It's probably easy to postulate that, as personnel of Smokingpipes.com, we're simply the architects, adjudicators, and arbiters of the website and its peripheral provinces. And you’d be kind of right, because that's kind of the truth.

But it's not the whole truth. We're also a bunch of pipe smokers. And as pipe smokers, it's important to us that Smokingpipes.com makes sense from a pipeman's (or pipewoman's) point of view, and that it proves equal parts useful, lucid, and enjoyable. That's one of the big reasons we're usually tinkering around with the site. Whether it be dabbling in a way that directly affects your shopping experience or just tweaking a tiny piece of code on the administrative side of the site, it's always our aim to make Smokingpipes.com the best place on the web to find quality pipes at super prices, as well as a destination to discover some of the most breathtaking briar works from some of the most important and influential pipe makers of our time. It's a tall order and a balancing act, and probably a mixed bag of other well-worn clichés, but we're pipe smokers, and futzing over the finer points is what we do best, even if it’s much ado over the perfect way to show off new pretty pipes.

With that said, today we're launching a gallery feature that has been in development for quite some time. In fact, when we last invited you to take part in a customer survey, the idea that we might also present videos of particularly exceptional pipes was among one of the most suggested proposals. So that's what we've decided to do. Steadily we'll be adding to our online catalog notably special pipes that feature a brief "white glove" video, and in this way you might explore more closely every nook and cranny of a special piece before committing to purchase it, or even just savor a particularly beautiful design while familiarizing yourself with the artisan's work. As pipe smokers, as accumulators of pipes, and as guys who like to gaze longingly at pipes on the internet, we think this is an important addition to the services we offer.

Also important is the service that is our bi-weekly update. And so as Joe Hollywood says, let's cut to the chase. This afternoon is a doozy, with fresh work from Alex Florov, Bruce Weaver, Randy Wiley, and Claudio Cavicchi, in addition to new pipes from Ashton, Nording, Stanwell, L'Anatra, Savinelli, and Peterson. Oh, and of course we're adding another six dozen estates to the mix.

Ted Swearingen: Vice President, General Manager