How It All Began

You see, Mike had always wanted  a tobacco pipe. So there we were, one day out doing our errands and there was a smoke shop,  I asked him if he would like to go in and look at a pipe,  So in we went.  We found a “pipe”, yellow and black, made to look like a wood pipe, It had a screen, which the guy behind the counter said we could take out Also a one pound bag of cheap and very dry pipe tobacco and we thought we were good to go.  Looking back, we knew this wasn’t what he was really looking for but it seemed close enough.  I could tell it was really a pipe for something else but he was so excited to finally have one I let it be.

  We had no idea what we were doing.  That was Saturday, Come Monday I had to go to a doctor’s appointment, being Mike, he was nice enough to drive me there but there was no way he was going into wait for me.  So as I hung out with the doctor, Mike went off to the Tinder Box without me.  There he found a real tobacconist at a real brick and mortar shop,   So I was all finished up and waiting.  Finally the husband returned.  Excited as any man can be,  This was a Mike as spellbound as ever I had seen,  It was like a whole new world had opened up to him,  Only the birth of his children had been a bigger event.  He wanted to drag me right back to meet his new “Tobacconist”,  I was laughing because I thought that the title tobacconist was BS.  But being a supportive wife, off I went to meet the said tobacconist.

  This is where we met Adam at the Tinder Box.  I thought he was a bit snobbish,  But he asked our names and was as helpful as anyone could be,  He walked Mike through everything he needed to enter the world of real pipe smoking.  We left with a brand new Savinelli 2^nd , Czech tool and pipe cleaners, plus an ounce of Vanilla Spice tobacco also a nice little paper to explain the whole process of packing and lighting a real briar tobacco pipe.  Mike was in heaven, and I was along for the journey.

   This was only the beginning.  The next day we were back at the shop looking at the pipes, And here is where I meet Kenn, Something clicked that day for me, I can’t explain, but suddenly here was the friend I had been looking for,  Not only was he helping Mike explore the world of pipes and tobacco but he was helping me to understand what it was that I was getting myself into.  A closeness quickly was developed between Mike, I and those men at the Box. Kenn would very soon share some of his pipes with Mike, but more importantly would be giving me my very own pipe.  I was no longer just the wife of a pipe owner, I had become one myself.

   So there we were, every day or every other day,  Looking at pipes, talking pipes, learning about tobaccos and moving quickly into a whole new life and world, But Mike being Mike, this just was not enough. As Mike’s passion began to grow, he searched for an outlet, but to no prevail… Hence TPC was born.

   At first, I was happy that Mike had found a way to express his growing interest in pipes and all things pipe related,  It all seemed so simple at first, A little Facebook  page for him to play with.  Really, what could happen?  But Mike being Mike, he became a little fanatical to say the least.  When he wasn’t at work he was on his phone doing his TPC thing.  I was happy for him, I really was  For him to have an outlet for his growing passion, Yet this thing began to grow into a beast that became more than just a hobby, this was turning into a life altering, ongoing experience.

   To say I was still supportive at this time would be a lie, I was jealous of this venture that had turned into his mistress,  It was now his other love,  Mike never does anything half assed. Suddenly this had gone from a simple Facebook page to a YouTube channel, on to a website, making hats and other TPC related goods, to a Twitter account,  Any and all social media outlets had been found and exploited.  I didn’t want to feel this way,  I have always taken pride on being the supportive wife, but it seemed to me that things were beginning to get out of hand.

   I came to realize that this was now a way of life for him and for me.  But then a life changing opportunity presented itself by way of Steve and Jamie Liskey, An invite to the 2012 West Coast pipe show in  Las Vegas. This show truly changed my life, I walked in and my husband was like a rock star.  With Mike’s focus having been on independent pipe makers, this was his holy grail. All these people that had been just names and photos and videos suddenly became very real.  Never had Mike and I felt so welcomed and part of the pipe making family.  As we all know the pipe making community is a close nit group of people.

  One of those names and faces was Jamie.  Out of a room full of men there was only a handful of women.  We instantly bonded over a pipe and a smoke.  Here was someone who understood what it was that I had been feeling, Who helped me quickly come to the understanding that I should have a feeling of pride about what my husband had been able to create.  This also created a spark in me,  To lend my female voice to this mostly male dominated community,  Jamie and I decided to start TPC for women, we talked to Mike about it and he agreed. We needed an outlet  so that others like the two of us would know that they are not alone.

  We wanted to create a place where women pipe smokers, women pipe makers and pipemakers wives could come together and share in the passion and the knowledge of this amazing world of tobacco pipe collecting.

   So here we are now. TPC for women is now a reality.  We will be doing our best to expand the female voice in this community.  It is our hope that the we can put our twist on this wonderful family of pipe smokers and the artists that create these works of smokeable art.

So puff on my lady piper friends, Tracee Lancaster Co-Founder Tobaccopipecollectors for women

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tobaccopipecollectors-for-Women/398328710250832?ref=stream