With recreational and medical cannabis markets developing around the world, the consumers are in need of places to buy everything they need for their cannabis. For years head shops have filled this space, selling paraphernalia and often looked down upon. However now these markets become normalised in everyday life we see the age old head shop in a new light!
The term “Head Shop” comes from word “Pothead”, a word used and popularised in the 1960’s referring to a person who consumes cannabis. But what exactly is a head shop, and what to we believe makes a good one?
- What is a head shop
Simply put a head shop is a retail outlet that sells cannabis related products. That can be anything from consumption methods such as medical vaporizers to cannabis culture clothing, accessories. These stores will not usually sell or dispense cannabis as licensed dispensary would, but rather are here to support the cannabis community with everything else they need.
- Modern look for an old business
The image conjured up in most people mind is that of a hazy back-room store in a shady part of town with tacky décor and an uncomfortable atmosphere. However attitudes are changing and cannabis is becoming socially accepted, and with this the industry is stepping out from it’s negative perception.
This new wave of head shops thrive on being destination stores drawing customers in with the promise of an experience. Light and airy feeling stores, welcoming atmospheres, themed décor appealing to a range of interests, and curated experiences aimed at making existing customers return and draw new cannabis consumers in.
- Knowledge and education
Interacting with new and old members of the cannabis community, head shop workers are essential in providing knowledge and education to the public. Employees should be equally comfortable explaining basics to a new consumer as they are guiding someone to their ideal rig setup and every query in between.
- Supporting the community
The world of cannabis is a social one, so make the most of it! Active social media pages that drive engagement is a great way to communicate with them (however without paid social options organic growth can be slow) by providing content people want to share for you.
Community holidays, such as 4/20, are great for community events, competitions, and building a customer base, investing in your fans is never a waste. Providing space for glass artists to sell their functional art on consignment helps build a customer base. Podcasts and YouTube shows are a great way to communicate subjects that require long form discussion or might benefit from visual aid.
- Quality products
No one likes being ripped off, and its going to be hard to attract repeat customers if the products you sell aren’t a quality product. That does not mean they have to be expensive however, there are plenty of affordable products to suit all price points, styles, and uses.
(Shop our range of products at www.bailiwickbotanicals.com/collections/all)
With European markets changing, medical and recreational consumers will need places to they can buy everything they need to enjoy the benefits of cannabis. Who knows, one day we may be visiting a designer head shop in Milan, or a more traditional store in Morocco.