Cigar sign to take back seat - Kamloops, BC
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member T0SHEA
N 50° 40.529 W 120° 20.332
10U E 688016 N 5617117
Built in 1895, this building was used as a cigar factory until 1913, when the factory outgrew the premises and moved. Taken over at that time by a bakery, the building still stands on the corner of Seymour Street and First Avenue.
Waymark Code: WMN7D9
Location: British Columbia, Canada
Date Posted: 01/11/2015
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member saopaulo1
Views: 2

So, when is a cigar factory not a cigar factory? Well, now, I guess. The old cigar factory, though a small building, is in a rather prominent location across the intersection from the old provincial courthouse which sees a fair amount of tourist traffic each year. As a result, tourists will on occasion walk in the front door looking for a stogie, only to find that they were misled by the large sign on the front of the building.

That situation was in the process of being remedied in April of 2013 when the Kamloops Daily News reported on the situation. The story can be seen below.
Inland Cigar Factory - 1896
Cigar sign to take back seat
Tourists occasionally wander in and ask to buy a stogie


Michele Young / Kamloops Daily News April 19, 2013
During the summer, the occasional confused tourist walks into the Venture Kamloops building at First Avenue and Seymour Street, looking to buy cigars.

Since Venture Kamloops's job is to attract and retain business, there are no stogies to be found.

The confusion comes from the biggest sign on the building, which reads "Kamloops Inland Cigar Factory." When the heritage building was constructed in 1895, that's what it was.

But that's not what it is now.

"It's a 100-some year-old building but we're doing business in the present day," said Venture Kamloops executive director Jim Anderson.

"Nobody really knows where we are. They know where this building is."

And so his agency made a request to the City's heritage commission to replace the main sign on the building with the Venture Kamloops insignia.

A commemorative crest will remind the public that the building was originally the Inland Cigar Factory. It will go in the window-sized niche on the front of the second floor.

Andrew Yarmie with the heritage commission said the sign change was discussed by the group and approved.

"We thought that was an acceptable change," he said Friday.

"Apparently people come in and ask for cigars.

"We accepted that the change take place as long as there are no structural changes to the building."

The main sign was about due for a change, anyway, as the paint has started cracking.

Anderson said cigar seekers aren't that frequent, and the sign change is mostly about visibility for Venture Kamloops.

"The cigar requests aren't a key thing."

In its early days, the factory handled Cuban tobacco, which was blended with locally grown leaves. At its peak, 25 employees produced up to 4,000 cigars a day.

The factory moved in 1913 and the building became a bakery.
From the Kamloops Daily News
Inland Cigar Factory - 1895
Type of publication: Newspaper

When was the article reported?: 04/19/2013

Publication: Kamloops Daily News

Article Url: [Web Link]

Is Registration Required?: no

How widespread was the article reported?: regional

News Category: Business/Finance

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