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“We had to realize that in the metro areas we are get-
ting a lot of tourists, and they just want an accessory for
the weekend, so 95 percent of the glass we sell there is
under $30 at retail,” he says. “In other areas, higher-end
glass is hotter. You have to understand your market.”
Bill Grantz, owner and partner at Cox’s Smokers
Outlet & Spirit Shoppes based in Louisville, Kentucky,
has seen “tremendous growth” in cannabis-related
items not only in sales, but with high-profit margins.
Initially, the chain offered a small assortment of glass
pipes in select stores, but then the company realized
that there was more potential.
“Currently, we have stores with as much as 16 linear
feet on a wall section, offering products such as glass, va-
porizers, cones, grinders, etc.,” he explains. “We display
these in 7-foot tall LED-lighted in-line glass cases, which
we purchased from Lozier fixture company. The initial
investment on the fixtures is a little tough to take, but
they more than pay for themselves over time. This was a
category that we were a little afraid to get into in the be-
ginning as far as image, but with the legalization in other
states growing, I think it’s becoming more acceptable.”
Troy, Michigan-based Wild Bill’s Tobacco has gotten
so serious with the category that it has “dedicated sepa-
rate rooms” in just about all stores that house vaporizers,
glassware and other medicinal-use cannabis accessories.
“We are a medicinal-only state, but we’re hearing
that in the next year or two we should be following oth-
er recreational states,” says CMO Justin Samona. “The
majority of our customers are not offended anymore;
maybe five years ago many more were, but I think over
the last two years that has changed. Plus, the people who
aren’t interested don’t have to go into that room. It’s a
closed-off, separate section of the store, and it’s actu-
ally been praised by city officials and law enforcement;
they’re happy with how we’ve merchandised it.”
Some convenience stores are trying to stay ahead
of the cannabis accessory curve, too, including Speedi
Car Wash and Fuel in Flagstaff, Arizona. “In Arizona,
where they’re trying to legalize recreational marijuana,
we decided we need to be ahead, so we thought it best
to bring in grinders and small glass pipes, even high-end
ones that retail for $300 each. We’ve sold two of the four
of those that we took in,” says Jeremy Goerts, general
manager. “We have that there to show customers we can
bring that kind of stuff in. My people are well-trained to
not call it a bong; it’s a water pipe. If a customer calls it
a bong, I will correct them. We are selling water pipes,
nothing more. It’s an eye-catcher, too.”
The word on the vape shop street is that the canna-
bis accessory business, and even cannabis itself, may be
a good “fallback” business to change over to as vapor
regulation and taxation get more intense. Lauren Mikul-
ski, owner of Gone With the Smoke in San Francisco,
admits that she is worried about her vape business de-
clining because of taxation. “We actually conducted a
survey in our stores and found that only 70 percent [of
current customers] will continue to buy from us with the
new taxes,” she reports. That unhappy news was enough
to convince her to seriously explore venturing into the
The majority of
our customers
are not offend-
ed anymore;
maybe five
years ago many
more were,
but I think over
the last two
years that has
changed.
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