Happy July, fellow fringe entrepreneurs! If you’re reading this, that likely means we’re not all in bunkers yet, so let’s just take a moment to celebrate that thought. For a second there, the evening news was starting to look like the prequel for The Handmaid’s Tale. Over here, we’re still praying to our deities of choice that it really only lasts a few seconds and things will return to a semblance of normal soon. Here’s to hoping. But there is good news on the horizon, albeit, nothing that can dwarf the senseless death and destruction we’ve witnessed in these chaotic weeks, but in terms of the smoke shop world, it’s a pretty damn big deal. HQ Magazine, your authority on all things cannabis and counter-cultural for two decades and counting, is teaming up with Smoke Shop Events to create the first official HQ trade show. What will it be like? Exactly what you’d expect from the merging of the most innovative show and the longest running publication in the space; a one-of-a-kind experience that brings our industry into the new decade with state-of-the-art technology and high-tech advancement to significantly increase your return on investment and reinvent what a trade show is supposed to be. This is evolution, folks—and not the slow kind. We’re talking punctuated equilibrium. Are you ready? We hope so. Be well and be safe, one and all. We’ll catch you on the flipside.
Recent Articles
By
How Aaron Pavloff made Field Tryp an exclusive luxury event for big-time buyers and vendors.
By
For Asia Cannario, the War on Drugs is especially personal. Like many people, she started using cannabis as a teenager and got into selling cannabis in her 20s in Baltimore, Maryland, long before any legalization efforts grew teeth.
By
This year, it’s time to try something different. Too many businesses focus on chasing the latest thing. But this year, why not make your resolution an addition by subtraction? Here’s a list of 10 bad habits you should strive to break in 2026.
By
These days, everything comes down to good marketing. While most shop owners didn’t get into the business to make ads, effective promotion has become integral to modern business. Unfortunately, it also requires a separate skill set.
By
Here’s the play for 2026: be a culture hub, not a commodity counter. We are in the era of experiential marketing and businesses. This is the right time to pivot to selling more than rolling papers and pipes.
By
If you’ve been in Vegas in February with a badge from Champs, you might have visited the Starbase or Illuminarium after.
Maybe you walked in and saw B-Real from Cypress Hill. Or Too Short. Or John Hart. They were commanding the stage with a crowd dancing their asses off. You might have even watched people getting awards for best cleaner, nicotine pouch, nicotine vape, nicotine e-liquid, marketing, innovation, cannabis vape, glass line, new device, or shop.
By
Clayton Smith was ready to die.
Like all soldiers, the former U.S. Army Captain accepted the reality of losing his life on the battlefield. But preparing for death at home was different. Despite a good job and a loving wife, Smith hurt immensely. He had tried everything to stop the pain, but everything failed. Only one thing stood between him and suicide: a final gamble on a psychedelic called ibogaine.
By
The cannabis industry is evolving fast, but its most powerful force is not a new product or policy. It is the women leading the charge.