The Country Squire
Mississippi's Oldest Tobacconist
1855 Lakeland Drive, C10
Jackson, Mississippi 39211
- Phone: (601) 362-2233
![](https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/Country-Squire-Jon-David-Cole.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=180&q=80&w=320&s=707a1074cf18a9bada7eceeac75e3668 320w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/Country-Squire-Jon-David-Cole.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=304&q=80&w=540&s=67f4131c4c6beef2eeaf09bd8d81f647 540w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/Country-Squire-Jon-David-Cole.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=432&q=80&w=768&s=93866ef587dade13ab811420ffc90d5e 768w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/Country-Squire-Jon-David-Cole.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=576&q=80&w=1024&s=6ba797edbf045618adae599984c15cfd 1024w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/Country-Squire-Jon-David-Cole.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=675&q=80&w=1200&s=bd7bffb695703127fcba06d2e01b8862 1200w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/Country-Squire-Jon-David-Cole.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=810&q=80&w=1440&s=823ebb842c8edf909cf165e147b15b10 1440w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/Country-Squire-Jon-David-Cole.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1080&q=80&w=1920&s=beda92bcfce7e3d9e358db4a018d3ea0 1920w)
The Country Squire
1855 Lakeland Drive, C10
Jackson, Mississippi 39211
- Phone: (601) 362-2233
The Country Squire1855 Lakeland Drive, C10
Jackson, Mississippi 39211
"It's definitely not something you grow up thinking you're going to do for a living," laughs Jon David Cole, owner of the Country Squire, Jackson's premier tobacco shop and one of only a few shops devoted strictly to pipes and cigars left in the country.
Founded in 1970 by Jim and Gwen Reeves, the Squire "is a well-known institution in its sphere, not only in Mississippi but really worldwide."
When Cole bought the shop, it was only after his mentor, Mrs. Reeves, passed away at 89. To maintain a tradition of excellence, Cole has honored the Reeves' legacy and expanded upon it, relocating from the original storefront in the Quarter on Lakeland Drive to just a few doors down.
Cole views the relocation as an opportunity to expand not only in size but also in scope. In their new shop, Cole can offer more cigars, grow a bustling shipping business, and delve into a members-only lounge, theme nights, live events and a podcast, Country Squire Radio. With 10,000 downloads per week, the show is the number one pipe-smoking podcast in the world; a few years ago, it even broke into the top ten in the "hobbyist" category.
![](https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/Country-Squire-store-interior.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=e3c9472a5a373ae4cca1b2f15e6d50da 320w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/Country-Squire-store-interior.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=24fb859f07fef4ff5df3f212fd406933 540w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/Country-Squire-store-interior.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=16d761dbe514bcf5b269240f259307d6 768w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/Country-Squire-store-interior.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=09a81defde6bdb61996af92c97f77de2 1024w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/Country-Squire-store-interior.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1200&s=80fac1cb1833fc2902b85388050a6396 1200w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/Country-Squire-store-interior.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1440&s=2a87bab5a8f6617911daa5bfeaffccf0 1440w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/Country-Squire-store-interior.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1920&s=d9bd6a7bb06fb3b42498876f22fa6bed 1920w)
Projects like that are expanding the presence of the Squire and pipe-smoking more generally to a new generation of tobacco enthusiasts. Cole quickly distinguishes between the thoughtful, meditative aspects of pipe and cigar smoking and the more insidious properties of cigarette smoking and vaping.
"We're in the business of relaxation," he notes, "not slavery to an addiction."
Compared to big tobacco, pipe and cigar tobacco is minimally processed, giving it an artisanal quality comparable to tea or coffee, with distinct flavor profiles and aromas.
The staff at the Squire is well-equipped to help customers discover and expand their palettes. Cole reflects on how his tastes have changed over time: "When I was 18, I wanted to smoke the sweetest tobacco I could find. If I could get tobacco that tasted like a Slurpee, that's what I wanted." Over time, though, "my palette's gotten a bit more sophisticated. Right now, I gravitate toward more savory blends."
Beyond the sensory satisfaction different blends offer, Cole says the natural appeal and the reason for the resurgence in pipe and cigar enthusiasm are grounded in the ritual of smoking and a certain nostalgic quality. "It's just an old-fashioned way of consuming tobacco. Pipes force you to relax and slow down. You can't really do anything else when you smoke a pipe."
![](https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/Country-Squire-store.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=320&s=b23a1f6b9aa0140aefaec41868a08b26 320w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/Country-Squire-store.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=540&s=28cbbad87006f6dece6a3c9b602448c3 540w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/Country-Squire-store.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=768&s=be43e257e29ce8d0c148195da68b749e 768w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/Country-Squire-store.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1024&s=e7b45f32d4f38b6e4214651468b1879e 1024w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/Country-Squire-store.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1200&s=1e4ac82dd1aa8f306f19dc7f081acf37 1200w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/Country-Squire-store.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1440&s=e4b0f39d6381537d4597202e019fbbd2 1440w, https://visit-jackson.imgix.net/images/Country-Squire-store.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&fit=max&position=50%2050&q=80&w=1920&s=7585c9ba536ed6d406b9018a3e008b97 1920w)
He expands, "From selecting your tobacco, the particular pipe, preparing the tobacco, lighting it: every piece of the process is gratifying. I think younger people are gravitating toward that because they're craving meaning, something timeless."
It's a shared love of ritual that binds this community, across generations, across oceans. Cole regularly hosts hipsters in their twenties, chatting with retirees in their seventies. A couple of years ago, a newlywed couple from Italy decided to take a seven-day cross-country trip across the United States and "made a point to spend an entire day of their honeymoon in Jackson, Mississippi, because they wanted to come to see a real pipe shop," marvels Cole.
And a real pipe shop is precisely what they found.
Written by Hannah Saulters | Photographed by Joe Ellis for Find It In Fondren © Find It In Fondren
Amenities
Amenities
- Wheelchair Accessible
- Retail