Shortline bus terminal reopens as the Tobacco Emporium at the Depot

Discounted cigarettes, cigars, gifts and candy are part of a new Monroe retailer’s plan to create a market niche MONROE - Jerry Fincke is the antithesis of a snowbird. Unlike others similar in age, Fincke did the exact opposite of retirees heading south seeking a more relaxing lifestyle. The longtime Daytona Beach, Fla., resident left his career as an attorney and developer to move north, settle in Warwick, and open a new business in Monroe. Fincke’s wife Cecelia grew up in Monroe and was the daughter of Roswell Hunter, a lifelong Monroe resident who ran the now defunct Sterling Forest Ski Center in Tuxedo for 40 years. “Many people think they like the warm weather in Florida, but we prefer it here,” said Fincke. “I was a lawyer and a professor and I gave that up to do this. The Monroe-Warwick areas are just fabulous places. I enjoy being back in civilization.” 'Time to take a chance’ Taking a leap of faith in a still very uncertain economy, Fincke and his wife have purchased the Shortline Bus Terminal along the Millpond Parkway from her sister Stephanie Lesky and opened the Tobacco Emporium at the Depot about three weeks ago. “If you decide to do nothing in this economy, you’re giving up,” Fincke said. “That's not a solution, to say the economy is bad and we’re not going to do anything. I would argue that this is the time to take a chance.” The bus terminal has been around for ages, with about 16 buses making stops in front of the shop daily, he said. The shop is open from 5:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. weekdays to reach the commuter and passing-through bus riders in addition to area shoppers and on weekends at either 7 or 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. “We figured it was a very good location,” said Fincke. “It has the established Shortline business. It offers us an opportunity.” The shop offers vintage candy going back to the turn of the last century, small gifts and a full range of tobacco products and paraphernalia including humidors at all price points. Coming soon will be locally made items, included decorated wine bottles. 100 local businesses Fincke hopes the shop - which has been given a complete face lift - will evolve into a regional shopping venue for people looking for discounted cigarettes. “We are selling our cigarettes at the minimum price set by New York State,” he said. “The (cigarette) taxes are so high in New York. We recognized this as an economic opportunity to sell (cigarettes) at the minimum price. We’re selling cigarettes less than charged at the supermarkets and grocery stores, and while they’re not as cheap as in Pennsylvania, we will still save people money because they aren’t spending gas money going to Pennsylvania. We believe we’ve found the market niche.” That niche includes the growing following of cigar aficionados too. “We think of ourselves as a 'schmoozey’ cigar emporium,” Fincke said. “We’re getting a grand reception from guys and gals who appreciate having a good selection of cigars. We have displays of cigars set up in humidors so people can figure out what looks good to them on that day.” The Tobacco Emporium at the Depot is among the first 100 local businesses to join the new Greater Monroe Chamber of Commerce. We believe there is viability to the mayor’s grand plan. We support it and we think there is a great chance of that happening. I am one who thinks such a feat is possible because I have done similar things (as a developer) successfully. There is a shot that Monroe can come back in a very substantial way.” Jerry Fincke, owner of the new Tobacco Emporium at the Depot, along Millpond Parkway in Monroe