Austin will mark the first anniversary of its stringent smoking ban on Sept. 1. There was much apprehension about the ordinance for those who smoke and those who don't; even for those who entertain, work, manage and own establishments that smokers visit.
A Wednesday evening happy hour at the Continental Club in South Austin used to be hazy.
"Even as a smoker, I can deal without the smell of smoke," bartender Kelon Bryant said.
Bryant voted against the ban. But just a year later, he's given up smoking.
"I quit smoking about three months ago. I'm not affected by it, you deal with it, you learn to accept it," Bryant said.
His customers are dealing with it.
"I don't mind having a cigarette, every now and then and I don't mind going outside," customer Clarke Parris said.
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Smoking ban
Revisit Austin's smoking ban now that it's a year old.
 
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"I actually love it. I go to the clubs and don't have to worry about smelling like smoke," customer Belynda Delgado said.
Economic reports predicted business at live music venues would drop off sharply after the smoking ban started and then slowly rebound.
"Bars that cater to live music have not been affected as much as bars that don't," Bryant said. "Some of the bars that I frequent that don't cater to live music, I've heard bartenders complain about the business."
Some venues say they're hurting because of the ban. The general manager of the Ritz Pool Hall on Sixth Street said most downtown bars have been slow.
What used to seem a natural fit: a pool stick in one hand and a cigarette in the other, isn't so anymore.
"I hate the whole rule. I hate everything about it. I think that people should be able to do what they want to do in a bar. If someone doesn't want to be around a smoker, they can walk on the other side of the bar," Drummond said.
As the rule is written, if customers want to smoke they must go to the designated smoking area – outside.
The Austin-Travis Health and Human Services Department said smokers are good about following the rules and businesses are getting better at enforcing them.
"I would say overwhelmingly, we've seen good cooperation and good progress and I'm sure many, many people have observed quite a change in the indoor environment in many venues throughout our city," department director David Lurie said.
The Health Department has leaned on businesses to voluntarily comply. While complaints ran high in the first few months, now they only get about 10 a month.
"All the other thousands of other indoor places that are covered by this ordinance, that's a very small number relatively speaking," Lurie said.
Bars hurt by the ban will continue to speak out.
"People want to smoke and drink and play pool all the goodies themselves," Drummond said.
Austin voters approved the smoking ban in May 2005. The measure passed by about 1,000 votes.
