Pipes By George

This is a great place for pipe smokers. There is a good selection and range of pipes. There is also a humidor with a good selection and price of cigars.
The real beauty is the service. Chris helped me find several pipe tobaccos that I was pleased with. He even let me sample a bowl before I purchased, which was very kind of him.
The selection of pipe tobacco is above average in my experiences. I enjoyed hanging out for a bit and will return.

George is very knowledgable, the service is attentive regardless of the size of your perspective purchase. The people that frequent George’s are welcoming and make for great conversation. The selection is large and the atmosphere is unique. His pipes meet all price ranges and all palates of tobacco tastes. A must visit. No other tobacconist like this exists in Raleigh!

Stopped by to visit George, bought a nice ‘nose warmer.’ Very friendly pleasant place!

Pipes by George is a must if you smoke a pipe in the Raleigh area. He is the only tobacconist in the area that I have found that really carries the essentials for pipe smokers, has a great selection of pipes and more than enough variety of pipe tobacco. I unfortunately did not have a pipe with me when I found Pipes by George, I will be back.

This store needs to be discussed in three parts. I visit tobacconists in every city I travel to and have seen the best and the worst. I worked in one all through college and into my late 20’s, so I’m pretty picky.
1. Pipe selection. George’s actually has a fairly good selection, but the displays are old and a bit rough around the edges. It’s not a huge selection, but there are several good options in most price ranges. I actually bought a pipe while I was here.
2. Cigar Selection was also very good. Again, not huge, but he had all the main brands and then some. The best thing here is his prices. He was very fairly priced, and that even included the Opus X he had. Most stores (if they can get them) triple the regular retail price. They were MSRP here. That’s rare.
3. The best part of the store. George. He was great. Very knowledgeable, and extremely friendly. I visited the store on Christmas Eve, and several regulars stopped in while I was there. A couple of them brought him gifts. That’s a good sign. I also «talked shop» with him while I was there, and he certainly knows his stuff.
The store like I said was a little rough, and selection wasn’t the largest I’ve seen, (leading to the 3 stars) but it is by far the best in Raleigh, and George is great.

Whenever anyone ask where I get my Cigars from in Raleigh, I flat out tell them «I get them from George» A friend of mine told me about George when I was complaining about not being able to get good price Cigars in the area and I am glad they did. When i first went into George’s I had a very limited knowledge base, but he helped me out. I told him what exactly I have had before, and what I liked. George took this information and was able to recommend many different brands that I should try.
George is always willing to talk with you about almost anything, and he is always there to lend a hand. I went in the other knowing exactly what I wanted and while talking to George for a few minutes he suggested that I try another brand, and I am certainly glad that he did as it might be my new favorite. His prices are also impossible to beat in this area, and I have even seen higher prices then his in Tampa, which is supposed to be the Cigar Capital of the US.

George is my favorite Tobacconist (and the only one I know)! As mentioned by Clyde, he has a friendly smile to welcome you when you come in and it is a reflection of his always kind demeanor. George only takes cash, so I told him to keep the change when I was in there once, and he refused. Another time, he didn’t have the proper change and I told him not to worry about it. The next time I came in, he credited me the small bit of change he didn’t have the last time I was there. If only every vendor could be so attentive and responsible to his or her customers… George is a class-​act!
Walking through the setback door to Pipes by George is like walking through a time machine. The store is almost an oasis amidst the tattoo and piercing parlors along this strip of Hillsborough St where you get a lot of alt-​types and other oddballs scoping you as you pass. As you enter, a bell rings on the back of the door and you are greeted with the sweet, musky smell of a tobacco shop with weathered hardwood floors and a timeless sense where the bustle of Hillsborough Street is left behind at the door. George sells various sundries in addition to his tobacco selection, all of it at the very least intriguing. A friend of mine got some quality darts here of which he has a good selection and knowledge. You can even get Larry’s Beans Fair Trade Coffee to complement your tobacco purchase! He has a nice selection of good tobacco pipes, pipe tobacco, cigars, rolling tobacco, and the many tools and materials you use for these. If he doesn’t have it, he’ll order it.
On a recent visit, I spent 15 minutes chatting with George about the availability of imported tobaccos, the distinctions the IRS makes between different cuts of tobacco, and how cigarette companies have picked apart the industry to stem competition through lobbying for selective higher tobacco taxes. George’s unassuming character is only outweighed by his knowledge of his work. I’ll be back, again and again.

Pipes By George is a Raleigh establishment that works exceptionally hard to stay within (editorial moment!) overly restrictive legislation while still supplying as full a range of legitimate smoking devices as possible along with a variety of tobacco products.
But even if you don’t need such items it’s worth dropping in to catch a moment with George, whose friendly smile and wry sense of humor has helped maintain the loyalty of old-​timers even as such old school smoke shops are losing favor with the general public on multiple fronts.
Best of all are the moments when a true old-​timer slips in and starts trading barbs with George though the edge is generally soft enough for the friendly repartee to shine through.
If this is not your kind of thing, it might still be worth a look for interesting gifts for the folks you know who think tobacco is still king!