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Last week I spent some days in London. I had no time to visit any reputable tobacconist despite being very close to the Turmeaus Store. I was in front of the Former Fribourg & Treyer Tobacco shop. Established in 1720 at 34 Haymarket. I visited that shop in 1979 and I was kindly asked to show my passport to verify my age. Once I proved my age I was treated with a gentlemanliness and professionalism very difficult to find today. The business closed in 1981 after 261 years of service to the smokers. I took the old picture from Wikipedia.
And this is how is today. The general aspect is more or less preserved because it´s a classified historic building, but every time I walk in front of this door I can´t help but feel sad for something outstanding that will never come back. The only shops I think still remain in the same place with the same business and maintaining the same spirit are in Milano, Italy.  Savinelli and Noli. The pic is by me, taken just a week ago.
What a great post! I’m sure most of us who are in a similar age group and were smoking pipes in the 70’s and 80’s have memories of tobacconists that are no more. None so iconic where I live though. A bittersweet thing to think about.Â
Makes you wonder if things would be different without big tobacco cigarettes. I'm not downing cigarettes. I think tobacco enjoyers should hang together and I smoked cigarettes at one time.Â
But the hysteria arising from disease caused by cigarette smoking went entirely off the rails to include all tobacco consumption.
Would tobacco be so taboo today if there wasn't a Philip Morris?Â
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