MARTINSBURG — For 30 years, King Street Coffee & Tobacco Emporium has offered premium cigars, pipe tobacco, coffee beans, loose and bagged teas and accessories to the downtown Martinsburg community with a friendly and welcoming atmosphere to go with it.
King Street Coffee & Tobacco Emporium opened in 1993 and is owned and operated by lifelong Martinsburg resident Edward Trout. He makes his clients feel at home in the business which has an old world feel.
Recently, Martinsburg Mayor Kevin Knowles read a proclamation for the business. The proclamation said the business offers not just a cigar and a cup of coffee, but also local history and comfortable conversation, and has done so for three decades.
“The way the city of Martinsburg works, it still has this old town atmosphere, sitting down and going in so you can relax and be able to have a conversation with different guys and girls within the community,” Knowles said. “I came here 19 years ago and I haven’t left.”
Douglas Woods, a frequent customer of the business, said that as one of Martinsburg’s newest residents, he was grateful to find the King Street Coffee & Tobacco Emporium.
“My first time here, everyone was very kind, they accepted me a lot. I started coming more often,” Woods said. “I was grateful to find a cigar lounge and meet a lot of great people.”
Trout said the three-decade journey has been a great one, one that includes new friends and new conversations, with the old-world feel at the heart of the business.
She explained that when she was graduating from college, it was just as the gentleman she worked for was retiring.
What used to be Old Berkeley Tobaccos near the old outlet mall in Martinsburg, Trout was able to buy the business and receive help from his mentor and boss moving forward.
“I wasn’t sure, but I had a lot of local support that made a difference,” Trout said. “The biggest thing that I loved was the social aspect, that’s what really attracted me. You make many friends. It’s good to see the connections other people make.”
Trout has no plans to leave downtown Martinsburg and has continued to add interesting aspects to the Emporium’s atmosphere, including a cigar and music club.
“It’s been great to see the growth here,” he said.
Every last Wednesday of the month, The Shedhoppers play King Street Emporium, 7-10pm
When you visit the King Street Coffee & Tobacco Emporium, chances are you’ll be greeted by Carlos the Cat, a friendly 11-year-old feline named after famed cigar maker Carlos Fuente.
King Street Coffee & Tobacco Emporium is open from 10 am to 6 pm Monday through Saturday.
For more information, visit http://www.kingstreetemporium.com.