Grant’s Tobacconist

So now there are no real pipe stores in SF and maybe one or two places with the walk-​in cigar humidor? And zero where you can smoke inside (save the Cigar Bar, which is for the stock-​trading elite). Weak, folks, very weak.
I’m not going to say Grants didn’t to some extent bring their closing on themselves. Sure, the landlord evicted them, but the business was dead and just didn’t know it yet.
The service was OK 10 years back or so, but became increasingly edgy and weird. If you were a new or infrequent customer, they’d as soon look at you like you were there to steal something as offer advice. Maybe this is a function of how crappy Market Street has become, but it didn’t do much to make Grant’s classy or welcoming. I took a hint and stopped going.
So, future pipe store owner, my unsolicited advice:
Don’t even bother with SF unless they’ll give you written assurances that they won’t strangle you out like they did the gun stores. Maybe South City or Oakland or someplace would go for it. Rents and knee-​jerkery surrounding smoke will dictate where it’s possible.
Do know that there are still people interested in tobacco and pipes, but we don’t all make purchases every day. Treat people like welcome customers and they will come back.
Do know/​learn how to use the interweb.
Do not try to be a halfass headshop and a halfass tobacco shop. No one takes that shit seriously. You may as well sell kabobs and pipes.

My heart sank when I walked to the front of the store and saw the brown paper covering the windows, the gate locked and the. CLOSED sign in the window. I have only been going to Grants since 2006, but I bought my first pipe there and tons of cigars. It was so relaxing to go there and sit and have a smoke. After reading a little about the situation, I became angry and thought how pitiful it is that such greed would fill the hearts of men. A hundred bucks says the owners of the building are Al-​Queda. I hope they find a new location. But the history of Grants is one of the reasons I started going there. I miss the times Id smoke with really neat people like Tony, Greg, Chris, Joe, Ted, and even a great dog named FORD. You suck landlord, I hope all your business endeavors fail. Good luck Ted and Joe. I pray you guys are able to do what you want with the future. I hear your still doing an online business, Ill try and find the site. God Bless you guys.

I can’t believe Grant’s is closed! Where am I going to get my Royal Reserve tobacco? Can anybody recommend a good tobacconist in San Fran until Grant’s finds a new home?

I happened to be downtown last month (a position I try to not place myself in, but needs must occasionally), and thought I would make the experience more pleasant by swanning into Grant’s and snapping up a package of Esoterica’s Penzance (also known by its fans as «Pure Unobtainium»). I truly tried to convince myself I was out of my gay mind when I saw the security gates over the windows and the sign stating this location had closed and directing me to their website for their other locations.
Other locations? The website has been under construction since God left Chicago, and I wasn’t aware there were any other locations, although I’d gladly give them my front parlor in West Oakland to operate out of if they promise to keep me in Penzance and my hubs in Nicaraguan cigars. I would even offer them the use of Tiger Bob for those patrons who feel the need for a very active young cat while they climb the stairs and try the wares.

Sad that they are closed as they were very convenient to my office. I can see why they are closed as Teddy did not have much «person skills». He appeared to be much in a Thorazine stupor most of the time… or is that the stiff upper lip brit thing, alas I digress.
They had a pretty good selection and at one point had a great place to smoke those smelly ol stoggies.
Probably in the end San Francisco was the cause of the demise as this city really has it in for anything that you light up and doesn’t alter your mind… and is a small business.
Alas another bites the dust… sigh, tear, whimper.

I can’t believe those GREEDY landlords would FORCE Grant’s out like they’re NOTHING. This is the ONLY place I come to for cigars whenever I’m in SF (once a month) and will miss the friendly workers, great products, and history. After so much history, greed takes over… What’s next? The cable-​cars for a toll-​road???
Thank you everyone at Grant’s, past and present, for everything. I hope you will find a decent landlord somewhere close/​soon, to continue to do what you do best. Best of luck to all of you!
Sincerely,
Danny (The Asian guy that always comes in from out-​of-​town, asking for the latest hard-​to-​find Fuentes/​cigars, with a back-​pack on, travel-​case, and makes Grant’s my first stop in the city as soon as I arrive) I’ll be calling you guys soon to help clear out any inventory you may need help clearing!

I have been going to Grant’s since I’ve started this wonderful habbit of mine, and i don’t think it gets better then this. Everyone here is helpful and inviting (except maybe the older gentleman with the glasses who probably has been working there from the start. He just looks tired.)
They always have a massive selection and keep my favorite stocked, PADRONS!
I will come here for my cigar needs till the cigars pull me under. I even buy my cigars from Grant’s and take them over to Cigar Bar to smoke with a nice glass of whiskey… ahh that’s my kind of night.
I Love Grant’s!
ps. You guys are slacking on those Padron 85^th years… i need my fix guy. Help a brotha out.

Great service and honest. Old school. Nice selection, but could be wider.

This is the place that I go out of my way when I need a cigar. If you buy at any other place you are paying too much. Not only are the cigars a good value and kept well in the walk in humidor, but the gentleman that run the place are always eager and knowledgeable about their inventory.

I know nothing about cigars, but I do know that I wanted to get my Dad some fancy cigars for Christmas. The great oracle – er, Unilocal – recommended Grant’s Tobacconist, so off we rode on our steel horse – ok, MUNI.
This was the easiest gift-​selection process I’ve ever experienced — I told the young man working there what I was looking for («Something fancy») and my budget. He came up with several great selections that fit my requirements. In the end, I went $ 10 over budget, because my +1 agreed that particular set was the best value for the money.
Dad was really happy with his gift, and wanted to know where I went to get these cigars. He hasn’t smoked them yet, due to suboptimal outside smoking temperatures, but I would happily recommend Grant’s to anyone who needs help selecting something for the cigar or pipe smoker in their lives.

This place just oozes a cool vibe, even in an anti-​smoking overly PC sometimes annoyingly stuffy city I can call home.
Helpful staff, especially for a chick who needed to buy the b/​f a stocking stuffer without getting roped.
Thanks gents. I’ll be back.

A lawyer friend of mine did a favor for me, and I wanted to demonstrate my gratitude.
At lunch he happened to mention his habit of smoking cigars on the back deck of his house in the evenings, while contemplating his ongoing cases.
I work across the street from Grant’s, and have always admired the old-​school clubhouse look of the place. Like John’s Grill or the Top of the Mark, there are a few Old San Francisco time capsules out there which cater to a male WASP middle class: a little outpost of the world you see on the show «Mad Men».
Armed with a bit of intelligence, gathered by cloak-​and-​dagger methods, I entered the shop and found the smell of tobacco strong but not overwhelming. The place feels quaint and cozy. I was attended by a relaxed young man who effortlessly demonstrated his knowledge of the cigars, and helped me select some appropriate cigar gifts. He indulged my questions with patience and attentiveness, did not hesitate to make recommendations, and was calmly deferential to my judgement as the customer. Every customer experience in every industry should be like this.
My gifts went over superbly. Well done, Grant’s.

Amazing selection. This cigar store quickly became one of my favorites. A warm atmosphere coupled with a friendly staff (and an affordable punch) has me looking forward to the next time I visit. Enjoy the smoking area and watch market street work while you enjoy your cigar.

The difference between a European and a US cigar shop, sadly, is that in the US you don’t get that amazing smell when you walk into the humidor. That is because many non-​cuban cigars come in plastic wrappers.
However, and this is a big however, this store is excellent.
The selection of high quality non cuban (obviously) cigars was excellent.
Most impressively though, was the truly helpful and charming salesman. I missed his name, but I wished I had made a note of it. He was very knowlegeable and super helpful.
Genuinely a treat. Will visit every time I travel to San Francisco.

So I’ll start by saying that I am no cigar aficionado and haven’t been to any other cigar shops. I just went into this shop a couple of times to buy cigars for my boyfriend.
The guys who work there are helpful (I think) but they kind of have an attitude that doesn’t sit well with me. When I go in, I say clearly that I don’t really know anything and would love their help so its not like I’m pretentious or anything. They seem mildly put out that they have to help me and then kind of are jerks when it comes to paying. Both times they have been annoyed when I’ve paid with a giftcard and cash. It didn’t seem to be a big deal to any other vendors, so I was left with a bad taste in my mouth.
I’ll probably give them one more try because they are so convenient, but I wouldn’t recommend them over another place.

A small two seat lounge. Small humidor, friendly staff, and unique street people watching (bums bums, bums everywhere bums). Check out the cigar bar up the street just off Montgomery… crappy cigar selection but an cool place to bring your own and enjoy a cool ice tea or coffee and socialize

Last month the owners of Grant’s decided to start a policy that reduced seating in their smoking area down to two seats, and required a $ 25 purchase in order to have 2 hours’ worth of «sitting and smoking privileges.» Those of you who have visited the store know that they don’t don’t have a separate appointed smoking lounge, but simply seats in the store.
Apparently the owners decided to institute this policy over a personal disagreement with some of the regular customers — including some who helped the store obtain a variance to continue to allow smoking in the store after the latest city smoking control ordinance was passed.
As of now, unless you are willing to buy $ 25 in cigars on the spot and be scrutinized by an increasingly rude staff, there is no place to sit inside and smoke a cigar or pipe in Downtown San Francisco — apparently due to ego conflicts more than anything else.
(edited to add: apparently because of lost customers, Grant’s has lowered their minimum purchase to $ 15. Customers aren’t coming back, however. As you can probably tell, they’ve also posted a fake positive review of their store here, giving this hostile policy a favorable review It’s unfortunate that one person with emotional issues is being allowed to drive a venerated local business into the ground with such cheesy practices.)

This shop takes the cake in the old-​school department. Its small, sweetly cluttered space wears well the sepia patina burnished by years upon years of aromatic fog. It has a modest but well-​curated collection of all things cigar and pipe tobacco, and has resisted the incursion of cigarettes and pothead paraphernalia — the mark of a true tobacconist, in my humble view.
I’ve visited half a dozen times and have not really gotten a sense of the cast of characters behind the counter, but I’ve always been treated right by the staff. I’ve bought two pipes here and have always taken home a bag of what I take to be their signature blend, Old Drum («you can’t beat it!»). Everything about pipe smoking should be enjoyable, and Grant’s won’t harsh that buzz.
My one critical comment is not so much a complaint as a regret. The smoking area is small and, every time I’ve been through, dominated by a cigar-​smoking demographic that exudes territoriality, like a six-​pack of white bulldogs. I’m still awaiting the day when a friend and I can elbow our way in and enjoy a pipe — which to me, will mean I’ve really *been* to Grants. I suspect it’ll have been worth waiting for.

Grant’s is a complete tobacconist. they carry not just good quality ‘gars but cigar pipes, flasks, aluminum lights, the whole arsenal of accessories for serious tobacconists. and not a single cigarette was seen in the entire store!
smokes tend toward the higher end with lots of choices in patron, arthur fuente, olivia. lesser choices in other well known brands. few maduro choices however.
all the ‘gars are in a humorized cigar room .
smoke: ashton maduro churchill (15.50)
–a little harsh upon liteup. smoke wasn’t very chocolate tasting.
cashier disappointed i only bought one cigar. i explained this eliminated breakage and the ‘gars drying out.
ashes:
–one a month «smokes-​ins» when they highlight new cigars and give one free with 3 purchased.
–caters to repeat customers. restocks what sells.
-‘gars mostly high end one, few middle roads smokes, little of cheapies.
–quick, knowledgable service.
–didn’t see any smoking area/​lounge.

I am pipe smoker. As a classic retro gentleman, a piece of accoutremen’ really is the keystone. There is something romantic and lovely about the aroma of a sweet smokey tobacco. There is a comfort and soothing quality to the air after a few gentle puffs. The aroma is never overpowering and rarely offensive. There is an element of sophistication that a pipe brings that Stogies are bereft of. The worlds greatest questions and problems are best discussed and resolved in deep heavy chair with a pipe in hand and Brandy at arms length.
It is not often I smoke my pipe that I bought here at Grant’s. A pouch of tobacc’ lasts me 3– 6 months. If I smoke it once a week than I know it has been a good week. The staff here is well knowledgeable if not the friendliest of purveyors. Their selection is wide and deep if often out of many products. They carry perhaps a score or two dozen types of pipe tobacco. I have been in some shops that carry scores and scores, so I do long for a wider selection. They have no citrusy tobacc’s which I enjoy, but their standard smokey vanilla is pleasant. You may come in for a smoke and try any of the tobacc’s they have on hand, a very nice courtesy, after all, are we not gentlemen?
Their prices are not out of line, their location is convenient for SF. I am not a smoker of rolled tobacco or other things that are often smoked. For me it is about the aesthetic and the olfactory emersion. So for my eccentric and limited requirements, Grant’s fulfills my wants.