507. Going Home to the Chicago Pipe Club for their March Meeting
T á C r í o s t é i r i t h e ! Beannachtaí na Cásca oraibh! HAPPY EASTER! APRIL 30TH - MAY 3RD Brad Jarosek from the Arlington Pipe & Cigar Lounge in Arlington Heights, Illinois called me a few months ago and wanted to know if I'd be interested in doing a presentation at the shop for the March meeting of the Chicago Pipe Collectors Club. Brad is over the pipes and tobaccos section of the store, which is owned by Chris Nichols. The CPCC meets there every month, and meets quite comfortably--with attendance averaging between 50 and 70. The shop is kind of like the stable in C. S. Lewis's The Last Battle--it's a lot bigger on the inside than it looks like on the outside. I told Brad I'd love to come, but Gigi and I were saving for our annual vacation at the CPCC show at the end of April. "No problem," he said, my boss Chris Nichols and the club will pick up the tab." What could I say? Yes, of course. I love Illinois and I love Chicago. There's something about the people, the town, and the state that has always made me feel like I was home. More than that, if it weren't for the CPCC's show, I might never have landed a contract for the The Peterson Pipe. The show is where every book we've published has been launched, and it seemed like giving the Chicago Pipe Collector's Club an advance peek at something from my next Peterson book is the very least I could do to show them my gratitude for their friendship, hospitality, and support all these years. I don't know if they accept members from afar, but I'll be finding out in a few weeks. Before heading out to the shop, I met Josh Sherif--The Peterson Piper--his friend Cole Bonifacius, and Amu Torres, Laudisi's Midwest rep at Wildberry Pancakes, Arlington Heights #1 purveyor of the supreme breakfast food. Brad was already at the shop, getting things ready. Amu Torres Amu Torres is probably the most charismatic guy I've ever met on the "trade" side. He's promised an interview with me after we get through the Chicago show. He's got a passion for pipes, but it's more than that, it's a genuine interest in pipe smokers. I heard him talking to several folks, drawing out their likes and dislikes. More than selling pipes, it's about connecting pipes with other pipe smokers. I honestly don't know anyone in the trade like him. Codger (on the left) photo-bombing my hosts, Brad (center) and Chris (right) I was absolutely bowled over by what Brad has done with the pipes & tobaccos section of the Arlington store. I haven't been in a shop like this, maybe, ever. Just look at this: Not a bad job, right? Josh Sherif (left) and Cole Bonifacius (right) Josh I'm sure you already know. His YouTube channel…