A chain of upscale retail
tobacco shops located in ritzy
malls throughout the United States.
I had the good fortune to work at the one located at White Flint Mall in
Rockville, MD during the spring of
1984, shortly before my first move to
Florida. Product knowledge was of utmost importance, of course. Besides knowing about different types of
cigars, tobaccos and accessories, employees were expected to learn about the various
pipes that were sold there as well.
My co-workers and I used to play a type of
quiz game to see who knew the relevant facts about the 100 or so pipes displayed on this one wall. Winners had their much deserved bragging rights. And the losers? They had to smoke a Te Amo:
one of those foul, black, stubby cigars that
Clint Eastwood used to smoke in his old Western movies. One Saturday morning a very badly hung-over associate lost more than the Pipe Wall challenge... After smoking that nasty Te Amo he
lost his cookies in the drawer of the cash register!
Argh!