Nat Sherman Tobacconists- 42nd Street

Oh, how times change!

When I was at NYU, Nat Sherman cigarettes were a real status symbol.

Of course, back then it was cool to smoke.

Even now I notice Rite Aid stocks plenty of cigarettes and cigars...

Internet says:

Nat Sherman is the brand name for a line of handmade cigars and "luxury cigarettes." The company, which began as a retail tobacconist, continues to operate a flagship retail shop now located on 42nd Street, off of Fifth Avenue, in New York City. Corporate offices are now located at the foot of the George Washington Bridge in the borough of Fort Lee, New Jersey.

AND, what is more:

Nat Sherman, the brand, began with Nat Sherman, the man. Sherman made his fortune running a prominent speakeasy in New York City during the 1920s, a time when Prohibition made such a business extremely lucrative, albeit risky.^[1] Perhaps as the result of settlement of a gambling debt, his son later speculated, Sherman wound up as half owner of Traub Brothers and Bear, makers of the Epoca cigar brand, which introduced the nightclub proprietor into the world of tobacco manufacturing.^[2] Sherman subsequently bought out his partner to become sole owner of the Epoca brand, which was made in Havana, Cuba and Tampa, Florida.^[1]

Later a prominent New York real estate developer named Abe Gubertz had cash-flow difficulties during the construction of of a 38 story building located on Broadway Avenue in Manhattan. Sherman provided the struggling developer with a loan, taking retail space located in the lobby as partial payment.^[1] The shop sold cigarettes and cigars in substantial quantities to those who worked in the building and proved an means of distributing its own cigars, including Epoca and Nat Sherman-branded product.^[1] The company also was the exclusive importer and distributor of the Cuban-made Bolivar brand in the United States.^[1]

In the 1950s, an adjoining retail space was obtained on the street, which initially was used as a candy store. The wall between the two establishments was later broken down, paving the way for an expansion of the tobacco shop, which catered to an elite customer base, which included leaders in the fashion industry, theatre, and politicians.^[1] Prominent members of organized crime "families" also frequented the shop, which was regarded as "neutral ground."^[1]