A pair of pot-pipe pop-ups aim to elevate the cannabis accessory shopping experience
As California heads into its sixth month — and first summer — of legal adult-use cannabis sales, purveyors of high-end smoking gear are trying to tap into the local luxury-level marijuana-smoking crowd with temporary retail spaces offering pricey pipes, trays, storage containers and the like, one set for a three-month run at a mid-city dispensary starting this Saturday, and a second one making a three-day stand downtown the following weekend.
First to open its doors will be the Higher Standards X the Pottery pop-up shop, a partnership between the New York-based elevated smoke shop Higher Standards (which has its flagship in Chelsea Market) and the Pottery dispensary on Venice Boulevard. Set to open on June 2 and run through August, it will offer a curated selection of products from Pax, Storz & Bickel, Malin + Goetz and Jonathan Adler as well as Higher Standards’ own line of minimalist borosilicate glass water pipes and branded cleaning kits. It is also expected to stock the Banana Bros.’ soon-to-be-released joint-rolling machine Otto.
On June 8, another pop-up aimed at the sophisticated cannabis enthusiast, Pipe Dream LA, is scheduled to open inside the Wittmore boutique in downtown L.A.’s Arts District for a three-day run. Open during the store’s regular business hours through June 10, the collaboration between artist /gallerist Astrelle Johnquest and wardrobe stylist Michael Cioffoletti will be stocking stylish pipes and accessories by a range of makers including Miwak Junior, Ben Medansky and Eunbi (all L.A.-based brands), as well as Stonedware (a Portland, Ore., maker of blocky geometric pipes) and New York based Love and Destroy.
The goal of the pop-up, Johnquest and Cioffoletti said, is simple: “We are redefining the image of the modern pot smoker with our collection of chic objects and smoking utensils for the design-minded cannabis enthusiast,” they said in announcing Pipe Dream LA.
The duo will be on hand for an evening of open-to-the-public cocktails and shopping from 7 to 9 p.m. on June 8.
Although these two particular pop-ups are new, they’re certainly not the first local retail efforts trying to cater to the discriminating cannabis connoisseur, the O.G. of the high-end-head-shop-meets-lifestyle-boutique vibe being Mister Green in East Hollywood, which opened its doors way back in April 2017 and remains a must-visit for discerning dope dabblers.
Higher Standards X the Pottery, June 2 through August 31, 5042 Venice Blvd., Los Angeles. Pipe Dream LA, June 8 to 10 at Wittmore, 300 S. Santa Fe Ave., Los Angeles. Mister Green Life Store, 4884 Fountain Ave., L.A.
For more musings on cannabis commerce and culture, follow me at @ARTschorn.
