Tobacco Shop closing after 10 years in Euclid

Closing up shop - After more than 10 years in business in Euclid, Gary Peters has decided it is time to retire and spend more time golfing and traveling. He was hoping to find a buyer for his I-Deal Tobacco shop on Shore Center Drive. (Photo by John Sheridan)

For more than 10 years, Gary Peters’ I-Deal Tobacco shop has been a fairly busy place, attracting cigar and cigarette fanciers as well as the lottery-playing crowd. One of its claims to fame these days is that it may be the only retail business in Euclid where patrons are allowed to smoke. In fact, Gary typically has several ashtrays sitting on the counter.

But now that the exterior of his building has undergone a welcome facelift as part of the Downtown Euclid renovation, Gary is closing the shop at 199 East 228th Street, just around the bend where Shore Center Drive meanders toward Lakeshore Boulevard. The amiable proprietor has decided that it’s time to retire and devote more time to his golf game and also do a bit of traveling.

Peters, who grew up in Euclid and attended Euclid High School before enlisting in the U.S. Marine Corps at age 17, said he’ll probably lock his door for the last time during Thanksgiving week. He had hoped to find someone to keep the tobacco business going but, as of the Observer deadline for this issue, he hadn’t found a suitable buyer.

“Several people expressed interest,” Gary says, “but no one wanted to pay [an acceptable] price.”

As a result, in recent weeks he has been conducting a liquidation sale, offering cigars at half price and even wooden cigar boxes for $1.He said he has a potential buyer for the cabinetry.

Over the years, the business has done fairly well, with about one-third of its receipts coming from the sale of lottery tickets and scratch-off lottery cards. On any given day, you’ll find a steady stream of customers coming through the door.

“I’ve had a good time here,” Gary says. “I’m going to miss the people.”

Still, he’s looking forward to spending more time playing his favorite golf courses, including Legend Lake, Manakiki, St. Denis, and Pine Ridge. The course he’d most like to play, he says, is the Pebble Beach layout along the California coastline, but he doubts that he ever will. “With greens fees at $400 a round—are you kidding?” he chuckles. “I’d have to hit the lottery first.”

Well, Gary, there’s this little machine sitting on the counter of your shop….It spits out hundreds of lottery tickets every week… Maybe, just maybe....