February 2022 Welcome

Welcome February

The biggest shopping day of the year is just around the corner! Bigger than Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Diwali rolled into one, 4/20 is the annual date when cannabis lovers get up off the couch and rush to their favorite smoke shops to grab deals on smoking accessories and counterculture goods.

Throughout February and March, leading up to the big day, Headquest would like to invite you to take part in our own 420 Giveaway. For vendors, it’s their chance to put their newest products directly in hands of buyers. For retailers, it’s an incredible opportunity to meet the people who set the trends and supply the products that will drive sales and boost that all important competitive edge.

We’ll be ramping up social media coverage of the giveaway with special announcements and livestream events where viewers can comment and ask questions to which presenters respond to in real time. Don’t pass up your chance to pick the brains of our industry’s top names and share your thoughts and ideas as well.

If you see a product you’d like to have on your shelf, you’ll be able to tap a secure link and order directly from the HQ Marketplace.

Keep an eye on our Facebook and Instagram feeds in the coming days for a link to register, and we’ll keep you posted on what, where and when. Sign up early and tune in for your snag free products and swag from our featured brands. One lucky winner will be celebrating with a grand prize package and will also have the opportunity for the store to be featured as Shop of the Month in an upcoming issue of the magazine.

Consider the HQ 420 Giveaway our special gift to you in the hopes that you’ll be celebrating not only on April 20, but all year long!

Recent Articles

I went home and told my girlfriend, who, after Googling the name of the business I bought it from, told me that, yes, it was technically weed. But it was CBD. She started laughing, telling me I had been ripped off.
State-sanctioned medical and recreational cannabis programs benefit the average user in many ways. Still, they remain a double-edged sword for dispensary owners, greenhouse growers, and others who earn their living from the cannabis industry. There are plenty of profits to be had, sure, but how exactly are you expected to secure your cash or process electronic transactions when banks refuse to work with you?
Aubrey Amatelli wants to help dispensaries and cannabis retailers navigate one of the toughest parts of the industry: money. When the company she worked for right out of grad school was acquired by JPMorgan, Aubrey entered the complex world of payments and has stayed there for her entire career.
There’s a paradox to business conferences. The best ones manage to swing from buttoned down to wildly unscripted—sometimes seconds apart. For attendees, it’s the combination of personal connections and professional development that makes regular trips to conferences worthwhile. And in an industry like this one, pulling that off is harder than it looks.
Your shop is not only a smoke shop; It's also a hangout spot and a community hub. It is a place where the regulars know your staff by name, and your staff knows what the regulars need. That's the secret sauce that the big-box chains can't replicate, and it starts with who you put behind the counter. A well-staffed smoke shop is an operational strategy, but it's also a community. In lean economic times, that community is what keeps the lights on. When people feel like your shop is their spot, they don't stop coming in when money's tight. They prioritize it. It all starts with Hiring.
Dr. Macias first fell in love with science while studying at Howard University, where she completed her undergraduate studies and later earned her PhD in cellular and molecular biology. While at Howard, she became especially interested in cancer research due to personal ties. Growing up in a Creole family and predominantly Black community in Louisiana, Dr. Macias watched many women around her battle breast cancer, so at Howard, she decided to focus her research on the BRCA1 gene.
It’s almost amazing that the same institutions that brought us the 2008 financial crisis have a problem with selling glass pipes. Almost. The truth is that an industry's past sins are only held against it when the money isn’t right. Big banks were willing to risk cratering the U.S. housing market because the profits were too good to ignore. But the cannabis industry rolls a different kind of paper, so instead of a slap on the wrist, it gets a surcharge.
Smokeshop and counterculture enthusiasts enjoy discovery as part of the experience. Customers enjoy browsing. When they walk into a shop, they don't simply grab a product and leave. They look for something new. This is the main reason flyers and posters still work. Smokeshops and dispensaries are highly visual environments. You want to see bold artwork, psychedelic graphics, and street-style posters that naturally capture attention.