With door closed, cigar shop on Worth Avenue in Palm Beach resolves neighbor's smoke issue

A Worth Avenue cigar shop will be able to continue selling liquor, wine and beer after a neighboring business that last month raised concerns about ongoing issues with smoke and odor now says those issues have been resolved.

A representative for The RealReal told the Palm Beach Town Council at its June 12 Development Review Committee meeting that since May, Churchill Cigar Co. has kept its door closed — effectively keeping its smoke to itself.

"We've seen vast improvement," said Ashley Wendell, the store's real estate director.

The RealReal's attorneys had sent a letter to Palm Beach officials May 1 ahead of the May 15 Development Review Committee meeting, where the council was set for a one-year review of the declaration-of-use agreement that allowed Churchill Cigar Co. at 329 Worth Ave. to sell beer, wine and liquor.

That declaration-of-use agreement stipulated that the cigar store must keep its door closed unless being used for access, records show.

In their letter, The RealReal's attorneys said the store, which is down a short corridor from Churchill Cigar Co., was "materially and adversely impacted by the operation of the Cigar Bar," which kept its door open nearly all day, allowing smoke from its patrons to seep through a back door and into consignment items The RealReal had in stock.

Wendell also told the council last month that the smoke was affecting The RealReal's employees, who experienced headaches and called out of work more frequently. The council directed Churchill Cigar Co. to keep its door closed and return June 12 with The RealReal to provide an update.

The RealReal's employees since May have kept a daily log and checked three times a day to see that the door to Churchill Cigar Co. is closed, and it has been each time, Wendell said.

"This does seem to alleviate our issue," she said.

Matthew Raptis, owner of the 800-square-foot Churchill Cigar Co., pledged that the door will continue to be closed consistently. "You have my word," he said.

Raptis lives in Palm Beach with his wife Adrienne. In 2021, they paid $4.5 million for five commercial condominiums in Via Roma off Worth Avenue, which is where they own and operate Churchill Cigar Co., Via Roma Café and Raptis Rare Books.

Raptis noted that he has millions of dollars' worth of rare books next door to the cigar shop, and that the bookstore does not smell like smoke.

Councilman Ted Cooney said that since the May meeting, he spoke with a cigar smoker who told him the door to Churchill Cigar is always open.

"I know you've changed that in the last month," he told Raptis. "This was their experience."

Cooney added that he's glad "everybody's gotten on the same page."

Council President Bobbie Lindsay said she talked to another retailer in the area who shared concerns about the smell of smoke. "I'm sure she's seen an improvement, if there's an improvement with The RealReal," Lindsay said.

Raptis assured the council that whenever the store is open, its commercial-grade smoke-eaters are running.

"It's a passion," he said of his cigar shop. "I was just told by one of our people in town that it's one of the beautiful places in town."

Kristina Webb is a reporter for Palm Beach Daily News, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach her at kwebb@pbdailynews.com. Subscribe today to support our journalism.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: Churchill Cigar in Palm Beach resolves smoke issue with The RealReal