As HQ Magazine celebrates a quarter century, it’s only right that we pause to consider its journey. How did a print magazine launched at the turn of the century grow old enough to finish grad school?
To find out, we went directly to the source: Sandy Caputo, the hard-charging president of HQ.
“HQ’s number one role has always been to connect retailers with vetted wholesalers and distributors,” she says. “We focus on bringing real value to the industry. If someone’s not picking up actionable information from these pages, we’re not doing our job.”
Since joining the team in 2010, Caputo has worked in nearly every facet of the magazine. She’s seen how HQ Magazine broadened its scope to go from a simple B2B publication to become the standard bearer of the counterculture’s business side.
And while the industry it serves has evolved, the publication remains steadfast in its mission to support, inform, and grow the space.
Everyone claims they’re No. 1, but HQ really is. We have the brand, the longevity, and the relationships. You can’t beat that. We’re reputable, we’re ethical, and the content we put out—no one else compares.
The Question that Changed Everything
HQ Magazine was born of necessity. Conceived by smoke shop owners Roger Kay and Ralph Garza, the first issue debuted at an ASD show in 1998. Full of fake ads and sporting an amateurish design, it was more possibility than periodical. Yet its conceit—that the sector could grow stronger through closer connections—signified a crossroads for the counterculture industry.
Every niche market faces a moment of truth when it must decide to change with the times or stay its course. The question HQ Magazine posed at the turn of the century was simple: Would independent shops add their names to a mailing list, knowing that crusading politicians could find them more easily, or was the benefit to their bottom line not worth the price of publicity?
Many sputtered at the thought, but enough believers jotted down their John Hancocks to allow publication to begin in earnest. Throughout the next few years, HQ’s plan slowly unfurled. Small shops met big distributors. Wholesalers found new customers. Shop owners discovered discounts, ideas, and a broader network of support.
A decade into its life, HQ had a reliable place in the hands of shop owners across the country. But it was still a niche publication for a niche industry.
“When I started in 2010, things were still very taboo. I wouldn’t even tell my grandfather where I worked,” Caputo says. “One of the first covers I worked on had a picture of this beautiful woman . . . wearing a foxtail.”
That picture didn’t jibe with the image the American public had of itself. In 1999, the internet threatened to expose head shops to community scorn. Instead, the opposite happened. By granting the freedom to search out secret desires in private, the web revealed Americans’ true passions.
By 2013, a solid majority told Pew Research they supported legalization.
“The shift in mindset has been the biggest surprise since I started working in the industry,” Caputo said. “I didn’t believe it would happen so quickly. But it did. They came to us.”
This is the Work
Like the industry it covers, HQ competes against an ever-growing field of rivals. However, where most magazine startups are pure advertisers, HeadQuest offers a different service.
“We strive for about 30% content in every issue. We don’t want to be an ad rag,” Caputo says. “Delivering useful articles actually adds value for our advertisers. If you look at magazines full of pop-ups and ads, it can feel overwhelming. But when you place ads intentionally alongside engaging content, people pay attention. We’re very deliberate with the magazine layout and content.”
Every ad that graces its glossy pages gets vetted by the magazine’s team. In a sea of fly-by-night knockoffs, HQ is in the business of promoting high-quality goods to high-quality sellers. Delivering a premium product is one way the periodical ensures readers that quality is a concern.
That assurance is key to the success.
“I think the biggest differentiator is that we started when we did, which allowed us to become the No. 1 buying source in the industry. Everyone claims they’re No. 1, but HQ really is,” Caputo says. “We have the brand, the longevity, and the relationships. You can’t beat that. We’re reputable, we’re ethical, and the content we put out—no one else compares.”
Not that it’s easy. As the industry grows, new challenges emerge. There are newcomers with fresh ideas, salty old monsters, and (still, somehow) existential threats to the market. Attending to all of them requires vast stores of energy.
“I say I love the industry, but it’s a love-hate relationship,” Caputo says. “I love the constant change—the ebbs and flows of politics, legislation, and new products keep things interesting. I’m never bored. But with fast-paced change comes challenges, like working with new people who may not know anything about the industry. I work with everyone, from someone who looks like Jesus in flip-flops to a guy in a suit and tie in a boardroom. That gives you whiplash.”
The Next 25
Situating HQ Magazine’s journey in the right historical context is fun, but nostalgia has never been the house style. As a publication covering the counterculture, HeadQuest worships at the Church of What’s Happening Now—and that means making changes.
“Print is still king. People like a tangible product. But in the last 18 months, we’ve been putting more emphasis on digital,” Caputo says. “We know the world is digital, so we’ve ramped up our digital presence. Our website gets over 100,000 impressions a month, and we’re moving fast.”
Already, HeadQuest has retooled its website, launched podcast versions of its articles, and spun off a new business-to-consumer magazine. But more is on the way.
“We have a lot of plans for the next five years,” Caputo says. “We’re doing a coffee talk podcast with industry leaders, where they’ll talk about current happenings in a fun, interesting, humorous way. The digital ramp-up is continuing with more up-to-date information daily. We’re also about to put out our third issue of The Counterculture Times, which is a B2C publication. It’s another project we’re offering to our clients to brand their companies in front of a consumer audience.”
Things change, people change, industries change. But through it all, HQ abides. I don’t know about you, but I take comfort in that.
