Pubdate: Thu, 24 Apr 2014
Source: Denver Post (CO)
Copyright: 2014 The Denver Post Corp
Contact:  http://www.denverpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/122
Author: Steve Raabe
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?228 (Paraphernalia)

POT-PARAPHERNALIA STORES ARE IN THE WERX

It doesn't matter what they're smoking-tobacco or marijuana. Smokers 
are smokers. And in the view of Smoker Friendly, they're all 
potential customers.

The Boulder-based smoking purveyor is preparing to move aggressively 
into cannabis accessories after 23 years of primarily serving the 
tobacco market.

Smoker Friendly plans to open as many as 10 new stores this year 
under the name Glass Werx, a chain that will sell a variety of pipes, 
bongs, grinders and vaporizers.

"We're really kind of equal opportunity," Smoker Friendly's chief 
operating officer Dan Gallagher said. "Now that cannabis is more 
mainstream, it's a concept we'd like to expand on fairly rapidly."

The first Glass Werx, in Nederland, launched last month. A second 
store in Pueblo opened this week.

Smoker Friendly also is exploring the idea of selling marijuana 
itself - not just accessories - but hasn't yet made a decision.

Analysts say the legalization this year of recreational marijuana in 
Colorado and Washington, as well as medical cannabis in 21 states and 
the District of Columbia, is likely to bring a surge of mainstream 
business investment into smoking accessories.

Gallagher said GlassWerx will have a different look and feel than 
ordinary marijuana accessories stores, commonly known as head shops.

"We want to create something that has a good vibe and a nice retail 
look that appeals to a broader range of customers," he said, 
including people who are new to marijuana or trying it again decades later.

Glass Werx stores will feature contemporary industrial designs built 
with brick, glass and steel interiors.

"It's more of a mature concept," Gallagher said. "It's something 
where people would not perceive a stigma and say, 'Hey, this is a head shop.' "

Smoker Friendly stores for the past four years have carried a limited 
selection of glass pipes and accessories oriented toward marijuana. 
Glass Werx outlets will come in two varieties: focused mostly on 
cannabis accessories, or co-branded with Smoker Friendly to include 
tobacco products.

Smoker Friendly operates 90 corporate-owned stores in Colorado, 
Montana, Nebraska, Utah and Wyoming. Another 850 stores in 38 states 
are operated by licensed retailers.

Smoker Friendly's parent company also operates the Gasamat chain of 
gas stations and convenience stores.

The company's potential interest in selling marijuana is an evolving idea.

"It would be a logical move for us to consider," Gallagher said. 
"When you look at our retail footprint, we sell gas and tobacco 
products, which are highly regulated sectors. We're comfortable 
operating in a regulated environment."

Sales of smoking accessories, particularly electronic cigarettes and 
hand-held vaporizers, are growing fast nationwide. Convenience-store 
sales of e-cigarettes and vaporizers rose to about $1.7 billion last 
year from an estimated $1 billion in 2012, according to the National 
Association of Convenience Stores.

"It's becoming a more popular kind of product for adults," said Tom 
Briant, executive director of the National Association of Tobacco 
Outlets. "A lot of companies are interested."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom