People To Watch

Dallas Loupot and George Camarinos

Ash Brothers Mobile Cigar Lounge

When Dallas Loupot and George Camarinos met two years ago, they hit it off . They both enjoyed puffi ng on quality stogies, for one thing. Camarinos had the professional knowledge of cigar brands and marketing, having worked as a certifi ed retail tobacconist at Central Cigars, St. Pete’s downtown go-to shop for cigar afi cionados. Loupot’s background was in sales and business. The two buddies started talking, well, dreaming, really. Why not open a cigar lounge?

“We thought St. Pete Beach would be a good location since there aren’t any there,” says Loupot. “We did some research, talked to some people, but got no positive feedback.”

Regrouping over a considerable amount of bourbon at a Beach Drive bar, another idea formed. A mobile cigar bar. “We knew the owner of Tampa Bay Tiny Homes and thought why not build a mobile cigar bar using the tiny home model,” says Loupot. Within months the idea started taking shape. “We looked at the diff erent layouts and decided we needed a back patio for outdoor smokes. We also wanted a walk-in humidor and a bar with a cooler, comfortable seating like a lounge and a couple big screen TVs.”

The two St. Pete entrepreneurs ordered custom-made leather couches, two 50-inch fl atscreens with Direct TV, bought a Chevy 2500 HP Dual for hauling and set up a counter display with 50 diff erent cigar brands. They came up with a name – Ash Brothers Mobile Cigar Lounge – designed a logo, web site and social media pages and they were off .

One of their fi rst gigs was the Festivals of Speed in downtown Tampa, they also were hired for a private Super Bowl party, and have a few more festivals and events on the horizon. “We feel we are perfect for private events … corporate parties, sports events, weddings,” says Loupot. They don’t have a license to sell alcohol, but they don’t see that as a hindrance. “We are seeing quite an increase in cigar smoking around Tampa Bay, the age is getting younger.”

Look for the two American fl agpoles attached to the back smoking deck. At 40 feet long and 8 feet wide, this place is smokin’.

Visit the Ash Brothers Mobile Cigar Lounge every Wednesday from 5-11 pm at Bike Night at Quaker Steak and Lube, 10400 49th St. N. Clearwater, FL 33762. Find them online at www.ashbrothersMCL.com or info@ashbrothersMCL.com.