From Polynesian Prison to Idaho Entrepreneur Icon
“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” — Closing Time by Semisonic
For Ryan Sturman, those lyrics aren’t nostalgic—they’re literal.
Today, Ryan owns three locations with partners: the original Sturman’s Smoke Shop on 10th Street in downtown Boise, Sturman’s Cigar and Wine Lounge on Chinden in Garden City, and the Eagle location. The Garden City lounge features a 3,000-square-foot patio, live music, rotating food trucks, trivia nights, and a curated wine and cigar selection from around the world.
The Eagle location? Built all cash. No debt. Land and building.
Ryan is quick to point out that milestone wasn’t achieved alone. The project came together thanks to the partners and relationships he has built over the years—people who believed in the vision and helped make it possible.
But grit? That story starts decades earlier.
Ryan’s dad opened the original shop more than 30 years ago. Ryan was a straight-A student—until he wasn’t welcome anymore. “Boise High kicked me out,” he says. “For the record, I was a straight-A student.” He graduated in Alaska in 1997 with a 3.8 GPA and bought his first restaurant at 18. By 24, he owned two—one in Alaska and one in Hawaii.
“I was born an addict,” he says plainly. “I worked seven days a week, 14 hours a day. I’d buy more drugs than I needed, sell the rest, and get mine for free. Then you get addicted to being the man.”
In Hawaii, that life caught up with him. He was sentenced to 10 years in a Polynesian prison and served five—three of them in solitary confinement.
“White boy in a Polynesian prison,” he says quietly. “Watching things people should never have to see. It’s like going to war without a gun.”
Three years in “the hole” broke something—and rebuilt something else. “Clearly, I’m not good at driving this car,” he remembers praying. “I’m gonna give You the steering wheel. Just get me out of here.”
He walked out at 30 with a car and some clothes. Shortly after returning home, Ryan purchased his father’s cigar shop, and his father retired. “I’m kind of a stationary missionary,” Ryan says. “In the service industry, we get time to talk. Everybody knows my story.”
He stopped drinking years ago. “That’s when all the doors started opening. Clearly not my timing—somebody else’s.”
Much of Ryan’s growth has come through relationships and partnerships built over time. “America was built on handshake deals and relationships,” he says. “That’s really how I’ve done this.”
Ryan wears his past on his sleeve. “It’s only by the grace of God and my partners,” he says. “Cigars create relationships. And relationships change lives.”
And that’s what makes this more than a cigar lounge. It’s a redemption story. It’s resilience. It’s second chances lived out loud.
This iconic business—and this profoundly special person—is truly a Boise Thing.
