A blend of luxury
Upscale cigar bar to open Downtown
The marble came from the long-gone Richard B. Mellon mansion in Squirrel Hill. The chandeliers once graced a 1930s-era Los Angeles theater. And an exposed steel beam bears the stamp of the Carnegie Steel Company.
The scene sounds like something out of the Duquesne Club, an exclusive Downtown enclave for Pittsburgh’s rich and powerful. Only these relics rest about a block away in Blend, a new cigar bar getting ready to open in the Koppers Building.
Don’t wince at the thought of all of that rich history being swallowed up a cloud of stale cigar smoke. Blend, its proprietors say, will be anything but a smoke-filled back room with a couple of fans and the door propped open for ventilation.
They refer to the 5,500-squarefoot space with 25-foot-high ceilings as a “luxury lounge.” The theme is upscale, with leather chairs and sofas, large flatscreen televisions, premium cigars, high-end spirits — and a state-of-the-art ventilation system costing nearly half a million dollars that refreshes the air every six seconds.
“We plan to use the phrase ‘luxury redefined’ because we want [customers] to really see this as some place they can go other than a sports bar or a restaurant bar where they can just go and relax and enjoy,” said Mark Holden, Blend’s CEO and owner.
Pittsburgh will be Blend’s third city. The company’s other cigar bars are in Indianapolis and Nashville, Tenn. The Steel City ended up in the company’s sights because it’s a “great cigar town,” Mr. Holden said, but one that was underserved. Its partner, Davidoff Cigars, also felt that its brand didn’t have enough exposure here.
Blend isn’t the only upscale cigar bar arriving in Pittsburgh. Burn by Rocky Patel is scheduled to open on the North Shore next year.
Mr. Holden said the cigar lounge concept has caught on primarily because of all of the restrictions against smoking in restaurants and bars. “That’s left a void in the market for people to enjoy a nice cocktail, a nice cigar,” he said.
Blend needed a special permit to operate.
Cigar smoking itself is now a $4 billion a year industry in the United States, Mr. Holden said.
Researcher IBIS World said lounges have been making a comeback because of a large increase in cigar smoking, and predicts the trend will continue. “As the economy continues to improve over the next five years, more consumers will likely indulge in premium cigars at high-end lounges, helping the industry sustain its growth and widen profit margins.”
Cigars at Blend will range from $8 to $500.
While Blend will stock a humidor stuffed with premium Davidoff cigars and associated brands, its proprietors emphasized that they see the venue as more than just a place to smoke.
They’re marketing Blend as a venue that women can enjoy as much as men, where couples can relax with a glass of wine without being overwhelmed by the smoke from someone puffing away nearby.
And they wanted to make it really grand. Blend spent nearly $3 million remodeling the space at the corner of William Penn Place and Seventh Avenue. It removed part of the building’s mezzanine level to create high ceilings and to expose some of the steel used in the original construction in the late 1920s.
During that work, the beam was found stamped with “Carnegie Steel Co. Homestead Steel Works. Munhall, Pa.”
Mr. Holden tracked down marble pieces from the Mellon mansion, which was demolished in 1941, in a Minneapolis salvage yard, where they were sitting on pallets covered in snow.
The Koppers Building was commissioned by Andrew Mellon, Richard B. Mellon’s brother. “We thought it would be really cool to bring back R.B. Mellon’s marble and use it in our lounge in a building that his brother built,” Mr. Holden said.
On one wall an ornate frame from the Mellon mansion holds a photo of the Koppers Building.
The proprietors thought art deco chandeliers that came from an L.A. theater would complement the building, considered one of the best examples of art deco design from the 1920s and 1930s.
Rugby Realty, owner of the 34-story Koppers Building, is happy to have the new tenant. “To bring this level of class to this building is a real game changer for the Koppers Building,” said Larry Walsh, Rugby principal and chief operating officer in Pittsburgh.
Robert W. Coombes II, Blend manager, promised that those who visit won’t smell like stale cigar smoke when they leave, but the place will leave its mark.
“We’re not selling you a cigar. We’re not selling you a drink. We’re selling you a way of life and an experience,” he said.
Blend will hold a private grand opening this evening and will open to the public on Monday at 10 a.m.