Realize Theater Group is Ali’s nonprofit theater company on Chicago’s North side and plans to offer patrons “stogies” with their glass of wine and other intermission concessions.
Amongst the whirl of chatter from curious male patrons and friendly onlookers it’s quite apparent that Ralph is the king of Taylor St. and father to all who enter his 15-year establishment, engaging his patrons more like brothers than customers.
“It wasn’t intentional,” he says, when asked what sets him apart from other cigar shop owners. “My thing was, when I’d go into a shop, I’d be ignored. When asked they didn’t know about their product or what they were selling. I vowed then if I ever owned my own shop, I’d make sure the customer felt welcome.”
He’s more than exceeded his goal. There’s a very genuine authenticity to Ralph and his employees. “They are my family, my daughters. I love them and treat them all like my children,” says the patriarchal figure and owner of Ralph’s cigars.
The wide glass enclosed case of Ecuadorian Fedoras served as the perfect backdrop to his cozy shop, a place that feels more like home than a business. Clearly a giant in the cigar community, Ralph’s celebrity is reluctant and unassuming. Hailing as a Latin pioneer in the cigar industry, Ralph was the first Latin American to open and own his own cigar shop in Illinois, a major feat that he graciously shares with humility.
“When I first started out in this business and Diana Silvius (owner) of UpDown Cigars called to give me her blessing I knew something great was happening.”
