Smoker Friendly

Smoker Friendly is a smaller tobacco shop in Raleigh, North Carolina, and the folks who shop here regularly will tell you the size doesn't hold it back. What it lacks in square footage it makes up for in a genuinely good selection, especially with hard-to-find cigarettes. Ask anyone who comes in for the tough-to-track-down brands and they'll point you here. If they don't have what you're after, the team will order it in for you, including higher-end cigarettes made domestically or abroad. That kind of effort keeps people coming back.

The house brand carries a real following. People who shop here swear by the SF cigarettes, which come in noticeably lower than the name brands while still delivering. That value runs through the whole store, and the word around Raleigh is that prices here are about as competitive as you'll find anywhere. There's a rewards program too, which the regulars appreciate. Beyond cigarettes, you'll find cigars, tobacco pipes, vapes, e-liquid and vape juice, plus glass pipes and water pipes.

One shopper picked up hard-to-find cigars here for a gift and left happy. We'll be straight with you on the vape side: locals are a little split, and while the selection has been growing, folks who need very specific vape gear sometimes find it's not as deep as the bigger vape-focused shops in town. Worth a call ahead if you're chasing a particular item. The atmosphere is what a lot of people love most. It's an easygoing, unhurried place, never crowded, and the staff have a reputation for being helpful and friendly.

Kathy in particular gets singled out for great, attentive service, and one regular put it simply: this is their preferred spot. There are even stand-up arcade games in the shop, a small touch that longtime customers get a kick out of. All in all, a well-regarded neighborhood tobacco shop in Raleigh that treats its regulars right.