Vincent Nastri opened his first tobacco shop in 1910 on Barclay and Church Street. His long history attests to the fact that commitment, knowledge and passion can withstand the test of time if shared properly with customers and family members. His business flourished for over fifty years downtown, where Mr. Nastri crafted his own line of pipes. Then his son and grandson (Vincent Nastri II and III) opened additional shops uptown. Since 1985, the tobacconist has thrived on 42nd Street.
Charles, one of the managers at Barclay Rex, welcomed us and was eager to explain the ins and outs of the store at length, starting with an ode to the past. “In old-time photographs of New York,” he explained, “there’s always a tobacconist on the corner. So this is a place from another era.” Those tobacconists, once ubiquitous, have now been disappearing with Barclay-Rex and its down the street neighbor Nat Sherman being the exception. But the community here remains strong, with business driven by a combination of passersby and regulars who stop in to spend hours smoking stogies and shooting the breeze.
Today, cigars are the big draw, and Barclay Rex offers the top of the line brands along side their own, signature cigar. The tobacco, itself, comes from a combination of larger cigar-makers – Davidoff, Fuentes, Padrón, Ashton – and boutique growers. Spending a bit of time people watching, it was fascinating listening to the chatter among cigar aficionados. As Charles perfectly phrased it, "people smoke cigars to feel like a big-shot for a half an hour.”
As if on cue, while Charles was telling us how the tobacco draws a crowd both professional and artistic, a man walked in wearing platform shoes, face paint, a metallic jacket and carrying a cane, as if to prove the point Charles was trying to make. This gentleman mused: “what do I like about cigars? That’s like asking me what I like about breathing. I can’t imagine life without cigars.” Clearly, the tobacco at Barclay Rex is a proxy for something more. As he and Charles began to reminisce about chords noodled and shows played, I took a last deep breath and slipped back out into the bustle of 42nd.
