head and like they end up waking her up and and stuff, but but I mean they'll they'll go get diapers for us and they they're pretty helpful.
• 2:07
  SPEAKER_01: So it's been working out pretty well.
• 2:09
  SPEAKER_04: That's awesome.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_04: Well, uh well, we we're glad to have you back, but definitely Cindy, congrats.
• 2:14
  SPEAKER_04: Uh glad that glad the team's back together doing these interviews, like uh good stuff.
• 2:20
  SPEAKER_04: So uh well, tell us a little bit about Johnnypacker.com.
• 2:23
  SPEAKER_04: What's what's the latest?
• 2:24
  SPEAKER_04: Uh I know I know you still have the coffee products up, uh, but I know you told me that glasses, if people are still interested, there's a way they could get them.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_04: So tell everybody what the latest is with that.
• 2:35
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so we still got uh still got the coffee going, and uh you can hop on there anytime, buy yourself a bag, and um you can get a I think a 12-ounce bag or a five-pound bag.
• 2:45
  SPEAKER_01: So if you if you get one that you really like and you want to get a huge bag of it, then um you can hop on there and do that.
• 2:51
  SPEAKER_01: I still prefer to get the smaller bags because it keeps it fresh because you know they roast them that same week that you buy them.
• 2:57
  SPEAKER_01: And so I like to buy the smaller bags and usually get two bags that way.
• 3:01
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, you got a couple of variety shipping's free on those.
• 3:05
  SPEAKER_01: Um, really the only update with that is the uh the Costa Rican coffee, which was the Hottie coffee, the oldness coffee.
• 3:12
  SPEAKER_01: Um, this is no coincidence, but um they they do not have the Costa Rican beans anymore at our roaster, and so we can't get those.
• 3:20
  SPEAKER_01: So the Hottie coffee is not on the website anymore, unfortunately.
• 3:23
  SPEAKER_01: So um it has nothing to do with the timing of the rebels winning the national championship or anything like that.
• 3:29
  SPEAKER_01: But um, so that's that's not on there.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_01: But uh, so we'll probably see like a new variety pop up sometime, and I'll I'll put those up there um as soon as we can.
• 3:38
  SPEAKER_01: And I actually I talked to somebody the other day that's in Starkville, and there is uh a roaster there in Starkville, and I'm trying to figure out a way we can get this coffee made in Starkville.
• 3:48
  SPEAKER_01: So I'll update y'all more on that as things happen.
• 3:52
  SPEAKER_01: But if you're interested in getting some, johnnypacker.com, go in there and find you some coffee, and it's it's really good stuff.
• 3:59
  SPEAKER_04: And the cool thing, you know, uh all these people who've been listening to our podcast for over a year now, I know it's all going towards good cause when my flight was TF.
• 4:06
  SPEAKER_04: But the cool thing about it, if you get it online, the little roundup button that you can click on, it I think it automatically rounds up, right?
• 4:13
  SPEAKER_04: When you purchase it, but you also have the option to round up even more if you wanted to do that.
• 4:17
  SPEAKER_04: So that's so, you know, we were selling these glasses online for 200 bucks a pair and stuff like that, which that's how much it costs to make.
• 4:24
  SPEAKER_04: But a lot of people didn't want to want to buy them online without which I can understand without trying them on and they're skeptical about spending that much money.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_04: But but these bags of coffee, you know, are so affordable and it could be a easy moneymaker for to raise money for a great cost.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 4:39
  SPEAKER_04: So uh I encourage y'all to go check it out, johnnypacker.com, see what brand is put up there and and try it out and let us know what you think.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_04: Um and uh hopefully you can encourage your friends and co-workers and family members to to jump on there and get them back also because it's very affordable and uh it's going towards a great call.
• 4:58
  SPEAKER_04: So that's cool.
• 4:59
  SPEAKER_04: But but a follow-up on the glass window, if you did still want to get some, you still have some in your store, is that right?
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's right.
• 5:04
  SPEAKER_01: We've got them here in in uh in Clarkville, Tennessee.
• 5:07
  SPEAKER_01: And then uh Mississippi Iware, they are they have several different stores throughout the state of Mississippi.
• 5:12
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and if you go to their website, Mississippi Iware, you can see their different locations.
• 5:17
  SPEAKER_01: And uh I talked to him a couple weeks ago Austin, and he said that they were going to move some of the frames to some of the other locations too.
• 5:23
  SPEAKER_01: So you may be able to find them um in different spots.
• 5:26
  SPEAKER_01: So if you're interested, if you're somewhere in Mississippi, um they tend to kind of be between Jackson and Starkville, and then I think up close to the Tupelo area, they have several offices.
• 5:35
  SPEAKER_01: You can call them and find out where they have those if you want to try them on there.
• 5:40
  SPEAKER_04: And that's and that that should help out because uh like like we said earlier, if you want to want to pair, you you want to try those glasses on and see how they fit on your face, and that'll give you the opportunity to go in the store, check them out, see.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_04: And then and if you like them, hopefully you'll you'll buy them and spread the word and and the coffee.
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_04: And and uh that we we'd really appreciate it.
• 5:57
  SPEAKER_04: So uh so thanks, Brandon, for all your efforts to to make this possible and glad we're able to get back on these podcasts and start off again.
• 6:04
  SPEAKER_01: Yes, sir.
• 6:05
  SPEAKER_01: We've got a good guest today.
• 6:07
  SPEAKER_01: You want to introduce him for us?
• 6:08
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, we do.
• 6:09
  SPEAKER_04: We have a great guest, and he is a uh he's a he's a fellow Mississippi State alumni like me and you, Brandon.
• 6:14
  SPEAKER_04: So that's always a good thing having a bulldog on board.
• 6:17
  SPEAKER_04: But uh he uh he uh has the uh the country squire uh in in the Jackson area, and we can't wait for him to tell us about how he got into that and and all about that business.
• 6:28
  SPEAKER_04: And uh so John David Cole, uh welcome to Johnny's World.
• 6:32
  SPEAKER_04: And uh we're happy to have you here.
• 6:34
  SPEAKER_02: Man, Johnny, thanks for having me, B Dub.
• 6:36
  SPEAKER_02: So glad to be here.
• 6:37
  SPEAKER_02: And um, yeah, this is great, man.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_02: I you know it it's just fun listening to all the great things you got going on.
• 6:43
  SPEAKER_02: And um, yeah, Brandon, sounds like you're um hopefully you'll figure out what these uh what kind of accidents cause these uh these new new children to show up potentially and uh get a handle on that.
• 6:54
  SPEAKER_02: But uh yeah, no, it's great.
• 6:55
  SPEAKER_02: Johnny, you're everyone's looking good and uh glad to be here and um yeah, honored.
• 6:59
  SPEAKER_02: I I can imagine y'all were getting pretty thin on content to have to reach out to me.
• 7:03
  SPEAKER_02: But anyway, I was glad glad to be here.
• 7:05
  SPEAKER_04: No, it you know, you know, I was telling you earlier, I I I thought about you because I saw that I saw you done an interview before, and then and then with Brandon has the coffee products, and I know you have your shops, I was like, you know, people who have tobacco products, they like coffee.
• 7:19
  SPEAKER_04: So I was like, that's a perfect, perfect combination.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_04: And then and then with you being a fellow uh Mississippi State alumni, I was like, he'd be the perfect guest.
• 7:25
  SPEAKER_04: Uh so that's it.
• 7:28
  SPEAKER_02: Don't tell me you ran out of the Oxford coffee or whatever on on coincidence.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_02: Come on.
• 7:33
  SPEAKER_04: That is kind of weird, Brandon.
• 7:34
  SPEAKER_04: It's kind of weird.
• 7:35
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 7:36
  SPEAKER_02: Well Marud and White, Marud and White Mice back there, uh, you know, eating those uh eating those coffee beans up.
• 7:41
  SPEAKER_01: So anyway.
• 7:42
  SPEAKER_01: We'll have to find another one, I guess.
• 7:45
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_04: Well, well, tell us a little bit about what you're doing, but and I I I I love uh checking you out on Facebook and seeing the pictures from the store and everything.
• 7:54
  SPEAKER_04: Just tell us how that came about and everything.
• 7:57
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, well, you know, when we were in school, guys, it's it's been like 20 years now, which is absurd.
• 8:02
  SPEAKER_02: But um, you know, I was a history major, you know, and uh was gonna go to law school and you know, maybe dabble in politics or some of that stuff, just you know, typical um, you know, head in the clouds kind of you know, young millennial dreams about um, you know, what what life might look like.
• 8:19
  SPEAKER_02: And uh and now I'm a pipe and cigar salesman.
• 8:21
  SPEAKER_02: So uh, you know, life just took all kinds of took all kinds of turns.
• 8:26
  SPEAKER_02: But um, yeah, man, uh graduated from state in 06 and um and was uh you know, loved my time in Starpool and um and really, really missed that and enjoyed that.
• 8:35
  SPEAKER_02: But um yeah, after several um several failed attempts at different careers, I was actually back in uh uh there's a seminary here in West Jackson called Reform Theological Seminary, and I was uh studying there to be a counselor.
• 8:51
  SPEAKER_02: And so I was just studying to be a marriage and family therapist at this um at the school, you know, taking classes uh, you know, at night and and during the week and um and as a part-time job got a got a job at this uh historic pipe and cigar shop uh tucked away in Mississippi.
• 9:09
  SPEAKER_02: And it's uh it's called the Country Squire.
• 9:11
  SPEAKER_02: And um, you know, I I worked there for um I've been here, I guess about 12 years now, eventually bought the business from the family.
• 9:19
  SPEAKER_02: But um yeah, it's one of those places where um you know uh you just you don't don't you don't grow up thinking you're gonna sell uh to high-end tobacco products, but here we are.
• 9:29
  SPEAKER_02: So yeah, yeah, it's great.
• 9:31
  SPEAKER_02: Proud proud to be here.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, it's funny.
• 9:34
  SPEAKER_01: Like I have a um in my practice here, I get students from the optometry school and they work with me for a semester.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_01: And uh a student I had last summer was really into cigars, and um he would go and like go to these stores and scour these scores and find these these different types of cigars, and then he would go to some websites and he would sell them and he'd say, I you know, I made$400 on selling that cigar over there.
• 9:57
  SPEAKER_01: And and I had no idea there was that kind of market for that kind of stuff.
• 10:00
  SPEAKER_02: It's incredible.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_02: You know, there's just such a connoisseur culture around so many things nowadays.
• 10:06
  SPEAKER_02: So you think about uh all the high-end bourbons that people are chasing all over the country, and um, you know, folks are into you know, really nice, you know, uh writing utensils and watches and just I mean, there's a there's a culture around all kinds of little knickknacks today.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_02: And and historically, there's been a really robust uh in America premium tobacco uh kind of enthusiast community.
• 10:29
  SPEAKER_02: You know, um 30, 40 years ago, that was mostly pipe-related stuff, uh, which the country squire has always been identified with.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but uh but more recently it's been more uh more cigars.
• 10:40
  SPEAKER_02: And so, and locally, that's you know, 90% of our business locally is uh is premium cigar uh business that's you know, they're all handmade products, uh, you know, made by these uh you know incredibly skilled artisans in places like Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, and um yeah, so there's a culture around it, man.
• 10:58
  SPEAKER_02: People are you know constantly swapping, looking for limited edition stuff.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_02: And oh, you got one of those special limited edition ones?
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_02: Well, I'll trade you two of these for one of those.
• 11:06
  SPEAKER_02: And you know, it's uh it's neat.
• 11:08
  SPEAKER_02: People, you know, keep them in their high-end uh cigar humidors, which are you know these cedar boxes kind of designed to to keep them fresh.
• 11:15
  SPEAKER_02: And um, yeah, it's uh it's it's it's its own it's its own thing.
• 11:19
  SPEAKER_02: You can spend a lot of money on a lot of things in this country, and cigars is one of them.
• 11:23
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, this is the same way with glasses.
• 11:27
  SPEAKER_01: You know, we have every now and then you'll have people come in there, these glasses connoisseurs, and they have 15 or 20 pairs of glasses.
• 11:34
  SPEAKER_01: And anytime you get new glasses, they want you to let them know when something's in.
• 11:39
  SPEAKER_01: And you can get all these crazy, like high-end, like buffalo horn frames or you know, gold-plated diamond, diamond studs, like all kinds of stuff.
• 11:49
  SPEAKER_01: And uh there's not too many people in Carterville, Tennessee looking for that kind of stuff, but um, you know, it's it's interesting how you can really get down into that kind of stuff.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
• 11:59
  SPEAKER_02: It it's funny, you know, that there's a market for everything, and everyone's got a collector's uh community kind of based around, you know, whatever you're into.
• 12:08
  SPEAKER_02: And so, you know, from your perspective, you know, being in the you know, optometry world, it's like, well, you need one pair of glasses, and that pair of glasses helps you see, and that's the point.
• 12:18
  SPEAKER_02: But like for a lot of us, that's that's not enough.
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_02: Like, that's not the point.
• 12:22
  SPEAKER_02: You know, you want to, well, no, this is uh it's it's its own um kind of artisanal community based around that thing.
• 12:28
  SPEAKER_02: And so, well, I I have glasses that are appropriate for this time period and this time period, and this goes with um maybe these, you know, this suit that I really like to wear or whatever.
• 12:38
  SPEAKER_02: And so your your cigar and pipe enthusiasts are the exact same way, and they get into the different makers, the different manufacturers, just like you might re- be re you know, be a really big fan of a uh famous Italian suit maker or something, like you know, you're gonna be a really big fan of this um, you know, this boutique uh cigar blender and everything he comes out with, you're gonna have, you know, you're gonna you're gonna try and um you know and and pair with your favorite meal and your favorite wine and all this other stuff.
• 13:07
  SPEAKER_02: And um, so it's it it's it's a lot of fun.
• 13:09
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it can be a lot of fun.
• 13:11
  SPEAKER_02: It's neat to be in a community uh like this where it's just very um it's very sensory, it's very oriented around um you know luxury to some extent, but also just enjoyment and relaxation.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_02: And um, you know, it's it's it's it's a neat it's a neat gig.
• 13:27
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
• 13:28
  SPEAKER_01: Well, was there ever a point in time where you went from like this is a job to this is something I really like?
• 13:35
  SPEAKER_01: And and I can see myself doing this as a career and ultimately jumping into the business and all that stuff.
• 13:41
  SPEAKER_01: Do you is there a moment in time where that happened for you?
• 13:44
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, you know, it's it's kind of funny.
• 13:46
  SPEAKER_02: Uh so again, I was uh a seminary student here in Jackson.
• 13:50
  SPEAKER_02: This has been, you know, over you know, 10 years ago or so now.
• 13:54
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and I was working at the shop part-time.
• 13:56
  SPEAKER_02: The country squire, we're in the quarter shopping center on Lakeland Drive in Jackson, and we've been here now 52 years.
• 14:03
  SPEAKER_02: So this is a it's one of the oldest uh premium tobacco shops in uh certainly in the southeast, and probably, you know, it certainly in the in the south in general, um, and definitely the oldest in Mississippi.
• 14:16
  SPEAKER_02: But uh been here a long time and you know, I was working here, I had my head kind of at school, thinking about being uh, you know, a a therapist.
• 14:25
  SPEAKER_02: Therapy has been kind of important to me and my experience in life.
• 14:28
  SPEAKER_02: And I was like, well, how do I I don't know, maybe that's something I could do to help other people.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_02: And um, you know, and so uh was working here part-time during that season and um and the owner of this little shop uh passed away.
• 14:40
  SPEAKER_02: Her name was was Wynn Reeves and really great family.
• 14:44
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and uh the family asked me after that point to kind of step in and run the business for them.
• 14:49
  SPEAKER_02: And then eventually I managed the business for, you know, I I bought the business from the from the family.
• 14:55
  SPEAKER_02: And so um, you know, it it was kind of forced upon me.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, I wanted to be a counselor and you know, smoke my pipe and wear my tweed jacket, but you know, had my kind of mind in the counseling room and the therapy room.
• 15:06
  SPEAKER_02: And um, man, just by uh, you know, God's God's grace and and life events, uh was like, well, I mean, I I've gotta make a living and you know, I'm sure having a lot of fun, you know, running this little smoke shop and um, you know, really enjoy the products, really enjoy meeting the customers and connecting with people in the way that I that I am able to every day.
• 15:27
  SPEAKER_02: And uh and so just it kind of you know went from, well, I'm gonna do this for a part-time thing to well, let's let's make a go of it, let's see if this is the thing.
• 15:35
  SPEAKER_02: And um, and so far we hadn't run it into the ground, you know.
• 15:39
  SPEAKER_02: So uh it was despite my best efforts, but um, yeah, so it's just kind of uh on its own become um you know the career path that that I know and love and uh was has been really the the best made fit for me.
• 15:53
  SPEAKER_02: I I feel like uh you know retail has just been a really good fit for me than I never would have uh given it a chance earlier in life.
• 16:00
  SPEAKER_02: So it's been uh it's been good, yeah.
• 16:02
  SPEAKER_04: So being being there for so long, I guess y'all probably have customers that have come for years and years and years, and they have family members that come in, kind of like a whole little family, huh?
• 16:13
  SPEAKER_02: It's amazing.
• 16:14
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, so so being at the squire is a lot like people compare it to cheers, you know.
• 16:19
  SPEAKER_02: You probably hear that in other establishments, but like you walk in, you're immediately greeted, there's other people say sitting around, and if you're a regular, it's like, oh, it's Johnny, whoa! You know, it's like it it's that kind of thing, you know, and it's uh it's it's really precious, yeah.
• 16:34
  SPEAKER_02: It's a lot of fun.
• 16:35
  SPEAKER_02: And I we've we've had customers um now where we're on like the third generation customer.
• 16:40
  SPEAKER_02: So, you know, the the grandfather was a pipe smoker, the son was a pipe smoker, and now the son or daughter are are pipe smokers.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_02: And so we we've got that in a few cases, and uh same with cigars, and um it is just really, really precious.
• 16:55
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
• 16:56
  SPEAKER_02: I mean the the conversations that are had uh in a pipe and cigar shop are really, you know, pretty special.
• 17:02
  SPEAKER_02: And um, you know, it I I do a lot of counseling in the in the shop.
• 17:06
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, really in some sense more than I probably ever would have done in a in a therapy room.
• 17:11
  SPEAKER_02: But um and what what folks will tell you when you light up a pipe or you know a cigar with them, they'll they'll tell you whatever you want to know.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_02: You know, it's it's pretty great.
• 17:20
  SPEAKER_02: So uh but yeah, we have a have a great community and folks um you know come and um it's a it's a watering hole, it's a place where folks kind of loosen their tie after work and um try to let their guard down a little bit and uh you know just enjoy some company.
• 17:35
  SPEAKER_02: You've got you know, 18-year-old well, not any more used to, but the the smoking law now is 21 years old.
• 17:41
  SPEAKER_02: But you know, you got 21-year-old uh, you know, hipsters that are, you know, Bellhaven students and they're sitting next to, you know, retired uh, you know, attorneys or I don't know, pediatricians or whatever whatever they are.
• 17:53
  SPEAKER_02: And um, and uh these are folks that never would meet in a million years.
• 17:58
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, they don't have the same interests uh other than you know premium tobacco.
• 18:02
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, they wouldn't meet necessarily at work or any kind of social environment, but they they have this love for, you know, uh the cigar or or their pipe.
• 18:11
  SPEAKER_02: And uh, you know, it's it's pretty special.
• 18:13
  SPEAKER_02: So we we are very protective of it.
• 18:15
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, we try to continue to foster it and you know create events around it where people can come and and really enjoy it.
• 18:22
  SPEAKER_01: So that's cool.
• 18:24
  SPEAKER_01: Is it mostly local or do you have people that travel in?
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, so we have a really robust local business.
• 18:32
  SPEAKER_02: Probably probably 70% of our business is is local here in Jackson.
• 18:37
  SPEAKER_02: Um and that's almost all cigar related.
• 18:40
  SPEAKER_02: Like our local business is all uh heavy cigar related.
• 18:43
  SPEAKER_02: And we have a have a walk-in humidor.
• 18:45
  SPEAKER_02: Humidor, for your listeners that may not be familiar, is a room or a or a in some cases a box where uh it you have to keep it humid because you're trying to mimic the climate of uh you know some of those um more tropical countries in order to keep the leaves of the cigars kind of supple and pliable or they smoke better and that type of thing.
• 19:05
  SPEAKER_02: And so uh we have a walk-in humidor here at the shop that uh, you know, is very well appointed.
• 19:10
  SPEAKER_02: We've got the best, best cigars in the world uh just a few feet away from me here as I'm as I'm talking.
• 19:16
  SPEAKER_02: And um, and so you know, that's kind of the flavor of our local uh crew here.
• 19:22
  SPEAKER_02: But um, you know, because we do this uh this pipe related stuff, which is more rare nowadays, uh the pipe smoking stuff is not, you know, not as common, but we are one of the few shops in the country uh, you know, that still dabble in in pipe related stuff.
• 19:36
  SPEAKER_02: And it's just it's it's kind of cool because of that.
• 19:39
  SPEAKER_02: We have this more national and international reach that uh some of our, you know, some other you know, cigar shops around may not have because uh you know, we just have these pipe guys that come around from all over.
• 19:51
  SPEAKER_02: We very regularly will have uh pipe enthusiasts just swing in on their way, uh, you know, if they're traveling cross-country for some reason.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, we've had folks that um have liter literally come here from overseas just uh you know to enjoy what a real, you know, a real old-fashioned tobacconist is really like.
• 20:11
  SPEAKER_02: And and that's always kind of fun because then they get to interact with these uh, you know, uh rough around the edges guys that hang out in our shop.
• 20:18
  SPEAKER_02: And you know, it's uh it's really special.
• 20:22
  SPEAKER_02: So um, so yeah, it it's a good, healthy breakdown of kind of mail order international business with our pipe stuff, but then locally a whole lot of cigar business that's all real um, you know, real premium.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_02: And so um, yeah, it's it's it's a neat mix, and because of that, you know, we have uh uh a lot of interesting stories to tell.
• 20:41
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, that's cool.
• 20:44
  SPEAKER_01: Any uh any coaches or anybody, anybody like, you know.
• 20:49
  SPEAKER_02: Well, I I did see Bart Gregory this morning.
• 20:52
  SPEAKER_02: He came in to uh he came in to buy a lighter and a cutter.
• 20:54
  SPEAKER_02: So um he'll stop in occasionally to say hey and um love seeing Bart.
• 20:59
  SPEAKER_02: But um yeah, every once in a while we'll get we'll get someone coming through.
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_02: Being in Jackson, it tends to be more uh politician type stuff and uh legislature when they're in session, they'll they'll come through.
• 21:11
  SPEAKER_02: But you know, historically, folks like um, you know, Jerry Clower was a customer here for decades, you know.
• 21:17
  SPEAKER_02: So when he was in town uh yucking it up, you know, uh he would always come post up here at the Squire and uh smoke cigars and tell fishing stories and that type of thing.
• 21:27
  SPEAKER_02: And um, and uh, you know, Willie Morris, uh famous Mississippi author, Pulsar Prize winning author, he was uh one of our customers too.
• 21:35
  SPEAKER_02: And and and when he finished his book, My Dog Skip, one of the first places he came to to pass out copies was at the country squire.
• 21:42
  SPEAKER_02: So we we hear stories about that kind of stuff all the time.
• 21:46
  SPEAKER_02: There's folks that come in and say, Yeah, I you know, I saw a secretariat win the triple crown right in the right in the corner at the shop over there, you know, stuff like that, which is is pretty neat.
• 21:56
  SPEAKER_02: Um a lot of yeah, a lot of connection with our local schools here.
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_02: We have a whole lot of Jackson State folks that come in and uh folks with the athletic department that that come in from JSU and haven't been Coach Prime yet, but um but you know have have a lot of folks with uh with JSU go in.
• 22:13
  SPEAKER_02: We're we're real supportive of them.
• 22:15
  SPEAKER_02: Um and uh yeah, so it's uh it it's it's a it's a nice nice spectrum of uh of people.
• 22:23
  SPEAKER_04: So so what would you say probably for those who are listening who who aren't familiar with your products and stuff, what would you say is like the best seller or or what what would you recommend for someone to come in who's always wanted to try something but didn't know or or or what what would you what advice would you take on?
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
• 22:39
  SPEAKER_02: No, that's great.
• 22:40
  SPEAKER_02: A lot of folks are like cigars, pipe tobacco.
• 22:42
  SPEAKER_02: What do you mean what is what is this about?
• 22:44
  SPEAKER_02: And so uh just to kind of step back a little bit and give you more of a 30,000-foot view, um, with with cigars and pipe tobacco, the the whole point of it is not, you know, it's a it's a tobacco product, so these products have nicotine in them.
• 22:57
  SPEAKER_02: Um, but the the point of the enjoyment is the flavor and the aroma.
• 23:02
  SPEAKER_02: Uh the nicotine is more of a more of just kind of a almost a side sideshow in the whole deal.
• 23:08
  SPEAKER_02: You're really just you're focusing on the flavor and the aroma, uh, much like you do with a good cup of coffee, you know.
• 23:15
  SPEAKER_02: Um, and so um the uh you know, folks that get into cigars, it's very much a a relaxing process, the whole liturgy of kind of uh selecting the one that's appropriate for the time of day and uh preparing it, making sure you've got the right cutter, the right type of lighter, and you're in the right environment, your palate's clean, you're pairing it with the right food and all these things.
• 23:38
  SPEAKER_02: It's um that's what makes it really special and a lot of fun.
• 23:42
  SPEAKER_02: But um, you know, folks that are just getting into it might pick something uh kind of on the medium or mild side.
• 23:48
  SPEAKER_02: You can think of the flavor spectrum just as you do coffee.
• 23:52
  SPEAKER_02: You've got light roast, you've got dark roasts, uh, medium-bodied uh coffees.
• 23:56
  SPEAKER_02: And uh, you know, some of your lighter roasts might taste lighter, but they might have more caffeine.
• 24:01
  SPEAKER_02: Uh, some of your darker roasts might taste bolder, but they're actually not not as strong with caffeine.
• 24:07
  SPEAKER_02: And so a lot of a lot of that kind of translates over into the cigar world, the cigar um, you know, kind of realm.
• 24:13
  SPEAKER_02: And um something medium-bodied would be great.
• 24:16
  SPEAKER_02: We sell a lot of a tobacco or cigar company uh called Arturo Fuente.
• 24:22
  SPEAKER_02: They've been around a very long time.
• 24:23
  SPEAKER_02: Any of your listeners that are cigar guys will know the name Arturo Fuente.
• 24:28
  SPEAKER_02: But um, yeah, so you know, their their cigars like the Hemingway, uh like the 858 or the Chateau, those are all uh really good sellers.
• 24:37
  SPEAKER_02: They're all 100% handmade.
• 24:39
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, these are, you know, uh there's probably 200 hands that have to go on that cigar before it gets consumed by, you know, a smoker in a place like Jackson.
• 24:49
  SPEAKER_02: And um, and that's that's remarkable if you think about it.
• 24:52
  SPEAKER_02: It even today, and just the incredible automated, machine-made, you know, cheap stuff that we have surrounding us everywhere, you know, these cigars, uh, most of them are made the way that they were, you know, 100 years ago.
• 25:06
  SPEAKER_02: And using a lot of the same equipment, same uh, you know, same uh, you know, Chevetta knives that they have always used, some of the same molds that they've used for years, and um, you know, these old tobacco barns where they age the age the leaf by hanging them up in the rafters and stuff.
• 25:22
  SPEAKER_02: A lot of that stuff's just the exact exactly the same.
• 25:25
  SPEAKER_02: So uh but our turf fuente is great.
• 25:27
  SPEAKER_02: We we sell other ones like uh Perdomo and uh Macanudo, uh anything from Drew Estate is is really good.
• 25:35
  SPEAKER_02: There's uh there's a big variety.
• 25:37
  SPEAKER_02: That's where you know, someone like me who's a certified tobacconist can kind of come in and and help you with that.
• 25:42
  SPEAKER_02: So if you do find a good cigar shop, um, you know, ask for someone that, you know, hey, do you have someone here that can kind of help me pick out a good cigar and uh you know, kind of give me some guidance on on that?
• 25:54
  SPEAKER_02: And if they're good at what they do, which we try to be, although I'm sure we we fail plenty, but um, you know, if they're good at what they do, they'll they'll kind of meet you where you're at and help help you uh you know figure out what would be a good fit.
• 26:08
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's pretty cool.
• 26:09
  SPEAKER_01: Is there ever anything I know like with uh I've seen some people do this with coffee where you can actually go and like tour the uh place where the coffee beans come from and like a coffee tour, are there like cigar tours like that as well?
• 26:24
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, there sure are, man.
• 26:25
  SPEAKER_02: Uh matter of fact, uh I've been invited uh to go on a couple of them.
• 26:29
  SPEAKER_02: Uh last year I couldn't go to one in Nicaragua uh because we had my second child.
• 26:34
  SPEAKER_02: And so I was a little preoccupied with that.
• 26:37
  SPEAKER_02: Don't think my wife would have enjoyed me uh you know uprooting during that season.
• 26:41
  SPEAKER_02: But um, but yeah, they I mean they're you know grown in a lot of these uh you know very well maintained uh fields in in places like Nicaragua and Honduras and and the DR.
• 26:52
  SPEAKER_02: And um, you know, so yeah, you can go there and pay to actually take a tour of some of these places.
• 26:57
  SPEAKER_02: Um some of them are invitation only, you kind of have to be in the industry or or know someone to get you in.
• 27:03
  SPEAKER_02: But they do have uh have them that you can go on and um and and see how they're made, you know.
• 27:08
  SPEAKER_02: And and there's even places uh if you're traveling in the United States, there are some places that still make cigars here in the US too.
• 27:16
  SPEAKER_02: Uh the most famous and most historic one is JC Newman, which is in Tampa, Florida.
• 27:22
  SPEAKER_02: If you ever find yourself in Tampa, if we ever go back to the Outback Bowl or something like that, um man, go by JC Newman.
• 27:28
  SPEAKER_02: They're they're in a place of in Tampa called Ybor City, which is uh kind of a historic cigar manufacturing quarter of that town.
• 27:36
  SPEAKER_02: But they still make you know very premium cigars right here in the USA.
• 27:40
  SPEAKER_02: So um, you know, you can go see that.
• 27:42
  SPEAKER_02: Obviously they don't grow the leaf there, but um, you know, but they do do you know put together the cigar and roll them by hand right there.
• 27:50
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, that's cool.
• 27:52
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, a lot of that too, like it was glasses, you know, there's very few places in the states that make glasses.
• 27:58
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but you know, most of the materials are sourced elsewhere and then they're they're put together here and and things like that.
• 28:04
  SPEAKER_01: But um it's really interesting to kind of just see how there's so much crossover with glasses and coffee and cigars.
• 28:10
  SPEAKER_01: And I had no idea all of that existed.
• 28:14
  SPEAKER_02: So it's such an interesting time we live in.
• 28:16
  SPEAKER_02: Folks are um our world is changing so dramatically, and there's so much cheap stuff out there, and folks are just craving to connect with something meaningful.
• 28:27
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I'm just convinced of this, right?
• 28:28
  SPEAKER_02: I mean, I work for a product of it too.
• 28:30
  SPEAKER_02: And so folks, folks are all about nowadays the small batch experience.
• 28:36
  SPEAKER_02: They want to know the story of the the you know, the artisan that made something.
• 28:41
  SPEAKER_02: They want to, you know, they'll shun the tar the um they'll shun the artwork that they get at Target, and they'll they'll buy something at the farmer's market that someone painted that lives in, you know, the neighboring city or something, and and then they'll go buy their you know, chicken eggs or something.
• 28:57
  SPEAKER_02: Everyone wants to get that kind of experience.
• 28:59
  SPEAKER_02: And um and we really see that daily at the country squire.
• 29:04
  SPEAKER_02: We really do.
• 29:04
  SPEAKER_02: Folks come in and we we one thing that makes our shop unique is we hand blend our own pipe tobacco, which is very rare nowadays.
• 29:11
  SPEAKER_02: You hardly ever see that.
• 29:12
  SPEAKER_02: And we blend it, blend it right here in the shop.
• 29:14
  SPEAKER_02: It's um, you know, something we do.
• 29:16
  SPEAKER_02: Some of those recipes are 50 years old and haven't changed since before any of us live.
• 29:21
  SPEAKER_02: And um, and but they want to they could want to experience that and they want to know, like, well, what you know, why do you why do you use this leaf and not this leaf?
• 29:28
  SPEAKER_02: And how do these two leaves work together?
• 29:30
  SPEAKER_02: And uh, there's an art that goes with it, and it makes it fun and interesting.
• 29:34
  SPEAKER_02: And um, and and so there is, there's kind of this, you hate to call it like a snob culture, but there's kind of this, I call it an enthusiast culture, you know, where people are just kind of they're nerding out about these uh these things that are important to them and and are fun to them.
• 29:49
  SPEAKER_02: So, you know, whether it be like you said, eyeglasses or um, you know, awesome um, you know, uh high thread count shirts or whatever they are, you know, these handmade, these whiskies that are on the bourbon trail, everyone go nuts over um, you know, folks are folks who are really interested in this stuff.
• 30:07
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, well, this has been really cool, John David.
• 30:09
  SPEAKER_01: We appreciate you coming on.
• 30:11
  SPEAKER_01: Um are you active on social media?
• 30:13
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, like what's the best way for people to kind of find out more about what you're doing?
• 30:19
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
• 30:20
  SPEAKER_02: Uh so you can find me personally uh on Facebook, uh John David Cole or on Instagram, John David Cole.
• 30:27
  SPEAKER_02: John is spelled without the H uh because it's short for Jonathan.
• 30:31
  SPEAKER_02: But um, and then uh on our our business, uh the Country Squire, uh the best way to get us is either on Facebook, uh Country Squire 1970 on Facebook, or you can get us on Instagram where we do a lot at uh at underscore the country squire, and that's on Instagram.
• 30:48
  SPEAKER_02: Uh we try to you know put a lot of our products anytime we have live events at the shop, folks come play live music at the store.
• 30:54
  SPEAKER_02: And you know we've had uh beer samplings, and matter of fact, the beer guy left here earlier with Southern Beverage or putting together something for a little later in the year, and um you know it's a lot of fun.
• 31:03
  SPEAKER_02: Please uh you know check us out online, come visit us, come see us, and uh, we'd love to love to pair just the right cigar uh to go with that uh delicious cup of coffee.
• 31:12
  SPEAKER_04: So that's right, that's right.
• 31:14
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, that's that's awesome, man.
• 31:16
  SPEAKER_04: We can't thank you enough.
• 31:17
  SPEAKER_04: Yeah, spread, yeah, definitely.
• 31:18
  SPEAKER_04: We'll um hope our listeners will will uh check y'all out.
• 31:21
  SPEAKER_04: Um it sounds like y'all doing some really cool things there.
• 31:24
  SPEAKER_04: And and uh yeah, I know y'all have to a lot a lot of uh a lot of your customers uh drink coffee, so spread the word about Johnny Packer coffee and hopefully they'll hopefully they'll get some some cigars and pipes from your your shop and get some coffee and and uh and tell some tell some great stories and make some memories.
• 31:40
  SPEAKER_02: So man, I I'm I'm excited myself about getting some to uh to try.
• 31:44
  SPEAKER_02: You know, I haven't uh unfortunately haven't tried any yet.
• 31:46
  SPEAKER_02: And I, you know, my my wife uh used to work at a coffee roaster.
• 31:50
  SPEAKER_02: We talked about that a little bit pre-show, and uh she recently quit her job to come home and and help take care of the kids and that kind of thing.
• 31:57
  SPEAKER_02: And so I don't have a hookup on coffee anymore.
• 31:59
  SPEAKER_02: So I gotta I gotta go buy coffee.
• 32:01
  SPEAKER_02: And uh we have to be low at the house.
• 32:03
  SPEAKER_02: So uh I I sense uh I sense a shipment coming to Jackson real soon here.
• 32:07
  SPEAKER_02: But um man, just thrilled to be here, really excited to to get to connect with y'all and um man, just uh yeah, excited to see what you're doing.
• 32:15
  SPEAKER_02: So thanks for having me.
• 32:16
  SPEAKER_02: Yeah, thanks so much for joining us.
• 32:18
  SPEAKER_01: And we'll be sure to share all your links and everything.
• 32:20
  SPEAKER_01: We'll we'll try to tag you in the show notes if people are interested.
• 32:22
  SPEAKER_01: They can they can just click on the show notes and find you.
• 32:25
  SPEAKER_01: So well, thanks everybody for listening and uh y'all have a good rest of your day.
• 32:29
  SPEAKER_01: We'll talk to you soon.
• 32:31
  SPEAKER_04: See y'all.
• 32:32
  SPEAKER_01: All right, bye.
• 32:33
  unknown: Bye.
• 32:34
  SPEAKER_04: Before we wrap up this episode of Johnny's World Podcast, I had to I had to uh mention that uh that I forgot to mention earlier to our guest, uh John David Cole when we had on.
• 32:45
  SPEAKER_04: Um, as you all know who listened to this podcast, you know that uh the bats and children's hospital in Jackson, Mississippi has been a big part of my life.
• 32:53
  SPEAKER_04: Um I was born sick there, stayed the first eight months of my life in the hospital, and uh credit along with God to helping save my life to where I'm uh why I'm alive today.
• 33:03
  SPEAKER_04: So very thankful for everything it's done.
• 33:05
  SPEAKER_04: And after college, I worked there for many years doing PR fundraising, helping promote the hospital.
• 33:10
  SPEAKER_04: And um, throughout the my time period of working there, I developed a close uh friendship with Dr.
• 33:16
  SPEAKER_04: Blair A.
• 33:17
  SPEAKER_04: Batson, who was the hospital's namesake.
• 33:19
  SPEAKER_04: I used to take him to uh different events that we had uh whenever needed.
• 33:24
  SPEAKER_04: And um I even got to go and with my dog Bo and we went over and watched uh he was a big Vanderbilt uh fan.
• 33:31
  SPEAKER_04: He graduated from Vanderbilt.
• 33:32
  SPEAKER_04: We watched Vanderbilt win the College World series, and and uh it was a very special, special time.
• 33:37
  SPEAKER_04: Uh so Dr.
• 33:38
  SPEAKER_04: Batson means so much to me.
• 33:39
  SPEAKER_04: I even got to speak at his funeral, and um just I can't say enough good things about him and his family.
• 33:45
  SPEAKER_04: But uh but his big signature, if y'all uh are familiar with Dr.
• 33:49
  SPEAKER_04: Batson, was he would always smoke a pipe.
• 33:51
  SPEAKER_04: There was a big painting in the hospital, uh a mural off Dr.
• 33:54
  SPEAKER_04: Batson's pipe.
• 33:55
  SPEAKER_04: That was his his thing.
• 33:56
  SPEAKER_04: My my granddad used to always do red hands, and Dr.
• 33:59
  SPEAKER_04: Batson would always smoke a pipe, so that was kind of his thing.
• 34:02
  SPEAKER_04: So I asked John David, I was like, uh, you know what happened to remember Dr.
• 34:06
  SPEAKER_04: Batsman would you?
• 34:07
  SPEAKER_04: And he was like, Oh, Dr.
• 34:08
  SPEAKER_04: B.
• 34:08
  SPEAKER_04: Of course I remember Dr.
• 34:10
  SPEAKER_04: Batson.
• 34:11
  SPEAKER_04: Um I figured he they would know him at uh Country Squire.
• 34:15
  SPEAKER_04: He's been there for over 50 years.
• 34:16
  SPEAKER_04: And he said that uh there's a plaque on the wall in the country squire with Dr.
• 34:21
  SPEAKER_04: Blair Batson's name on there.
• 34:22
  SPEAKER_04: And and uh he said he would come in there and and uh he would buy and smoke a pound of Cherokee tobacco uh in a month.
• 34:30
  SPEAKER_04: So he loved his uh his pipe and uh that was his signature.
• 34:34
  SPEAKER_04: And I can't think of Dr.
• 34:36
  SPEAKER_04: Batson without thinking of a pipe, and uh like I can't think of my granddad without thinking of uh Red Man.
• 34:42
  SPEAKER_04: So uh just those small things like that.
• 34:44
  SPEAKER_04: And and uh I had a feeling that the the country squire was where Dr.
• 34:48
  SPEAKER_04: Batson got his pipe.
• 34:50
  SPEAKER_04: So uh really cool, cool story um that I wanted to add in there at the end uh for those of you listening, because y'all know about my relationship with Dr.
• 34:58
  SPEAKER_04: Batson in the hospital and kind of come for a circle with our with our uh guests that we had interviewing about the country squire.
• 35:05
  SPEAKER_04: So uh so yeah, if you're in the market for uh pipes or tobacco products or cigars like that, um check out John David and what they have going on at the uh country squire.
• 35:15
  SPEAKER_04: I think I'll be pleased.
• 35:16
  SPEAKER_04: But until next time, have a great day and just keep living.
• 35:27
  SPEAKER_00: Thanks for listening to the Johnny's World Podcast.
• 35:31
  SPEAKER_00: Please help us spread the message about DF and support our cause by going to JohnnyFacker.com.
• 35:38
  SPEAKER_00: You can also reach us at JohnnyTackerIwe at email.com.