Chase's Cigar Store: A Family Business
Robert Fantacone, father of 5 children, owns Chase's Cigar Store on James Street, Eastwood, Syracuse, NY. The store serves cigar, coffee, Quick Draw lottery, and general goods with the help of Fantacone family, including Lab, named Sammy. This mom and pop store also functions as one of the social hubs in the community, as local people have the chance to visit one another while they smoke and play Quick Draw.
Once you are in the store, you will find that there are more important things in life than worrying about smoking hazards or second-hand smoking. For some people, they may be money, work, or a mere adrenalin rush of winning the bet. For others, they may be families, friends, love, God, or just a sense of being in touch with the community. Even a tiny corner of the store is filled with personal paraphernalia and memories. No one could deny that the Chase's Cigar Store has an appeal of Norman Rockwell's warm and humorous scenes of everyday small-town life.
November-December, 2000.
