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We are very proud of our history here at
Metropolitan Cigars and our Relationship with historic Ybory City.
The atmosphere of Ybor City demands
attention. Brick lined streets overlooked by black wrought iron on
balconies; shops featuring hand made treasures, and cuisine of Cuban and
Italian decent topped off with Cuban coffee and cafe con leche are
everywhere.
At the turning of the 20th Century, Ybor
City's population was made up of mostly Spanish, Cuban, and Italian
immigrants. Tampa was no more than a mosquito-ridden fishing village
of some 700 people when Vincente Martinez Ybor, a cigar manufacturer and
Cuban exile, came to Tampa to establish his factory.
Before long, the population of
immigrants swelled to 30,000 and contributed to making Tampa the cigar
capital of the world. Francisco Capitano and Company were famous
manufacturers of "high grade Havana Cigars" in the early years.
Events leading to the Spanish-American War in 1898 led to increased world
attention on this growing metropolis.
The cigar workers of Ybor City responded
to Jose Marti's plea for men, money and arms for the insurgents who
opposed
Spain's rule over Cuba. In 1898,
thousands of U.S. troops arrived in the Tampa staging area as Teddy
Roosevelt's Rough Riders prepared for military operations in the
Spanish-American war. At the culmination of the war, the population
of Tampa once again thrived.
After numerous successful years in the
tobacco business, James Capitano, son of Francisco, decided to take the
family in a different direction. In 1933 he opened the Metropolitan
Pharmacy--named in honor of the $900 loan taken out of his Metropolitan
Life Insurance policy. The present Metropolitan Cigar Shop grew
directly from the Metropolitan Pharmacy. The shop prospered during
the era of World War II when the shipyards at the Port of Tampa operated
24 hours a day. James Capitano's success was based in part by the
expansion of the pharmacy's stock to include lunch boxes, whisky, alarm
clocks and an extensive collection of fine local cigars for the shipyard
workers.
After thriving for half a century, the
cigar industry abruptly fell victim to the automated machine-made cigar.
Many of the big Ybor City cigar factories closed and only a few small
operations kept the art of hand rolling cigars alive. A century's
old craft was nearly lost. However, the Metropolitan Pharmacy
remained.
This isn't the end of our story.
Fast forward to the 21st century and discover a newly vibrant Ybor City -
a renaissance based on its designation as a Historical District. The
festive atmosphere of restaurants and clubs attracts diners and dancers
every evening. Cigars have made their way from the back room in this
century too. Sonny Capitano closed the doors of the Metropolitan
Pharmacy in 1992 to open a successful cigar shop inside the historic
Columbia Restaurant. Five years later, Sonny found himself
establishing another successful shop - the Metropolitan Cigar Shop of
today on Seventh Avenue. -
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