Joel Sherman, former president and CEO of Nat Sherman Inc., passed away this week at age 85. His father Nat founded the brand, and Joel began working in the family store at age 16, left for a time in the 70s and 80s, then returned in the 1990s, serving as CEO until the brand was sold in January 2017 to tobacco giant Altria.
The brand’s flagship retail shop was located on 42nd Street, off Fifth Avenue, in New York City from 1930 to 2020.
”Joel never missed an opportunity to “give that man a Nat Sherman cigar” at the New York Giants games,” according to a published obituary. “He was an avid outdoorsman, a woodworker, and accomplished skier.”
“Joel cared for everyone who worked at Nat Shermans and held that everyone’s contribution was valued. He concluded his career working side by side with his children, Bill, Michele, and Larry.”
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Read more about Nat Sherman in this piece we published when the store celebrated its 85th anniversary or watch this video from 2014 when we did an interview with Nat Sherman Townhouse’s Michael Herklots and Pat Felitti.
The Townhouse was permanently closed in 2020 and Nat Sherman’s cigar division, Nat Sherman International, was sold to Ferio Tego, a family-owned company led by Michael Herklots and Brendon Scott. The sale ensured that Nat Sherman’s cigar lines, including popular brands like Timeless and Metropolitan, continued under the new company, but the Nat Sherman name itself was retired. Instead, Ferio Tego now markets the cigars that were formerly sold under the Nat Sherman name, ensuring continuity in quality and heritage.
Photos courtesy of Nat Sherman
