My Favorite Cigar
Stew Leonard Jr. • CEO, Stew Leonard's • Padrón 1964 Anniversary No. 4 Maduro
Just about anyone who grew up in Connecticut knows the magic of visiting Stew Leonard’s, with its singing animatronic characters, petting zoo and ice cream. It began in 1969 as a dairy store with seven workers and today it’s a $550 million business. Stew Leonard Jr. expanded on the original concept, increasing the number of outlets from one to eight, and adding high-end liquor stores to complete the shopping experience for his customers. “We have eight stores now, with nearly 3,000 people working there,” explains the upbeat 70-year-old. More than 20 million visit the stores each year.
Leonard enjoys cigars on a daily basis, particularly Padróns and Olivas. “I turned my wine cellar into a little cigar lounge,” he says. It provides a safe (if chilly) haven for him to puff in peace.
As a retailer, he has a pulse on the economy. One insight leads to what he calls his Mashed Potato Index, whereby people buy less of his prepared potatoes and opt to make them on their own when times are leaner. “If the economy’s great,” he explains, “our mashed potato sales go up.” The same holds true, he says, for $50-plus bottles of wine.
