THE FOLLOWING IS A NEWS-GAZETTE ARTICLE BY JENNIFER BAILEY
ABOVE: Jared Trigg talks at the Tuesday Danville City Council meeting.
DANVILLE — Cigar aficionados and bourbon club members Jared Trigg and Auston Surprenant were sitting at home during some bad weather, thinking they’d like a place nearby to enjoy a cigar and company — like big cities have.
That’s how they became co-owners of Cedar & Smoke cigar shop, which has since expanded beyond the original concept to include not only a retail cigar shop but possibly a coffee and tea shop on one side, a small sports bar in the middle and a lounge on the far side, as well as a meeting room.
Trigg, a local attorney, and Surprenant, a real estate broker owner, hope to have their cigar shop open downtown by March or early April. They’re in the process of renovating an old downtown bus station into their new business at 25 N. Franklin St.
They’ll get some financial help from the city, with council members voting 9-3 this week to approve funding via a Western Gateway Tax Increment Financing District’s redevelopment incentive project grant.
The grant program allows for reimbursement for improvements to a property. The total to be invested in that TIF district is projected to be $345,000, according to the city resolution.
Cedar and Smoke requested a grant for 50 percent reimbursement for renovations to not exceed $50,000, which would be awarded after completion of the project.
Trigg said plans call for an outdoor smoking area on the building’s west side. Video gaming also is a possibility down the road, he said.
Reaction among council members was mixed.
Jon Cooper (Ward 6) said he’s glad they’re opening the business, which Tricia Teague (Ward 4) hopes will lead to fewer complaints that there’s nothing to do in Danville.
Carolyn Wands (Ward 2) said she has an issue with TIF money going to a private business, and noted that the location is just about a block away from a residential area.
Mike Puhr (Ward 5) countered that other downtown businesses — including Rich’s Deluxe Restaurant and Vermilion River Beer Co. — have benefited from TIF grants.
Trigg said the business will not sell cigarettes, vapes or other nicotine products but may eventually venture into pipe tobacco.
There will be televisions where patrons can watch sporting events. A covered outdoor beer garden and small stage venue area for music also is planned for the future.
Trigg estimates the business will have at least four employees, who’ll initially work part-time.
Operating hours are still to be determined, with Trigg saying the shop could be open in the morning for customers to get coffee and a premium cigar before they hit the daily grind.
“We want this to be a destination place people would want to come to,” Trigg added.
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