It's one of the few places in Nashville where smokers can find solace in a world full of smoking bans.

Many come to watch football on one of the shop's big screen televisions while enjoying a cigar or a pipe. Some bring co-workers in for business meetings, and some pop in with laptop in tow, working online, courtesy of the wireless Internet.

This is what makes the Uptown's Smoke Shop in Green Hills unique, said Aaron Sissom, company president.

The business recently reopened in Green Hills in Grace's Plaza. It was housed in Hillsboro Plaza for about 21 years, but late last year Sissom was told Uptown's had to be out by the end of October this year. The building they occupied was torn down in a redevelopment of the Hillsboro Plaza complex.

Brookside Properties, which owns Hillsboro Plaza, is redeveloping the shopping center into a pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use development called Greenbrier Village of Green Hills. The project is slated for completion by 2011.

"We were not happy campers (when we heard that)" said Sissom, a Donelson/Hermitage area resident. "But, in the end it worked out great. We were able to expand our space and bring in new customers."

In its Hillsboro Plaza space, Uptown's Smoke Shop had about 1,400 square feet of retail space. Now, at Grace's Plaza, the store occupies about 3,000 square feet.

Products for sale range from cigars, most imported from Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic and Honduras, pipes, pipe tobacco, and tobacco accessories to pens, diffuser lamps, blown glass vases, and coffee, to name a few.

Store offers tobacco, services

The store features custom mixes of pipe tobacco, ranging from spice and fruit blends to named local blends. Its bestseller, for example, is the Green Hills blend. Another popular choice is the Hillsboro blend.

The 30,000-plus stock of cigars sold at Uptown's are stored in a walk-in humidor, which keeps the temperature controlled at 70 degrees and the humidity controlled at 70 percent.

"That's what experts say is ideal for storing cigars," Sissom said. "But, not all of our customers smoke cigars. That's a misconception. We are a full-service tobacconist. We sell tobacco, but we also repair pipes or lighters, in addition to providing an atmosphere where customers can just come in and enjoy a good smoke."

That's why Stephen Williams, a Green Hills resident, is usually in the smoke shop on a regular basis. He comes in to work on his laptop, smoke his pipe and enjoy a cup of coffee for a couple hours about four days per week.

"There aren't too many public places where you can smoke any more," said Williams, who works as a consultant in the music business. "I buy a lot of tobacco here, and I'm always looking for a new pipe to add to my collection."

Uptown's offers camaraderie

Williams started coming to Uptown's after the store relocated to Grace's Plaza.

"I wasn't a regular at the other location," he said. "I love this new store because of the openness of it. It feels like a more comfortable store because it's not as cramped, and you end up getting to know everyone who walks in the door."

For David Suggs, a retired firefighter and a Hickman County resident, it's the products and the staff that have him coming back to Uptown's regularly.

Suggs, who now works at Superior Fire in South Nashville, visits the shop about once per month. He's been a customer for about 12 years.

"I first learned about the shop through work," Suggs said. "We came in one day to do an emergency plan, look for fire hazards, that kind of thing. And, I came back on my day off, and they helped me pick out a pipe and tobacco. I've been hooked ever since."

Suggs, like Williams, says the new store is much more roomier.

"It's great because you can come in, sit in a comfortable chair, watch TV and smoke," he said. "This shop has wonderful products and great people. I can walk in the door, and sometimes they'll know what I want. I don't even have to tell them."

Nicole Young covers Green Hills and can be reached at nyoung@tennessean.com or 615-259-8091.