Much-Anticipated Downtown Cigar Shop To Host Grand Opening July 15

PLANT CITY, FL — With the bar and humidors fully stocked and finishing touches applied to the custom woodwork in the lounge, Bruton's Cigar Shop at 204 Collins St. N in historic downtown Plant City, is ready for its grand opening.

Owner David Verner is inviting the community to celebrate the long-awaited opening with a Plant City Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting at 4 p.m. Thursday and the grand opening starting at 11 a.m. Friday.

There will be knowledgeable staff on hand to provide tours of the extensive cigar selection in the lounge's humidor, drink and cigar specials, vendors and a meet-and-greet with Verner.

It's been nearly two years in the making, but Verner said the cigar shop is well worth the wait. In addition to a lounge, a full bar, patio seating and a large handmade humidor filled with a selection of premium cigars, the new location will feature the only rooftop patio in Plant City.

"We broke ground with our project in late 2020 with a mission to bring top-quality service and experience to Plant City," Verner said. "Whether it is shopping, dining or enjoying the historic sites of Plant City, we look forward to inviting anyone to stop by order a drink and relax in our lounge, enjoy the weather on our outdoor patio or overlook the streets of historic downtown from our rooftop lounge."

On June 10, members of The Plant City Chamber of Commerce and elected officials got a private preview of what's in store for patrons on Friday.

"It was a great night," commented attendee Wesley Joyner.

Verner said the cigar shop is named for a Plant City legend.

"Judge J. D. Bruton Jr. was 6 feet tall, had a deep-voiced drawl, and a sense of humor that endeared him to many," he said. "He excelled at the law and at the art of extending humanity to the people he loved. He scoffed at the pretensions of society, while being able to mix among them, and, while enjoying his own 'eccentricity,' he held dear the principles and values of the common people."

James DeWitt Bruton Jr. was 10 years old when his family moved from Texas to Plant City in 1918. He graduated from Plant City High School in 1926, attended the University of Florida and went on to practice law from 1931 to 1961. He served a two-year term in the Florida House of Representatives in 1934, was a Plant City municipal judge from 1937 to 1957 and was a county circuit judge in 1964. He died in 2005.

Verner said he's a big fan of "The Judge," who was as generous in spirit as he was with his checkbook.

Bruton, who was rarely without a cigar between his fingers, gave away millions of dollars during his lifetime, putting students through college, contributing to the public library, supporting nonprofit organizations such as the Florida United Methodist Church Children’s Home and Children’s Home Inc. of Tampa, and donating land to the University of Florida, where the Bruton-Geer Hall was constructed in memory of his and his wife, Quintilla’s, parents.

The Bruton Memorial Library and Bruton Road are named in his honor, but Verner said he plans to further memorialize "The Judge" at his lounge where the indoor bar will be named the Judge's Sidebar and the humidor the Judge's Chamber.

To do "The Judge" justice, Verner has spared no expense transforming the historic storefront at 204 Collins St. N. into an atmosphere reminiscent of a London gentleman's club or turn-of-the-century library.

The interior features vintage craftsman touches including a hand-constructed coffered ceiling and a decorative pressed tin tile ceiling, a handmade bar and decorative barback with hand-carved details and the requisite bar mirror and vintage-style lighting.

The lounge will be equipped with smoke eaters and top-of-the-line exhaust ventilators to quickly disperse the cigar smoke so smokers and nonsmokers can enjoy the venue.

For more information, visit Bruton's Cigar Shop's Facebook page.