Iowa senator patents smoke-free cigar rooms and opens Des Moines shop
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Iowa Sen. Mike Pike is the owner of Cap City Cigars. Photo: Jason Clayworth/Axios
Iowa state Sen. Mike Pike recently patented a ventilation system for specially designed cigar rooms that he says keep smoke and odor from escaping.
Why it matters: He believes his system could revolutionize in-home smoking.
Driving the news: Pike launched Cap City Cigars last month, a Des Moines business featuring a sales floor he plans to turn into a regular hangout for cigar aficionados.
The details: The shop held its grand opening last month, offering hundreds of cigars and accessories.
- The store also carries fresh flowers — a nod to the River Bend neighborhood building's former life as Doherty's Flowers.
Zoom in: Pike's patented cigar rooms, PK Smoke Free Suites, are box-like structures that are ventilated outdoors and have special design features that keep smoke from wafting outside them.
- Sales for in-home units start at around $5,200.
Catch up quick: Pike is a DSM Republican who defeated incumbent Democratic Sen. Nate Boulton in November 2024.
- He bought the former flower store about four years ago and uses the back portions of the building for his plumbing business.
- He considered renting out the front of the building, but after listening to "The Cigar Authority" podcast and following his longtime passion for cigars, he flew to New Hampshire to meet host Dave Garofalo and returned inspired to open his own shop.
What's next: Pike plans a second phase to make the suites available for in-store customer use later this year.
- He's also building a stage area that could be used for cigar tastings, dinners or educational events about the trade.
Reality check: The rooms don't get around Iowa's Smokefree Air Act.
Yes, but: Retail tobacco stores are one of the exceptions as long as smoke doesn't infiltrate areas where smoking is otherwise prohibited.
If you go: Cap City Cigars is open 10am-6pm Monday-Saturday and noon-4pm Sunday.
- 1536 2nd Ave. in DSM