CORDOVACIGARS · PENSACOLA

Our Story

Three Owners. One Family.

Nineteen years, thousands of cigars, and one unbroken thread: the community that calls this place home. Scroll down and watch the story burn.

Since 2007

A Shop That Became a Club

Cordova Cigars has never really belonged to its owners — it belongs to the regulars in the leather chairs, the domino players talking trash in the Espinosa Lounge, the airmen and travelers who found it once and never forgot it. Three owners have carried the torch. Each one lit theirs off the last.

The Timeline

A Long, Slow, Perfect Burn

Like any great cigar, this story is best enjoyed unhurried. Tap any chapter to read the whole thing.

Most cigar shops move into whatever space they can find. Robbie built his on purpose. Three thousand square feet, custom built from the ground up — a 380-square-foot walk-in humidor, real ventilation, and room after room made for lingering rather than leaving.

From the street, it looks modest. Then it keeps unfolding — main lounge into TV room, domino room into a thousand square feet of brick patio. That architecture of welcome was Robbie's blueprint, and it still defines the shop today.

Robbie Morton Portrait Coming Soon
"I don't even refer to it as a cigar store. I call it my club. I started shopping there in October of 2008 and was made to feel welcome as soon as I walked through the door." — Bill, a regular since 2008

James describes the community like the rings of Saturn: about thirty core regulars at the center who visit nearly every day, dozens of frequent visitors orbiting around them, and newcomers always drifting inward. Musicians, professionals, veterans, retirees — sharing stories across the leather couches. Family.

Every institution needs a steady hand in the middle chapters, and for Cordova that was Jerry Godwin. Under his watch the shop matured into the destination aficionados know today — a humidor grown to more than 800 facings, industry legends making Pensacola a regular stop, and a place on Davidoff's list of Appointed Merchants, the industry's highest retail designation, held by only about 250 shops in the country.

Different owner, same heartbeat. The regulars stayed. The chairs stayed claimed.

Jerry Godwin Portrait Coming Soon

Erik Espinosa — owner of Espinosa Premium Cigars — has been a friend of the house since the early days. Whenever he hosted an event, it inevitably became a dominoes tournament. Eventually the answer was obvious: give the games a home.

Black leather chairs, Espinosa-branded decor, and a custom 601 dominoes table. When it was inaugurated in 2013, it was only the second Espinosa-branded lounge in the country. The tournaments continue to this day — quarter is still rarely given.

A game underway at the custom dominoes table in the Espinosa Domino Lounge

Awards are nice. Who votes for them matters more. Both honors came not from critics but from the community itself — the readers of the Pensacola News Journal and the voters of Best of the Bay. The same year, Cordova held the #1 spot among Pensacola cigar shops on Yelp with a 4.7-star rating.

For a shop that calls itself a club, being chosen by its own city is the only trophy that counts.

Best of the Bay 2019 award badge

James Overbay's road here was anything but a straight line. A decade in music retail with Guitar Center. Cigars picked up as a golf-course hobby in the early 2000s — then curiosity took over: researching tobacco origins, visiting farms, learning why one blend sang and another didn't. What stuck with him were the tobacconists who took time to explain why — education over recommendation became his whole philosophy.

After Guitar Center he tried real estate, using the lounge as his "office." He mentioned he'd be open to part-time work; within weeks he was behind the counter. The side job became a calling, the calling became years as general manager — and in early 2026, James and his wife Robin took ownership in what he calls "the natural passing of the torch."

"I fell in love with the community of people here. They're family. This is a unique environment with unique people." — James Overbay, Owner

Renovations, fresh paint, and upgrades are underway. The mission hasn't moved an inch: the community built this business, and the community remains its heartbeat.

James and Robin Overbay, owners of Cordova Cigars, in their wedding photo
James & Robin Overbay Owners

The House Philosophy

Nothing Here Feels Rushed

That, in many ways, is the entire point. Nineteen years and three owners in, the rules haven't changed: everyone gets a warm welcome, every question gets a real answer, and nobody gets hurried out of their chair.

Whether you knew Robbie, shook hands with Jerry, or have just met James and Robin — there's a seat here with your name on it.

Come Say Hello
Friends gathered in the main room at Cordova Cigars

Chapter Four Starts With You

Be Part of the Next Chapter

Every regular was a first-timer once. Come find out why nobody leaves after just one visit.

Plan Your Visit (850) 473-0080