It?s Baltimore’s hottest upscale nightclub, according to its Web site, “a beautifully-appointed intimate setting with rich leather sofas and chairs, private seating sections, a state-of-the-art sound and lighting system, and extensive wine and cigar lists.”
It even promises that “Baltimore?s Naughtiest Happy Hour” is on the way.
Yet, Wednesday night at both 6 o?clock and 10 o?clock, the place that Playboy once called “one of the best places to drink, party and chill … in the U.S.A.” was practically empty.
Where did everybody go?
Thanks to the Clean Indoor Act of 2007, which took effect this past Feb. 1, smoking is prohibited in indoor areas open to the public. And that has been crippling to business in this well-known Water Street cigar club, which has been the only one in the city to file for an exemption from the state?s smoking ban.
“The Havana Club was an opportunity for both our members and people to enjoy a cigar-smoking place,” said David Sadeghi, chief operating officer of Big Steak Management, which owns The Havana Club. “[Since the law has been enacted] our main purpose is gone. Our business is down about 55 to 60 percent.”
The club?s general manager, David Muegge, declined to comment, but Sadeghi, citing the club?s dependence on smokers, was to the point: “We?re just hoping to get that exemption.”
Olivia Farrow, the city?s assistant commissioner for environmental health, said the Havana Club?s application was the only one received based on the “financial hardship” criteria ? a loss of at least 15 percent in sales in a continuous smoke-free period. She added that her department has 90 days to respond to the application, which was filed in April.
“We believe cigars are a very important part of our experience,” says the Havana Club on its impressive cigar list.
“We [want] to give them an answer in the next week or so,” Farrow said.
