OUR STORY

BECOMING THE RACKETEER LOUNGE

On his 15th birthday his uncle handed Paul Banducci a Padron 5000, and said "here kid, try this on for size." The whole family was there, and everyone figured Paul would turn green and it would all be good for a laugh. But the joke was on them-- it was love at first puff. He knew he wanted to have a career as a business owner, but it was then that he added Cigar Lounge to the list of potential ventures. 

Fast forward to January 2014 and Paul, along with his wife Mary seized just such an opportunity. Paul's favorite shop, The Bulldog Pipe & Cigar came up for sale, and they decided to take the plunge. It was a significant rebuild project, but by Fall of 2015, the shop was stable and a cigar lounge was added-- in the Silverlake mall of all places. 

The Bulldog started to make its mark, and build a genuine culture of appreciation from premium cigars and pipe tobacco. There were all kinds of events from special product releases to ladies nights, to potluck nights, to a private label project with famed cigar company Room 101. Locals and passers-through alike enjoyed the unique and tightly-knit lounge community. 

2020 was a rough year for a lot of people. For Paul & Mary, it was particularly difficult as they fought legal challenges with the State of Idaho, gov't mandated COVID shutdowns & other such nonsense, and several unanticipated very large home projects. The Bulldog community was amazingly supportive throughout it all. Just when it looked like Paul & Mary were through the worst of it, October they were given notice by the landlord that the Bulldog lease was not being renewed and the business had to be out by the end of November. Again, the Bulldog community stepped up, helped liquidate and move and then patiently waited for what came next. 

After a great deal of soul searching and lease hunting, Paul & Mary found an unassuming spot in Post Falls, and by the grace of God, signed a lease and attached liquor license to the premise all in the nick of time in April 2021. Construction work began, and a rebrand was underway. In August of 2021, The Racketeer was officially born. 

The Racketeer has a new, but familiar feel while maintaining a devotion to the lounge community and the principles of fellowship, service, and liberty. The motto is Welcome to the Family. And we look forward to you joining ours. Cheers!

 

ABOUT THE RACKETEER

The Racketeer Lounge is a Cigar Lounge and high class bar with top-shelf drinks, over 150 different cigars, and a relaxed lounge atmosphere to enjoy them in.


At the Racketeer one does not lack for options. 

Located in Post Falls Idaho our original cocktails are hand crafted by our skilled bartenders, in addition to our cocktails we have a great selection of barrel aged brews, local beer on tap, sake, wine, absinthe and more.

We offer well-established boutique, brands ranging from the expected like My Fathers and Padron, to the unusual like Room 101 and Crowned heads. 



For pipe smokers we have many unique house blends of pipe tobacco and a great selection of briar and meerschaum pipes. A large number of which are locally carved by our good friends over at American Heritage pipes.



We have memberships for our patrons. Humidified locker rentals, a cigar and pipe club with monthly offerings, and our Rocks Club that boasts our hand picked selection of rare spirits. These highly sought after spirits have been acquired over time and is ever growing as we use the monthly memberships to expand our collection and bring our members a taste of these rare offerings.



If you are looking for a laid back bar that nails the classy lounge feel where you can enjoy a smoke while enjoying a stiff drink there is no better option than The Racketeer Lounge.


Want to know more?

Coming soon Paul will be telling his story in an interview from the lounge. how what started as the bulldog became what the racketeer today.

what we offer
Share by: