Al Kramer’s Pipe & Tobacco Shop

Awesome Ma&Pa tobacco shop in Beverly Hills. Lots of knowledge. Highly recommend!

Wonderful shop and Marsha was more than gracious and helpful-​I called at 6:25pm asking if they were still open, not knowing that they closed at 6:30 and she agreed to stay open for me so I zipped over and she spent so much time going over the dos and don’ts and helping me choose a fine Savalini pipe and testing the blends (which are all amazing) and letting me break in the pipe and in general just being wonderful, helpful, informative and kind (and stayed well past closing until 8pm doing so!).
Customer service like this is rare to find and I want to thank her for that! And the blends her father has come up (Father Dempsey, etc) are all amazingly good and great quality tobacco and worth going back for! Thanks Marsha!

Learned that a lot of the things on the inside was built by Marsha’s father (I hope that I spelled her name correctly). Really cool inside, she was willing to lower the cost of the tobacco pipe that I purchased. Really excellent customer service, knowledgable, and friendly. Thank you!

When Grant’s pipe shop closed in SF, I didn’t know where else to go for blended pipe tobacco. Having ordered some online from other tobacconists around the country, I decided to stop by at Kramers while on a recent trip to LA.
I loved this little store, very down-​to-​earth, no nonsence tabac. The owner (don’t know her name but was a lady) was on the phone when I entered, and had the courtesy to get off the phone to help me. I explained the kind of tobacco I smoked and the flavour profiles I preferred. She was so helpful in explaining to me their blends and even customized some more according to my taste. I wished I had brought my pipe with me (will do in future).
However, she mixed up to blends and I thought their prices were very cheap for the quality. Upon returning home, I’ve lit up both blends and love them both. I was surprised with one of them because it was an extra mild. And I really love the house aromatic which was blended with extra Irish for greater sweetness.
Both «customs» were good quality, smooth smokes. I will definitely return again to get my tobacco here. Hell, I may even treat myself to a new pipe!

I love Kramer’s for its authenticity. They carry everything for the pipe/​cigar aficionado and for people like me who dabble. I purchased a lighter there last year by Xikar, which guarantees their brand for life. I have come in several times since because it has simply broken down. Kramers has been happy to help and they send it off to the manufacturer for free repair. Family run speciality business are few and far between these days, so I embrace Kramers and support it all I can.

I would really love to give this place a better review. I love old stores in LA that are of the mom and pop variety especially in Beverly Hills. They also had a great selection of product.
But this review is based on service. Being nice to customers is apparently a lost art, and for some reason my experience here was akin to Julia Roberts Rodeo Drive shopping scene, but not as glamourous. and with out hookers
So I go in to buy some cigarettes, I give the woman a $ 100 bill as thats all I had, she ask if I had any thing smaller. I don’t. But I tell her I can pay with card. I kinda joke about how $ 100’s are not confederate money and since it says LEGAL tender she actually has to take this. She stops and says NO I DONT AND YOU DONT GET YOUR CIGARETTES. WTF? I told her I was just joking and trying to be friendly, but she growled back that she doesn’t like joke. She probably doesn’t like her job or people either.
Anyways she eventually takes my card, and as I leave i said «I am really sorry that you did not like my joke, but I am a paying customer, and I REALLY HOPE YOU HAVE A BETTER DAY»
She made a face and told me to get out.
All I am saying is no matter if you are customer client, maid, waiter, or CEO you should always be nice to people.
Next time I will just buy my smokes at rite aid. Kramers I hope you add a smile to that service, because mom and pop shops are few and far between, and I would rather take abuse from a place thats cheaper.
Or maybe I will show up with a bag of Cigars and Pipes and say Hey Remember Me? You work on Commission right? BIG MISTAKE and flash my tobacco products.

This place is an awesome throwback. I don’t know much about pipes and cigars, but I am about to start learning because this place will be a regular after-​lunch stop!
Marsha was very patient and incredibly helpful. great selection of cigars, and if you are a pipe guy (or girl) this is your mecca!
Highly recommended!

After totally enjoying my first mail order of Kramer Pipe Blends «Father Dempsey» and «Danny Kay Mixture», I simply couldn’t help myself. I had to make a pilgrimage from behind the Orange Curtain to Kramer’s in Beverly Hills. They’ve been there for 63 years! Daughter of founders Al and Tina Kramer, Marsha Kramer Keller and husband Jim now run the place.
It’s small, it’s family, it’s brick-​and-​mortar … a wonderful anachronism in today’s five-​second-​attention-​span world. Personality, service, old-​school shopkeeping in the best sense of the term. (Be honest, how often do you encounter that deer-​caught-​in-​the-​headlights, I-​wish-​I-​was-​anywhere-​but-​here style of non-​service?) The day I went, I had a terrific visit with Marsha. She took time out of a busy day as if I was the biggest deal in town. She was generous, willing to blend up some tobacco I wanted to try right on the spot, attentive to me as we visited yet also helping the steady stream of pack-​of-​cigarette customers who quickly pass in-​and-​out. I had questions, she had answers. One remarkable bit of trivia: she’s not a tobacco user, but has her father’s justifiably famous original recipes and, happily, recreates them to the letter.
Visit Kramer’s web site for great information about the history of the shop and the famous folks who have been customers for over half a century. Tobacco-​wise, the aforementioned blends are my favorites so far … I’m also a couple bowls into trying the Cary Grant Mixture and House Aromatic. Keep in mind that this is not some sandwich shop which decided it would be cute to personalize their offerings with names of stars, politicians, etc. This is a shop that actually catered to and customized blends for their tobacco namesakes. And I expect they still do … I meant to ask who still might be frequenting the shop or ordering by mail, but I gather from the web site that they’re pretty discreet about that sort of stuff. Still fun to think about, though.
The bottom line, aside from history, nice people, fair prices … the pipe tobaccos that are unique to Kramer’s are simply wonderful. Even the House Aromatic is subtle, not assembly-​line-​goo with heavy-​handed casings or toppings. Of course everyone should enjoy whatever pipe tobacco they like, answerable to no one. Heck, anyone in Texas will tell you that a proper chili-​con-​queso is made with Velveeta. But I think of Kramer’s as Tobacco for Grown-​Ups. When you’re a kid, any screwtop bottle of wine will do. When you get a few decades down the line, you’ve only got so many bottles to enjoy in your future. So you make ‘em as great as your budget will allow. With Kramer’s Tobaccos, you’re in the Blessed Upper End of the Pipe Tobacco Spectrum. Their prices are fair. They have pipes, lighters, fine cigars, Sherman cigarettes and the like. Until the Nanny State threatens the very existence of stores like this, we can certainly support them and appreciate them.
Truth is, I’ll probably never be able to be objective about Kramer’s from now on as I loved my visit and I found Marsha to be a delight … but trust me, they’ll take care of you in-​person and/​or by mail. And you can thank me later.
(Parking is brutal. Seek out the nearby lots with free one– or two-​hour rates and simply walk the short distance to the store. Also, it’s on South Santa Monica or «Little Santa Monica» Boulevard. That makes a difference and Google Maps doesn’t always calculate with that distinction in mind.)
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UPDATE: Almost a year to the day after my first visit, I had occasion to be in the area and paid a second visit to Kramer’s. I stand by everything written above. Marsha is _​still_​a delight. A year down the line, «Cary Grant Mixture» and «House Aromatic Mixture» are two of my very favorites … still loving my first two blends: «Father Dempsey» and «Danny Kaye Mixture». Although my purchases are very modest, I _​LOVE_​supporting a one-​of-​a-​kind, family-​run business.