Mixed in with the cigar display is a box of electronic hookahs in flavors like watermelon and mango. The hookahs are manager Mohammad Omer's attempt to get in on the e-cigarette craze. Barely any have sold.

But each day he sells about 50 Black & Mild cigars, a brand of small cigars made by Marlboro maker Altria that look a lot like cigarettes. They come in flavors with names like Jazz and Blues and are sold as single sticks or packs of two, rather than cartons, for a buck or two.