Business Still Smoking at Shelton Cigar/Cigarette Store

Elie Ghazal is a hard man to interview.

The Trumbull resident, who owns Cigarello Cigars and Variety in Downtown Shelton, had to pause frequently to handle the traffic to his store recently. About half a dozen people stopped in the space of an hour in the morning.

But once it calmed down, Ghazal explained that he chose tobacco for his business for a simple reason. First, he was looking for a business. The next step was obvious to him.

"I am a cigar smoker and I love cigars," Ghazal said. His family owns cigar stores in Greenwich and Fairfield, he added.

He said he doesn't the see the anti-smoking sentiment of recent years hurting business, partly because those who don't smoke do not patronize his store.

But he does notice that because of increasing cigarette prices, smokers are "switching to rolling their own tobacco." His store sells those supplies.

Asked what the best-selling cigars are, he can rattle off a long list: Ashton, Pedron, Arturo Fuente, Tatuaje, just to name a few.

Cigars can cost as much as $50 or $60 for a single, depending on what people are willing to pay, Ghazal added.

Ghazal also deals in Hookahs and electronic cigarettes, and has a large humidor and private lounge in the back.

And even if you don't like the smell of cigarettes, the mixed smells of flavored tobacco in his store may remind you of your grandfather's pipe.

As well as a business, Ghazal has a new addition to his life: his wife birth to their son five months ago. Although he is busy with fathering and running a business, his motto is to "stay positive."