Pipe Brands
Owl Shop
An American tobacconist business sharing the same name in two cities from a common family origin, founded in New Haven in 1934 and later branching into Worcester; known for its own blends and private-label pipes.
Owl Shop is a tobacconist business in the northeastern United States that shares the same name across two separate cities, coming from a common family origin. Among pipe enthusiasts its name is associated both with long-running house blends and with private-label pipes commissioned over the years from various European workshops.
Beginnings in New Haven
The business's founder is Joseph St. John, who emigrated from Greece to America in 1925. In 1934 he opened a shop on Wall Street in New Haven, Connecticut. The shop's original identity was as a bookstore; tobacco and St. John's own blends were initially a secondary item on the shelves. As this side of the business grew, a second shop was opened on College Street in 1937 together with his wife Catherine. According to records, the business spread for a time across multiple locations before everything was consolidated at the College Street address in 1951. The New Haven shop still operates on the same street today, under ownership independent of the family.
The Worcester Branch and the Photakis Family
The Rest of This Entry Is in the App
The full ISPE opens with your IPC account.
Related Entries
Last updated:
Source: Pipedia, adapted under the CC BY-SA licence.