The Briary Pipe and Tobacco Shop

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Tobacconist and pipemaker Skip Elliot is the owner The Briary Pipe and Tobacco Shop in West Homewood. Photo by Katie Turpen.

Tobacconist Skip Elliot sinks into the tan sofa inside his shop’s smoking room andpoints to the array of eclectic pictures on the walls. One is of a monkey in a dress, and others snapshots of his relatives.

 “People come in here from all the around the country and say, ‘Gosh, I wish I had one of these in my house,’” Elliot said. “It’s what you’d really expect a tobacco shop to look like.”

The Briary Pipe and Tobacco Shop sits inside a quaint 114-year-old farmhouse across from Patriot Park in West Homewood. The business began in 1974 on the upper level of what was then called Brookwood Mall. After 26 years, Elliot decided he needed to venture outside the mall and enlisted the help of a real estate friend to scout a new location.

In November 2000, he received a call about the farmhouse on Oak Grove Road. In 45 minutes, Elliot contacted the realtor, went to see the house and made an offer.

 “I always thought it was amazing that it worked out the way it did,” Elliot said. “Even after 13 years, every day when I get here I do feel comfortable.”

The shop specializes in pipes from many countries but also sells cigars, tinned and loose tobacco as well as smoking accessories and gifts. Elliot even makes his own pipes at his Alabaster home but those are a rare treat for customers.

 “We have a lot of pipes. That’s what makes us diferrent,” Elliot said. “I make pipes myself, but I make very few and they sell the same day. It’s very gratifying. It’s hard to believe that you can do something that’s appreciated to that degree.”

Elliot said plans to revitalize the West Homewood area around him will work in his shop’s favor, given that has not retired by the time the plans become action. 2014 will mark the shop’s 40^th anniversary, and Elliot has special plans up his sleeve that include slow cooked barbeque.

Every year around January or February, the shop hosts what Elliot calls “ an insane annual event.” He usually invites a Danish pipemaker and tobacconists from around the country who crowd the store and front yard. A slow smoking pipe contest is also part of the fun.

 “It’s one of few things you don’t want to do fast,” Elliot said. “The last one smoking wins. It’s always fun to watch. These people are so serious.”

Elliot takes pride in the fact that his store is known countrywide and that generations of families are part of his loyal customer base. Customers drive from Iowa and Kansas just to step inside the farmhouse and sink into the smoking room couches for a brief break from reality. He even recalls a time in Chicago when he ran into a man from Ottawa, Canada.

 “People in Canada know who we are! Isn’t that amazing?” Elliot said with a laugh. “You would never imagine that it’s such a small, quiet little place. It’s hard to believe.”