Fall 1996 Volume I Issue 4

t's the end of May, but Rich Galdieri, owner of Las Vegas Cigar Company, is as happy as a kid at Christmas. A pair of custom-made boots -- horned alligator with calfskin uppers emblazoned with a color inlay of Las Vegas Cigar's red, white, and black "Diceman" logo -- have just been delivered by Tony Murga, a bootmaker from California whose in town for a few days.

Almost reverently, Galdieri removes the boots from their box, unable to contain his delight. "They're beautiful. Look at that leather. Have you ever seen anything like that?" Always the promoter, Galdieri wonders aloud, "Should I put them in the window?" "No," he says, answering himself, "They'd be gone in a minute. Maybe in the front case, next to a box of cigars. No, I'm going to wear them. Does anybody have a camera? I want to get a picture with Tony."

With the cigar business booming these days, almost anyone with an interest in cigars would love to be in Galdieri's boots. His domain is a small rolling factory and cigar store in a retail mall on the infamous Las Vegas strip -- formally known as Las Vegas Boulevard. Nearby are the towering casinos, offering the around-the-clock action that goes on that's made Las Vegas an icon.

Las Vegas Cigar Company makes and sells its own brand of cigars, using tobacco imported from the Caribbean and Central America. Having started with

Rich Galdieri, owner of Las Vegas Cigar Company (top, left) and John Rodriguez, manager. (bottom, right).

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