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A favorite Bethesda hangout will soon have a new address.

Bethesda Tobacco, a local haunt for cigar aficionados, will be moving from St. Elmo Avenue to Del Ray Avenue by the end of the year.

"I love this place, so it's going to be bittersweet," said shop owner Mike Copperman. "It's just got so much charm. I was depressed for a while, but now that we have the lease, I'm so excited."

Bethesda Tobacco's current lease will expire and the building will be demolished to make room for condominiums. Copperman hunted for a new shop this year, looking at more than 35 locations in the Bethesda area before settling on the Del Ray location.

The new shop will be much larger than the current location, Copperman said, moving from the tiny, 400-foot retail space to a larger 1000-foot space. The new location is home to a television repair shop, Copperman said.

Bethesda Tobacco has signed a 10-year lease on the location, which Copperman said will have an expanded "cigar patio" area in the back.

Copperman, 40, bought the shop in 2001, changing the name from J.B. Sims Fine Tobacco to Bethesda Tobacco.

The building was built in 1915, according to tax records, and the inside shows its age. A first floor covered in faux-brick wallpaper leads to cracking plaster on the stairwell, with the original brick poking through.

While the new location, a 1950s-era brick structure, doesn't have as much charm, Copperman said the expanded space will allow for more entertaining.

The old shop only had a small, upstairs room and some seating outside. The new shop, Copperman hopes, will be able to host jazz nights — he's bringing in a baby grand piano— book signings and discussion groups.

"I think this will be great for the Woodmont Triangle, and the arts district it strives to be," he said.

Copperman said he is planning on switching to the new shop in December or January.