Tampa’s small businesses enjoy convention boost

The Republican National Convention is back on track today, with tens of thousands of visitors in Tampa. So what kind of boost do the businesses of the Tampa Bay area get? The city’s welcoming committee published a small business directory, so we made some phone calls and found Sabor a Cuba. It’s a local cigar-rolling business based in the Tampa community of Dunedin. 

Tily Noya does marketing for Sabor a Cuba and she’s been busy booking events this week. Noya says, “Cigars are kind of like a little perk, and those kind of perks have dwindled quite a bit. So this has been a very good shot in the arm for us.”

So how much would a large, high-end private party with cigars set you back? “That would probably run you under $1,000,” says Noya. She says Sabor a Cuba uses a tobacco blend from the Dominican Republic, Honduras and Nicaragua — and a tobacco wrapper from an area that might be unexpected.