Smokers' Haven Irks Neighbors

The owner of a controversial cigar lounge on S. Oxford Street insists that he is providing an important and rare haven for smokers, despite rampant complaints from neighbors who say he is poisoning their lungs.

David Diamante, owner of Diamante's Cigar Lounge between Fulton Street and Lafayette Avenue, says that when he opened the business last year he only wanted to create a welcoming atmosphere for an increasingly marginalized minority: smokers.

"Brooklyn didn't have a bona fide cigar lounge," said Diamante. "I know a lot of men and women who are cigar smokers, we didn't have a spot to go!"

There's no doubt that smokers are increasingly being turned away at every turn as a result of a citywide push to reduce the harmful effects of smoking.

But it isn't just some small subgroup of Brooklynites stigmatized by the anti-smoking movement. Roughly 430,000 people living in the borough still enjoy cigarettes or cigars, according to the city Department of Health. 

And when Diamante opened his smoky haven in the neighborhood that his family has called home for five generations, he said fellow tobacco-enthusiasts were thrilled.

"It was wonderful," said Diamante. "There was just a lot of positivity — people were really great and super friendly."

But the warm reception didn't last for long.

Soon, neighbors began complaining about the smoke emanating from the lounge, saying the heavy odor of cigar smoke lingered in their nearby apartment around the clock. An article published in the Daily News quoted neighbors going so far as to say they were going to break their lease to get away from the lounge as soon as possible.

"The cigar bar would probably be more appropriate in a commercial location on Fulton Street or perhaps Atlantic Avenue, rather than right under apartments where people really are affected by the secondhand smoke," said Sharon Barnes, the landlord of a building next door.

Now, 13 complaints have been filed with the Department of Buildings against Diamante's business, ranging from unauthorized signage to improper ventilation systems.

Diamante disputed the complaints, and said he has all the proper equipment and licenses.

But it wasn't the violations that bothered him as much as the anti-smoking fervor, he said.

"I think it's unfortunate that we're living in an anti-tobacco time right now, and it's really unfortunate that cigars have been lumped in with cigarettes."

Diamante insisted that cigars are healthier than cigarettes, though the United States National Institute of Health says cigars contain much more cancer-causing substances and higher toxins than cigarettes.

Despite the controversy, Diamante said his lounge will keep smoking.

Bryan Moroz, a 33-year-old who was recently enjoying a cigar at the lounge, couldn't have been happier.

"Cigar smoking places outside of Brooklyn are kind of obnoxious; everyone is always trying to impress people. This place isn't like that — it's very welcoming."