I am surprised at the previous reviews I've never experienced any difficulties Chris (manager)…read moreHeather, lovely Shop assistant have always been courteous and have always taken the time out to advise me. I am new to the world of cigars and always get exceptional advise and even offered cheaper alternatives to try out such as the sample packs or the cigar of the month. I am glad to say that I'm now a regular customer. The Pic below shows me holding a ST Dupont as Chris explained to me the various lighters they have in stock....this one was a cheapo so I put it back! lol

Appalling service. I…read moreentered the shop and was told that there was a "one customer at a time" policy for the walk in humidor. Fair enough...except there was a gang of 3 people in there already..who were taking ages over deciding what a cigar was. I told the woman assistant that I already knew what I wanted...could she possibly nip into the humidor and get them for me? WAIT YOUR TURN!! After 5 minutes waiting I gave up. I said to the woman that I had limited time. But she was so engrossed with a piece of paper that she did not even have the courtesy to look up and apologise, 1970's style service. Zero customer care,

I've been popping in and out of this shop since I was about 10 years old. My earliest memory of the…read moreplace is when Granddad lived around the corner on Dyas Road and would always pick up his Evening Mail from there. I find it very satisfying that the shop is still there and looks pretty much as I remember it as a kid. Whilst it's changed hands a few times over the years it's still a reassuring fixture of the Kingstanding Road. These days I drop in once a month or so to buy tobacco, or some other 'essential' (is tobacco an essential?) as I pass through Kingstanding. As well as a newsagent this is also an off licence - it wasn't like that in my Granddad's day! - so, if the mood takes you, you can always pick up a beer or two for a reasonable price.

Selling a wide range of newspapers, magazines and everyday household items, this small…read morenewsagent-come-convenience store is a handy place to stop by whenever you're passing through Kingstanding. A large public car park is located just over the road, for shoppers visiting the Hawthorn shopping centre and several bus stops are within walking distance. Inside, the store is clean, spacious and very well organised. Though small in size, logical organisation and lack of makeshift shelving make ensure that the store never feels cramped, and friendly staff make every visit here a pleasant one. The prices are surprisingly good too.

The corner of Coles Lane has something of a tradition of being an 'outdoor' (old-school Brummie…read moretalk for an offie). For years it was a Victoria Wine, then a Threshers before becoming 'The Local' - a disastrous attempt at selling wine, spirits and baked beans in the same small space. After sitting dormant for a while, it's current owner took it on and put it straight. Going under the imaginative banner 'Shop', it's exactly what a corner shop should be and a great example of a community shop. It sells your usual newsagent fare: Chocolate bars, newspapers, milk. I believe it even has a coffee machine in there. I'm afraid I don't know the name of the guy who runs it, but he's a very amiable proprietor who never seems to have a day off and will always say hello or wave to you even if you're walking on the other side of the street. I don't live round there anymore, but whenever I drop by for a paper or a drink if I'm in the area, there always seems to be one of my old neighbours stood in there by the till having a chat and passing the time of day. It's that kind of place, and that kind of place is very hard to find these days.

Now it might seem odd that as a non-smoker I'm a fan of such an establishment. What I love is that…read morethere is something really quintessentially English about this place and the fact that despite the economic crisis in the world there is still a need for such a tremendous specialist shop as this in the area. If you're a smoker and after something different in your roll up or fancy trying a pipe then you will find something to suit in here and its more affordable than city centre stockists of such things. What i love even more is the eccentric closing time of a quarter past the hour of five, brilliant. After nipping in I was fascinated by the range of stock and was itching to do a social history project but Stirchley has had many shop documenters before in the past. It's a curious place and I had a smokers version of a Toys-r-us advert playing in my head as I perused.

A lovely old shop. Once inside it looks like you have stepped back in time…read more As you walk in you can faintly smell the fresh tobaccos in the air. ( not through smoke let me stress, purely through all the pots of fresh tobaccos). Apparently the business is generations old. Although the owner seems on the quieter side, he certainly has vast knowledge on all the products he has. Why we only use these tobacconists abroard I do not know. We should support these small places that specialise in certain goods more. Would definitely recommend.

Have you noticed that smoking habits change from region to region? When I was in Durham I noticed…read morethere was a penchant for the Regal brand whereas in parts of West London Camels are all the rage. In the South-West everyone, it seems, roll their own. As a result it might be hard to get the brand that you usually smoke as a visitor in a town, as supply reflects demand. If you happen to find yourself in Solihull, you can rest assured that this shop will stock what you smoke. For a special occasion you might want to try one of the many cigars that they have to suit all budgets. Hand-rolling tobacco comes in different flavours and is sold by weight. Try cherry or vanilla for a sweet smoke. A wide range of smoking paraphernalia is also available like filter tips, cardboard tips, cigar cutters, and gift lighters. Smokin'!

I went in this shop looking for ideas for a Fathers Day gift for my Dad. I was browsing in here for…read morequite a while wondering whether or not to purchase some sort of smoking paraphernalia as my dad enjoys the occasional cigar. In addition to selling pipes, tobacco, cigarettes and cigars they also stock a range of shaving kits, silver tankards, cuff links, walking sticks and lighters. There were two middle aged ladies behind the counter chatting away. I was never once acknowledged by them not even when I was looking at the display of various tobacco products behind them did they even ask if I needed any help. The shop was empty apart from myself and one gentleman so it's not as if they were rushed off their feet with a big queue. Admittedly I'm not their typical customer who knows the difference between the various flavours and blends of tobacco. If you know the difference between a Romeo Y Julieta and a Hamlet or Irish Oak and Old Dublin then you'll love this shop. If you just want a packet of fags and a disposable lighter you might as well stick to your local corner shop or covenience store.

I absolutely hate the cigarette smell and the habit people have of smoking! But almost everything…read morein this shop's window got me curious about what was inside. I was amazed at how many flavours of unique tobacco they sell. My favourites were: cherry with vanilla, Irish coffee and caramel. I was also amazed at their large selection of cigarettes, cigars, pipes, tobacco and unique lighters. The staff were a bit patronising as I got curious about the products and asked them questions about the items they stocked. On the other hand they were very knowledgeable about the products; I know this is a little thing to care about but I find that it can make a difference to anybody's shopping experience. I wouldn't recommend this place as it supplies people with everything they need to smoke but I can imagine it's a hot spot for those who enjoy smoking.

I understand that smoking is a bad habit and I am not proud to be a smoker, it makes your clothes…read moresmell and it is bad for your health. Having said that I must admit to enjoying tobacco and I always get a little excited whenever I come across a new tobacconists. I like to see if they sell brands of cigarettes you can't get over here, brands like Parliament Lights and Newports. I walked into this shop and asked if they had any Parliament lights for sale, the man behind the counter had never heard of them. Another member of staff interjected and said she had heard of the brand, but told me they didn't sell them. The selection was pretty good, they had pipe tobacco, rolling tobacco, cigarettes, pipes, papers and herbal accessories. I didn't really like the fact that they sold herbal accessories, it bought down the class of the place, but I guess that lots of students are in the area and they are only trying to make some money. In the end I bought a small pouch of American Spirit, which comes a little drier than most tobaccos. They staff were quite friendly and even though I didn't get what I wanted I was pleased with what they had on offer here.

High Street tobacconists are a dying breed - much like the people that frequent them, I suppose…read more(ho, ho) - and even finding one these days requires a bit of hunting. I suppose the reason for this is that, unlike on the continent, lots of places are allowed to sell tobacco products in the UK and, in the case of supermarkets in particular, economies of scale begin to take hold and the dedicated tobacconist struggles to retain a foothold. As such then, it's great to see this one still going strong, especially since it is situated on what could be seen as a dying high street. I don't smoke a pipe so I can't comment on the selection of pipe related products, but I do use rolling tobacco, rather than cigarettes, and I can confirm that Browells stocks an impressive range of blends to sample. My only complaint is that they cater very much for the knowledgeable customer, rather than the casually interested punter such as myself, and so they could be a little more helpful than they are with their answers to the occasional dumb question.