By Kevin Herrera
Daily Press Staff Writer

WILSHIRE BOULEVARD — At a time when the world was struggling with the harsh realities of the Great Depression and many Santa Monicans were forced to give up luxury items for the bare essentials, entrepreneur, inventor and local businessman Ed Kolpin went against the grain and took a serious but calculated risk. He left the family pharmaceutical business at 15th Street and Wilshire Boulevard, where he was earning $21 a month, and turned his budding interest in tobacco into a career, opening his own tobacco shop, Ed’s Pipes, now known as the Tinder Box. That was in 1928.

Today, the witty 95-year-old Kolpin is still going strong as the operator of the original Tinder Box on Wilshire, a smoke shop that became one of the first franchises in the nation with 147 locations in 1960. While he may be limited to a wheelchair because of a bum knee, the avid cigar smoker — he still lights up at least once a day — and pipe creator is involved in every aspect of his business and is rarely at a loss for words, even when it comes to his three ex-wives.

“I’m a three-time winner,” he said last week with a chuckle as he smoked a Daniel Marshall cigar — his current favorite — and studied his latest inventory report. “Actually, if it wasn’t for my first divorce, I don’t think I would have ever had gone into franchising.”

The Daily Press sat down with Kolpin in his cluttered office at the eclectic and smoke-filled Tinder Box and talked with the 83-year resident of Santa Monica about his business, the city’s evolution and the time he swam naked in the reflecting pool of the Taj Mahal.

You’ve lived here since you were 12 years old. Have you ever lived anywhere other than Santa Monica?

“Yeah. One time around 1960 I spent nine months traveling around the world looking for a place to retire. Nine months and went to all these exotic countries and after all that, I found myself back in Santa Monica. I just love it here.”

What was the city like when you first moved here roughly 83 years ago?

“Oh there was nothing here, just a sleepy little town. Everybody knew each other. No smog, no traffic. Perfect. You could park any place. It was a great town. I really loved it … First of all there were only five cops. We knew all the cops by name so if they stopped you they’d say, ‘Oh you’re Eddie. We won’t give you a ticket, but just try to drive slower next time.’ They’d never give me a ticket. One time, I’ll never forget this, I was coming from Beverly Hills in a sports car with a convertible top, speeding. They (Beverly Hills Police Department) had to call down to Santa Monica and told them to catch me. When I got into town, I parked the car and started to take a piss right behind a police car. I didn’t know it was a police car (laughing) and so this big tall cop grabbed me, scared the hell out of me, said ‘Let’s have a little talk like we used to.’ The other guy, Bobbie, said ‘No, let’s teach him a lesson and take him to jail.’ So they locked me up all night, and I’ll never forget, we all sang ‘If I had the wings of an angel, over these prison walls I would fly.’ We all sang it and had a great time in jail.”

What do you like most about Santa Monica?

“First of all, if you want to go skiing, the mountains are two hours away. If you want to surf, you can go up to Malibu and surf, so you’ve got everything here. A great location. The beach is great. I used to play a lot of volleyball, so I loved the beach and the sand. It got me in good shape, so that’s why I’m still around at 95. Santa Monica has just about everything, and the climate is perfect here. Not a lot of smog. And it’s still a small town. You get to know everybody. I like that.”

What is your secret to your longevity?

“Good diet, exercise, and I take vitamins. I was one of the first people in Santa Monica to take vitamins. I used to write a column about the benefits of vitamins … Many people think smoking cigars is bad for you, but it’s the opposite.”

And your longevity in the business?

“I love pipes. They have a great history to them. The secret to longevity is attitude. It’s all in the mind. I wake up every morning feeling good. No pains except for a little arthritis in the feet. If you keep your mind happy, your body will be happy.”

When your father opened his first drug store in 1922 where Izzy’s Deli now stands, did you have dreams of becoming a pharmacist as well?

“Well, since it was the family business, I had to study to become a pharmacist and help my dad run the drug store. So I went to USC and got a degree and worked for the drug store for 17 years and I didn’t like it. As a hobby, I used to analyze tobacco and sell it to pipe shops. In those days I was getting $21 a month as a pharmacist and $25 selling tobacco. So I opened up a little pipe shop in the drug store and when that grew, I set up shop on 212 Santa Monica Blvd., where I was paying $30 a month in rent. I’ll never forget that because I almost didn’t make the first month’s rent. Everybody was broke in those days, during the Depression … It was just a hobby at first, but soon I found myself working all day there instead of the drug store. In a year I was making more profit that my father was, so I decided to leave the pharmacy and opened up another store near Third Street, and after a while I ended up franchising the businesses. At a time I had over 147 stores.”

What was Third Street like when you worked there?

“There was a street car running down Third Street. It was mostly little stores, a barber shop, two or three jewelry stores and a few clothing stores. There wasn’t a mall either.”

You were one of the first to go into the franchise business. Why did you decide to take that risk?

“Well, I got a divorce and left my wife with everything. It was a $1 million settlement. I didn’t have a dime to my name, so I had to do something. With the help of a friend, I gathered up enough money to go to Europe, where I met with different people who made pipes and that’s when I started importing and growing the business ... I’ve always been a risk taker. On my trips (to Europe and India), I wanted to climb the Matterhorn. So I went up to the place where you could hire guides, and they asked me how many mountains I had climbed before. I said ‘none.’ They were like, ‘You’re crazy. We’re not sending anyone with you. You’ll get them killed.’ So I said, ‘What the hell,’ and climbed it myself ... Another time I was in India visiting the Taj Mahal, and I waited until midnight and snuck up there through the bushes, took off my clothes and jumped into the big pool they have out there. The stars were so bright and all the precious stones on the Taj Mahal were glowing magnificently. It was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen. You know, they’ll cut off your head if they catch you, but I didn’t care.”

What do you see as the biggest threat to the Tinder Box now?

“Taxes. They’re taxing the hell out of us. We are paying about a 40 percent tobacco tax, and they’re trying to raise it to 100 percent. If they do that, I’ll have to lock my doors. That would be doubling the price of tobacco and put us out of business. All of my sales clerks will be out of a job and on welfare … We pay about $4,000 a month on tobacco tax a month and about $6,000 in sales tax depending on the month. If they close us up, they’ll lose millions in taxes … Throughout the years the city officials have been great. No problems. But I don’t have anything to do with politics anymore.”

Have you ever considered running for public office?

“No, I don’t like politics. I’d rather be stress free.”

What’s the secret to the Tinderbox’s 70-year success?

“Inventory. We have everything. Cigars, humidors and all the pipes in the world. We have $1 million inventory, and the community knows that whatever they need, we’ve got it.”

Of all the celebrities you have on your wall — George Burns, Marlon Brando, Elizabeth Taylor, Jim Belushi — who was your favorite?

“Well, I don’t have a favorite.”

What about Jane Mansfield?

“Jane Mansfield. What a beautiful girl, very sweet and very insecure. She looked at me as a father figure. We used to talk everyday when she was in town. A great gal … And Eva (Gardner), oh, she was the love of my life. I had a director friend, Jerry Thorpe, who had worked with her so I told him to give me a letter so I could introduce myself, get my foot in the door. So he did, and he told me, ‘This letter will get you in bed with her once. After that it’s up to you.’”

Tell us about the cigar boom a few years back.

“That was great. We sold thousands and thousands of dollars a day in sales. When it stopped, all the business went down about 65 percent, way down, but our taxes stayed the same. It was marvelous though. We sold humidors by the hundreds, and I had to hire more staff. I had five girls wrapping gifts during Christmas.”

Was there a lot of competition during and after the cigar boom?

“Oh yeah. A few opened up here, one in the mall, which is still there, the Lone Wolf. One opened up on Santa Monica Boulevard, and he went broke right away.”

You developed the Trilogy, a device used to poke small holes in the end of a cigar instead of using a cigar cutter. Why and how did you come up with it?

“If you use a cutter, you crack the cigar and you get a lot of tobacco in your mouth. With (the Trilogy), you can control the air flow better, it’s smoother, there’s no crap in your mouth and it never affects your cigar … It just came to me in a dream.”



What was the first cigar you smoked?

“It was a Cuban cigar, Bolivar, a very strong cigar. That’s my favorite cigar from Cuba and the first cigar I smoked. They cost a dollar and a half in those days, now they sell for $40 each … I was 13 then. My grandfather was smoking the cigar and he handed it to me, and my mother said ‘Don’t give him that, he might like it.’ And I did. I’ve been smoking ever since.”

What’s the right way to smoke a cigar?

“Before you do anything else, you take your lighter and cook the cigar just a little bit like this (he rolls the cigar back and forth over a flame, making sure not to burn any part of the outer leaf). What you’re doing is releasing the essential oils and flavors of the cigar. Then you light the end with a little fire and get it warm. Then you give it a few puffs and there she is. Never inhale a cigar. All the flavor is in the mouth. I usually put three or four holes in (the end of the cigar) for good draft control. Poke a few holes and pull it in real slow and savor the flavor. Cigars are anti-stress. They really are. You will never get lung cancer from a cigar. I’m 95, and I smoke everyday.”

Did you ever smoke cigarettes?

“Yeah, in high school, but when I was 18 I quit because I was playing water polo and I feared I would drown one night. So I put down the cigarettes and never went back to them again. Thank God. When I quit, it took me a whole year to get them out of my system. At the end of the first year, I craved cigarettes just as much as the first day I quit. Terrible habit to quit. It was tough, chew gum all day, nothing worked. After I quit, I couldn’t even light my lady’s cigarette. I refused.”

Some say smoking isn’t attractive. Your thoughts?

“Well, I don’t really like it when I see women smoking. I think they’re just trying to look like a guy. Cigars are for men.”

You’re not married anymore. Do you have a girlfriend?

“I’ve been going with the same girl 40 years now. She gave me this about 40 years ago (he points to a turquoise bolo tie with black leather straps) and I’ve worn it ever since. I take her out to dinner once a week. She’s 85 years old now. We’re still going together and shared so many good times together. She was a great sport when she was younger.”

Where is your favorite place to go in Santa Monica?

“Well, it used to be the beach but now I’m too old for that. So I guess it would be my house. It’s my favorite place now. I have my wheelchair and my two girls (nurses) who wait on me, and I relax there ... I bought my house for $18,000 way back in 1957 and now it’s worth over $1 million.

What would you like to see in the city in the near future?

“They need to tax cigarettes because they cause cancer. Take the tax off of cigars because if they raise them anymore we’ll have to close down. I try to convince all the young kids who come in to buy cigarettes that they should stick with a pipe or cigar. Less stress will help you live longer … As for the city, they need to do something about the traffic. I heard that they are considering building a subway to the beach. They should have done that 20 years ago. There’s just too much traffic. Back in the day you could walk down the middle of Wilshire (Boulevard) like it was nothing. Now it’s a parking lot.”