Racine & Laramie - old school tobacconist

I visited San Diego's Old Town one afternoon - its basically a recreation of what a town would have looked like back in the 1800s. There are a bunch of houses & stores surrounding a town square / commons all renovated in the old style.

I generally don't like very touristy places and Old Town was no exception - too much blatant souvenir selling and too many tourists. However there was one gem to be found and that was Racine & Laramie, an old style tabacco shop.


Racine & Laramine was apparently San Diego's very first tobacco shop. Today it's one of the most interesting shops in Old Town.


Here is the old school entrance, complete with native Indian statue to greet visitors.


Inside is a plethora of antique or antique style tobacco products & accessories like lighters, cigarette cases, pipes, zippos, cigars, posters, etc. I really like the old school atmosphere of the place. As you can see things were just strewn everywhere on those wooden counters & display cases.


Here the very knowledgeable grey-haired salesman is debating the intricacies of an antique pipe with an equally well-informed, white-haired customer.


Some cigars on display. There was also a separate room for the fine cigars...no Cubans though.


The entire store with the wooden panelling and old-style furnishings made me think I was in a time warp. If you are a tabacco enthusiast or like old fashioned things, this just might be worth coming to Old Town for.