There was a time, if you lived in the Titusville, Florida area, and you wanted to pick up some premium cigars, you had one place to go – Harry Smooths. The small shop has been around for decades, but it was just that, a cigar shop. You purchased and you went home to enjoy. Harry’s was not open late in the evening, so if you did not get out early you were SOL. Now things have changed with the recent opening of the Leaf Lounge in the historic center of the city.
The Leaf Lounge is the brainchild of 4 brothers of the leaf: Tony Wiggins, Greg Ingram, Robert Cunningham, and Barkeem Barr otherwise known as the “Cigar Guyz”. The concept of the lounge started with Tony, who owns and operates a mobile cigar lounge – P.I.N.T.A. Smoke – based out of Daytona Beach. An experienced tobacconist, Tony wanted to expand into a brick and mortar operation and when Greg showed him and Barkeem a building that was up for lease that was previously the Bar IX lounge in the city, they new right away this was a perfect location for a cigar lounge.
The Leaf Lounge was team was quickly established with each of the 4 partners assigned specific responsibilities based on their experience.
- Tony Wiggins – Tobacconist
- Greg Ingram – Social butterfly and administrator
- Robert Cunningham – Robert has been a successful Business Owner for over 10 years with his cleaning company ABell Cleaning Services, he brings to the team his expertise in Business Operations and Regulations.
- Barkeem Barr – Overall social media person, graphics design, and advertisement creation. Barkeem is also the founder of a digital radio station and media marketing production company.
With everyone assigned duties, the team worked to open the lounge and the doors of the Leaf Lounge opened to the public on October 30, 2021.
The lounge is located at 317 S Washington Ave, Titusville, FL 32796 which is the main north bound section of US1 running through historic downtown Titusville. It occupies one of two storefronts of a corner building that abuts a pedestrian walkway that leads to a community parking lot. There is also a small parking lot across the street along with one a block away, so finding parking was not a problem when visiting the lounge.
Walking up to the entrance, you will first notice the attractively laid out sidewalk patio with its wicker couches and steel patio tables. This is a nice addition to the lounge. The sitting area rests under an outdoor awning which protects it from those pesky Florida rainstorms.
Once you enter the Leaf Lounge, you will notice the expansive amount of seating areas, including leather chairs, couches and high-top tables. The inside is well illuminated and there are 7 flat screen TV’s spaced throughout the lounge. There is a number of smoke eaters strategically placed across the ceiling to keep the lounge clean of smoke. On those cooler and lower humidity days, they keep the front door open to keep the air flow moving.
The evening I arrived, Barkeem greeted me and gave me the tour. I found the patrons that were there to be warm, inclusive, and conducting what I describe as proper lounge conversations – cigars, sports, fishing, life story’s, etc.
Humidors
The lounge does not have a walk-in humidor but instead opted to line the wall with two cigar cabinets. Barkeem noted that the team “handmade” the cabinets, which added a classic and unique touch to the decor. One cabinet contains the line of premium cigars and the second contains a fine selection of infused blends. Barkeem did note that they are going to add another cabinet that will only contain the infused blends, making room for additional premium lines.
The Bar
At the back of the lounge is the bar that I found to offer a wide array of beverages. There is ample seating available around it and one of the flat screens TV’s hangs in the corner for your viewing pleasure. While there I chose to have a rum and coke which I must say was a decent pour. They also have a BYOB policy but there is a small corking/bottle fee for that service which is waived if you purchase a yearly membership to the lounge which I will describe next.
Barkeem also showed me the back of the lounge where there is a full kitchen. They expect to be opening that up soon and contracting it out to a local chef for special events.
Lockers and Membership
The Leaf Lounge offers two levels of membership – 6 months or yearly.
Both memberships get you a locker with your name on it, where you can store your cigars along with 10% off all retail and cigar purchases. You also get 1 cigar added to your locker each month. If you opt for the yearly membership you also get a free decanter, a waived corking/bottle fee and no entry fee to special events.
- The 6 month fee is $300.00
- The yearly fee is $500.00
Weekly Events
The lounge hosts two events weekly. Every Thursday is bike night and every Friday is Ladies night, both starting at 7PM. I was there on a Thursday bike night and I met some of the coolest cats from as far away as Daytona and Orlando. They also host numerous cigar brand events coupled with the weekly events. During my visit they featured Blanco Cigars presented by Blanco rep – Ray Valle – a biker himself. The lounge also has access to the pedestrian walkway on the side of the building where they can host even larger events in the future.
Location, Hours, Contact
The Leaf Lounge is located at 317 S Washington Ave, Titusville, FL 32796
Hours of Operation – The Leaf Lounge is open 7 days/week
- Sun 12–11PM
- Mon 11AM–11PM
- Tue 11AM–11PM
- Wed 11AM–11PM
- Thur 11AM–11PM
- Fri 11AM–1AM
- Sat 11AM–1PM
Phone: (321) 225-4023
Email: [email protected]
Facebook: The Leaf Lounge
Instagram: TheLeafLoungeTitusville
In Closing
I found the Leaf Lounge in Titusville, FL to be a terrific cigar oasis in the heart of a historical Florida city that is going through its own rejuvenation and growth, with the advancement of commercial and NASA space exploration. Yes you can watch rocket launches pretty well from this location. The lounge was clean, the cigar selection was quite decent considering the few months that the lounge has been open. The staff was professional, helpful and knowledgeable. i found the patrons to be welcoming and inclusive in conversation. The bar had a fine selection of beverages and I feel the membership fee is very reasonable for you get. Oh yea, and the bathrooms were clean! I will be adding this lounge to my regular rotation of local central Florida lounges. With an easy 45 min drive from Orlando, Melbourne, or Daytona this is an easily accessible lounge for the many cigar enthusiasts and tourists in central Florida.
I only visited the Leaf Lounge once, I am not a smoker. I really had a awesome time and the owner and staff showed so much love. I would recommend The Leaf to those who like to enjoy a laid back atmosphere with good Lil City vibes! It’s a great edition to downtown Tituville!
Wow. Learned of this from Bob Hazlett. I will be visiting. Thanks!