Our Daily Show Interview! Mike Weller- AP Cigar After Hours Starts Tomorrow!
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ALTON - AP Cigar will continue to host their monthly AP Cigar After Hours events in 2025.
Mike Weller, owner of AP Cigar, shared that the shop advocates for the community and promotes downtown Alton. Confluence Barber recently opened above the shop at 202 State Street, and Weller is excited to continue sharing Alton’s charm with tourists and cigar brand representatives who visit AP Cigar and the barbershop.
“It’s amazing when people come in because most of the time they’re not even from this state, this region, this time zone sometimes,” Weller said. “It’s become its own thing. The reviews are good. Everything has been very good about this location, this town and what we’re doing.”
Weller noted that many people have started coming to Confluence Barber and stopping by AP Cigar for a cigar to elevate the experience. He said that he recently had his first haircut from the barbershop and it was “amazing.”
“It was probably the most relaxed I’ve been. Holy cow,” he laughed. “I could have sat there for an hour.”
As the barbershop takes off, AP Cigar is considering expanding their hours. Weller said business has been good lately and he enjoys spending time with his customers, many of whom have become real friends.
AP Cigar is a true cigar lounge, only selling cigars and accessories. There are no televisions and people are encouraged to smoke together and talk to each other.
This is also the vision behind the AP Cigar After Hours events. These monthly outings start at the store from 3–6 p.m. on the fourth Thursday of every month. Then, the party moves to Mac’s Downtown down the street, where attendees can enjoy free appetizers and chat with one another as they smoke cigars from 6:30–9:30 p.m.
The AP Cigar After Hours events always include a deal. Representatives from different cigar brands travel to Alton to showcase their products. Attendees are also entered into a drawing for the chance to win cigars; the drawing takes place at 9 p.m. and you must be present to win.
“It’s really a big compliment to the store, to the town, to the whole community of cigar smokers, that they’re willing to come here,” Weller said of the brands.
For January’s event, Weller represented his own cigar brand, Table 36. He joked that purchasing the brand was “probably a terrible, terrible financial decision,” but he has loved owning his own cigar brand and sharing it with the cigar community.
He also noted that AP Cigar brings in tourists from all over the region, and he considers the shop to be “the cigar smoker’s guide to Alton.” People come to Alton for the cigars, and Weller and his team refer them to local restaurants, stores and businesses to patronize.
As AP Cigar gears up for the 2025 AP Cigar After Hours events, they will continue to advocate for Alton and share their products with the cigar community. Weller invites people to stop by the store, try out Confluence Barber, and elevate their everyday with a cigar. He is proud of the store and can’t wait to welcome more new and familiar faces as the year takes off.
“It’s actually super good down there. The customers are awesome. They’ve truly become family,” Weller added. “It’s been a lot of fun.”
For more information about AP Cigar and their upcoming events, visit their official website at APCigar.co or Facebook page.