In South Florida, a man without a cigar in his hand is like a man without a Tommy Bahama shirt.
That’s where Dave Imber—partner of Creekside Cigar Co. with buddies Dave Wik and Brandon Gilliam—grew up before moving to Cincinnati with his family in 2019.
“In South Florida, there’s such a culture for cigars ... so many brands are headquartered in Miami, so it’s common,” Dave explains. “Growing up, my dad smoked cigars … not super often, but with his friends or when we’d be on vacation. There was always something about cigars that I thought was so cool.”
When he got to college, Dave realized smoking cigars wasn’t just about the stogie—it was about bringing people together.
“It’s something me and my good friends would do: meet up, hang out over a cigar ... it was the ritualistic aspect that I always loved,” Dave remembers. “Around 2010, smaller brands started popping up, and I started geeking out over the tobacco they used ... they were different, they tasted like nothing I’d ever had before. I wanted to learn everything about them.”
A photographer and creative at heart, Dave started shooting photos for CigarClub.com, working on their creative branding as head of marketing.
“Then I moved up here and met Dave and Brandon—we had a lot of the same ideas for opening a lounge,” Dave smiles. “And the rest is history.”
In April 2024, the trio opened Creekside Cigar Co. in Maineville, where it has already gained popularity for its sheer uniqueness—and genuine warmth.
“Aside from selling cigars, our core values are superior service and hospitality,” Dave explains. “When people come in, we want them to have an amazing experience and feel welcomed. It can be intimidating coming into a cigar lounge if you’re not familiar with it, so we’ve put a lot of things in place to make people feel comfortable right when they walk in.”
Part shop, part lounge, part outdoor space, and part private club, Creekside has something for every level of cigar interest … a welcoming environment and knowledgeable staff for novices. A main space that’s open to the public and offers non-alcoholic bevs—and BYOB if you like. Plus a members-only lounge and two options for private membership (Silver and Gold) that include perks like storage lockers, discounts, speaker events, members-only nights, cigar allotments and more.
“We loved the location right off US-22 and saw a big opportunity ... not many lounges in Greater Cincinnati or even nationwide put such a strong emphasis on service and hospitality. We felt it would make us stand out and be different, and people would be attracted to that.”
They were right. Creekside won the prestigious Best of the Leaf Award for Best Lounge during April’s 2025 Premium Cigar Association Show in New Orleans for their selection, presentation, customer service, merchandising and aesthetics.
And what about the cigars themselves? While they do carry well-known brands, one of Creekside’s big differentiators is their expansive offering of cigars made by smaller producers and manufacturers.
“Most cigar shops in bigger markets have your flagship heritage brands, which will be 75 percent of their selection, with only 25 percent lesser-known brands,” Dave says. “We’ve flipped that ... 75 percent of our humidor is smaller brands and 25 percent is those bigger brands. It’s exciting to put smaller brands out.”
Creekside frequently also hosts cigar brand owners to come in and tell their stories, giving guests a personal experience with different owners and creators.
“I love the relational aspect of people being so passionate about their craft,” Dave says. “We hosted someone who had worked at NASA, quit, then started his own company in the Dominican Republic, and told us what that meant for him—I want everyone to meet people like that.”
Creekside is open seven days a week with varying hours, and is currently building a new outdoor space to make their patio and overall seating capacity even larger. Along with a special Father’s Day event, they’re also hosting an event series through September where out-of-town brand owners will do evening cigar tastings, share their stories and offer deals, while Creekside provides bourbon and their own beer (Creekside Oatmeal Stout by DVD Brew).
With an aesthetic aura of refined hospitality rich in leather, wood, photography and art, come get comfortable—and smoke in good company—at Creekside Cigar Co.
CreeksideCigarCo.com | 1381 US-22, Maineville | 513.630.1044
“Seventy-five percent of our humidor is smaller brands ... it’s exciting to put smaller brands out.”