Ignite Your Passion for Puffing at a New Online Cigar Store: Davidoff, Avo, Arturo Fuente, Graycliff, Hoyo de Monterrey, La Aurora, La Gloria Cubana, Macanudo, Montecristo, PG, Punch, Romeo y Julieta, S.T. Dupont and Other Name Brands Available Online Now
Cigars by Chivas is turning ten, but they’re not lighting candles on a cake – they’re lighting cigars. To celebrate this milestone, the Pasadena, California cigar shop and smoking lounge has launched a new Internet presence. Offering more than 90 styles of a dozen high-end cigar brands – including Davidoff, Avo, Arturo Fuente, Graycliff, Hoyo de Monterrey, La Aurora, La Gloria Cubana, Macanudo, Montecristo, PG, Punch, Romeo y Julieta and other name brands – the online store is a cigar lover’s dream. An array of S.T. Dupont lighters, Atoll accessories, Prometheus and S.T. Dupont cigar cutters, pure Italian crystal Prometheus ashtrays, handmade humidors and other exclusive items are also available. As a value-added service, all orders are shipped by 2-day FedEx.
Pasadena, CA (PRWEB) August 1, 2005 -- Cigars by Chivas is turning ten, but
they’re not lighting candles on a cake – they’re lighting cigars. To celebrate
this milestone, the Pasadena, California cigar shop and smoking lounge has
launched a new Internet presence at www.cigarsbychivas.com/prweb. Offering more than 90 styles of
a dozen high-end cigar brands – including Davidoff, Avo, Arturo Fuente,
Graycliff, Hoyo de Monterrey, La Aurora, La Gloria Cubana, Macanudo,
Montecristo, PG, Punch, Romeo y Julieta and other name brands – the online store
is a cigar lover’s dream. An array of S.T. Dupont lighters, Atoll accessories,
Prometheus and S.T. Dupont cigar cutters, pure Italian crystal Prometheus
ashtrays, handmade humidors and other exclusive items are also available. As a
value-added service, all orders are shipped by 2-day FedEx.
“Our
advantage is unbeatable service, competitive prices, a wide selection of high
quality products, fast shipping, and our extensive product knowledge,” says Anto
Kamarian, owner of Cigars by Chivas. “Knowledge is invaluable if you cannot
share it. With our website we can now share our knowledge of cigars beyond the
borders of California.”
After a demanding review process through which
several agencies were interviewed, Cigars by Chivas chose Clear Pixel
Communications – a Santa Clarita, California provider of marketing and
management solutions to entrepreneurial organizations – to comprehensively
redesign the store’s brand and to develop the new online cigar store. Using the
advanced functionality of the Miva Merchant e-commerce platform as a
springboard, Clear Pixel created a customized user interface that balanced form
and function.
“Leveraging the strength of the new brand image we
developed while maximizing the Miva platform was our goal,” says Matthew A.
Gilbert, Managing Director of Clear Pixel. “The result is a highly functional
e-commerce solution that doesn’t sacrifice on style. The project can be summed
up in one word: smoking!”
Cigar lovers can easily navigate directly to
the brand for which they are looking. Or, to expedite their online experience,
they can quickly search by brand or style. All major credit cards – American
Express, Discover, MasterCard and Visa – are accepted over a 128-bit SSL
certificate secured by GeoTrust of Needham, Massachusetts.
For ease of
use and to further protect their account information, users will create a
password protected account. And, to accommodate the unique taxation situation in
California, a unique module was programmed to provide separate pricing and
fulfillment for residents of that state.
Although Cigars by Chivas is new
to online commerce, the store celebrates its tenth anniversary in November.
Founded in 1995 on the corner of De Lacey Avenue and Green Street in Old
Pasadena, California, Cigars by Chivas is today one of the most successful cigar
stores and smoking lounges in the United States.
Among a handful of
retailers offering the complete line of Davidoff cigars, one of even fewer
selling the exclusive PG brand of Paul Garmirian (with whom Anto is a personal
acquaintance), and as the number one S.T. Dupont appointed merchant in the
country, Cigars by Chivas provides a virtually unmatched selection.
Complementing the selection, the store also offers an inviting, intimate
ambience, along with exclusive cigar-related events, giving it the perfect
balance of selection and setting.
“I look forward to meeting my friends
and relaxing with a cigar,” says longtime Cigars by Chivas customer and cigar
lover Henry Lee. “Whether we’re watching a movie or just discussing local
events, there’s nothing quite like smoking with your friends after a hard day. I
enjoy the camaraderie at Cigars by Chivas.”
For its frequent visitors,
the store also offers an exclusive back room. Complete with classic leather
couches, a stereo and flat-panel television, framed by private wood cigar
lockers, the room is part executive office and part playhouse. The intent, of
course, is to foster friendship and encourage interaction among customers – two
of Kamarian’s motivations for opening the store.
“I got tired of all the
regulations preventing me from smoking, so I opened Cigars by Chivas as a safe
haven for myself and other aficionados,” Kamarian explains, noting the personal
and altruistic impetus for his decision to venture into an industry about which
he had previously only had experience as a consumer. “Over the past ten years
many lasting friendships have developed over dozens of great cigars.”
So
how does someone with nearly no experience in an industry become so successful
in it? Although the location of the store and the selection of cigars have been
major factors, the number one reason is the exceptional service Cigars by Chivas
promises. Kamarian estimates that nearly 90 percent of his sales are made by
repeat customers – an impressive statistic in any industry and a testament to
his dedication to satisfaction. For Kamarian, Cigars by Chivas is about the
experience first and about business second.
“It’s a very pleasurable
business,” Kamarian admits. “I enjoy my days meeting new people, having a great
time with the regulars and smoking fine cigars. It is an overall experience and
lifestyle for which there is no substitute. A cigar is not just a cigar - it is
a tool of relaxation, atmosphere and pleasure.”
Philanthropically-minded,
Kamarian is actively involved with the community in which his business operates.
He has donated to numerous non-profit organizations including the Pasadena
Police Department, the Pasadena Symphony, the Pasadena Holy Family Church, and
Homenetmen – an Armenian youth group. Cigars by Chivas recently sponsored and
organized a golf tournament to benefit Pasadena’s Huntington Hospital – a
525-bed community hospital offering a full complement of acute medical care and
community services.
In an additional gesture of generosity Kamarian
helped Arbi Babaei pay for his MBA program at Burbank’s Woodbury University. At
the time, Babaei was the store’s general manager – a position that gave
complemented his academic experience with hands-on experience in a real business
environment.
“Working with Anto was a great way to apply the information
I learned in my MBA program,” said Babaei, who recently bought Cozy Toes Nail
Spa in Sherman Oaks, California. “His entrepreneurial spirit and savvy business
sense are skills you just can’t learn from a book.”
Admirably, Kamarian
doesn’t give for the recognition – it’s just what he is all
about.
“Giving back to my community is an important component to the
Cigars by Chivas philosophy,” Kamarian explains. “I owe my success to the people
who visit my store and supporting local causes is my way of giving thanks to
those who have supported my business.”
Stop by the online store today at
www.cigarsbychivas.com/prweb and buy a box of Davidoff, Avo,
Arturo Fuente, Graycliff, Hoyo de Monterrey, La Aurora, La Gloria Cubana,
Macanudo, Montecristo, PG, Punch, Romeo y Julieta or another famous cigar brand
– and celebrate the 10th birthday of Cigars by Chivas in style!
About
Clear Pixel Communications
Clear Pixel Communications provides marketing and
management solutions to entrepreneurial organizations and individuals. Founded
in 1999 with the belief that clarity, creativity and consistency create
credibility, the foundation of success, Clear Pixel combines creative,
analytical and conceptual capabilities to render real results. Committed to
communicating our clients' most compelling qualities, Clear Pixel develops
initiatives that involve, inform and inspire audiences to act. Call 888-99-PIXEL
or visit http://www.clearpixel.com/prweb now to learn how Clear Pixel
can help your organization succeed clearly!
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/8/prweb267816.htm