Laugh At My Expense If You Must

[aysegizem]

I've been lurking here, and you all are pretty intense smokers ha! I used to be like that until I had to quit when my hubby knocked me up. I don't smoke as often now but we're planning to open a lounge in my neighborhood. We really need something like it to hang out at. The one artsy-fartsy cafe that we had closed down recently and now we literally walk around lost, wondering where to sit down to enjoy a nice coffee conversation.

Anyway, here are my newbie, chuckle-worthy questions:

How many hookah pipes should I stock for a lounge seating a maximum of 40 at full capacity?
How many hookahs can you get out of one 250 g tub of tobacco?
Online wholesaler, or a retail shop down in Little Egypt?
What tobacco for a neighborhood of Latin-American, Jewish and Turkish communities?

I'm taking a break from writing my sales projections, gotta get back to the math, ugh..Help?

Ayesha

[Boricua]

I am planning on opening a hookah lounge and asked a similar question not even a week ago. If you do a search you'll find tons of threads on this.

Probably the most helpful:

http://www.hookahforum.com/?showtopic=11575

[SuburbanSmoker]

Honestly it all depends on what kind of atmosphere your trying to create. maybe be a little more elaborate and youll get some more hits. in terms of where you get it from, unless your getting a good deal from a shop, buy wholesale. as far as tobacco goes ive always enjoyed places with a variety. but sue a search function, might want to get in contact with some lounge owners on the forum like mushrat or narghilenights or sonthert if your really serious about it.

[Zinite]

I've been lurking here, and you all are pretty intense smokers ha! I used to be like that until I had to quit when my hubby knocked me up. I don't smoke as often now but we're planning to open a lounge in my neighborhood. We really need something like it to hang out at. The one artsy-fartsy cafe that we had closed down recently and now we literally walk around lost, wondering where to sit down to enjoy a nice coffee conversation.

Anyway, here are my newbie, chuckle-worthy questions:

How many hookah pipes should I stock for a lounge seating a maximum of 40 at full capacity?
How many hookahs can you get out of one 250 g tub of tobacco?
Online wholesaler, or a retail shop down in Little Egypt?
What tobacco for a neighborhood of Latin-American, Jewish and Turkish communities?

I'm taking a break from writing my sales projections, gotta get back to the math, ugh..Help?

Ayesha

Don't have any experience running a hookah lounge, but plenty of experience smoking
Have more pipes than you need. You might want to consider having a retail setup too (selling hookahs/shisha out of your lounge). Consider the Mya QT for your lounge pipe.

If you have people who know how to set up a hookah properly, you can get 10 bowls out of a 250g package.

Definitely an online retailer. Buying wholesale beats the price of any cheap brick and mortar shop.

As for what type of tobacco you serve, I'd go with Nakhla, Al Fakher and Starbuzz, each more expensive than the last (For example, a bowl of Nakhla for $5, bowl of Al Fakher for $7.50 and bowl of Starbuzz for $10)

[Bulldog_916]

In this environment, I would wait unless you're in a more affluent area or near one. College campuses are good too but college students are generally broke or dont have much money, especially now (I speak from past experience). Keep your per-bowl prices as low as you can while still making a good margin. Have a way out if case this doesnt work. Make sure you completely understand the laws relating to zoning and tobacco sales and smoking in your state/city/county.

Nakhla, Fusion, or Al Fakher would be good tobaccos to start with. 15-18 bowls is generally what I get from 250g. Depending on bowl size. Mya QTs or some MZ Egyptians would be where I started at getting hookah pipes.

[uglycustoomer]

little egypt? i assume somewhere in NY right? my dream is open a hookah lounge and i believe the best place to do it would be a college and i know just the spot.

[aysegizem]

Probably the most helpful:

http://www.hookahforum.com/?showtopic=11575

Thanks for the link, I'd already browsed through those topics tho. My questions were more of the itty details variety. I already have the EIN, found an accountant who'll do all my certificates, papers and licenses, etc.

[aysegizem]

Honestly it all depends on what kind of atmosphere your trying to create. maybe be a little more elaborate and youll get some more hits. in terms of where you get it from, unless your getting a good deal from a shop, buy wholesale. as far as tobacco goes ive always enjoyed places with a variety. but sue a search function, might want to get in contact with some lounge owners on the forum like mushrat or narghilenights or sonthert if your really serious about it.

Great! That's what I kept wondering. A retail owner we chatted up is willing to give us great deals (I think he liked me lol) but I'm still considering keeping an online wholesaler as the original supplier and him as a backup for days I'm running low.

Plus, I'm thinking of stocking up on nicotine-free shisha as well, I'll need to find a supply line for those too...cheaper!

[aysegizem]

In this environment, I would wait unless you're in a more affluent area or near one.

I do live in a marginally affluent neighborhood haha, mostly college commuters, young couples, new parents who want to spend some money on themselves.

Make sure you completely understand the laws relating to zoning and tobacco sales and smoking in your state/city/county.

I'm working on that I realized if some of our ancestors had worked on getting indoor smoking laws passed specifically for hookah, we'd have such an easy time now. Indoor smoking is apparently only allowed for cigar shops established before 1920s...how many of THOSE are left???

[aysegizem]

little egypt? i assume somewhere in NY right? my dream is open a hookah lounge and i believe the best place to do it would be a college and i know just the spot.

Yes, Astoria I went to college on 23rd Street in Manhattan, and my hubby and I were ALWAYS eyeing FOR RENT Places as potential lounges hahaha

[EternalSoil]

Is that some new QT stem i see thar?!

[Sariél]

Is that some new QT stem i see thar?!

Actually, I think it came before the S class that is more popular now. Originally, there were two stem models offered, and then a third was added. There maybe more now, but Mya no longer makes product announcements here. They were told to participate more fully in the forum, or not at all. You used to be able to ask a Mya question in the open forum, and Mya management would show up and answer within a day or so. Now you have to bring the mountain... uhhh, I mean question... to Mohammed.

[/grumble]