John McElheny

Born and raised in Myrtle Beach, John has spent less than two years total living outside the confines of the coastal retreat, despite having moved away several times. He does not enjoy the beach the way that most locals do, however, as he prefers the lofty heights and misty summits of the mountains (and cannot stand the feeling of sand in places it doesn’t belong). He has been an avid enthusiast of cigars and tobacco for much of his life, and has been working in the industry since turning 18, finding himself a job in a local cigar store the summer he graduated high school. During his tenure there, John also attended Coastal Carolina University, graduating in May of 2020 with a B.A. in English. After his graduation, John was fully determined to find a career that he could both excel in and that would make full use of his degree. After a year of searching, he finally found the opportunity he had been waiting for and joined us here at Laudisi in 2021 as a Copywriter. Based on his vast knowledge of pipes and his experience here, he now works as our Pipe Specialist for Smokingpipes.

A writer the majority of his life, John has been inspired by the works of Edgar Allen Poe since childhood, owing this to his father, who read him "The Raven" and "The Tell-Tale Heart" when he was six years old. Presently, he is enamored with the "Weird Fiction" movement and has been captivated by the works of H.P. Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, and Clark Ashton Smith. When not writing, you can find John smoking cigars, listening to extreme metal music, attempting to practice the ancient Mongol tradition of throat singing, reading, or tending to his extensive collections of horror cinema and death metal CDs.