THE INSIDE STORY OF THE CHAMPS TRADE SHOW

The organizer of the biggest smokeshop trade show tells us how it all started, why it’s successful and why you should be there


If you’re reading this magazine, then there’s a really good chance the CHAMPS trade show isn’t foreign to you.

It’s where wholesalers, manufacturers and retailers in the smoke shop world meet up twice a year -- well, three times now, but we’ll get to that. They congregate to discover new products, network, place orders and set new trends in the industry.

In short: It’s the event that fuels smoke shops all around the country.

The man in the middle of it all is Jeff Hirschfeld, the president of Gage Enterprises, who oversees the show. He’s watched it grow from he and his partners created out of necessity in 1999 to what is now considered the “premiere counterculture B2B expo.”

CHAMPS recently wrapped up the first of its two shows each year in Las Vegas -- and it was the biggest yet. There were 445 exhibitor booths, more than 36,000 products on display and about 5,000 retail store buyers in attendance.

Next up is CHAMPS East, an annual event that started last year in Atlantic City after demand beckoned the trade show to the other side of the country. This year’s is May 22-24. Then CHAMPS returns to Vegas Aug. 21-23.



“We’re constantly getting bigger and better, taking each show to another level,” Hirschfeld says.

For this piece, however, Hirschfeld took Erb Magazine back in time to tell us about the genesis and growth of CHAMPS -- all in his own words.

THE PRE-CHAMPS ERA
My two partners and I started Gage Waterpipes in 1997 with the goal of getting our merchandise in 5,000 retail stores. We attended trade shows in the tobacco and general merchandising arena.

Back in 1998, we at Gage Waterpipes, along with approximately 30 other businesses who usually participated in these events, were told that we wouldn’t be invited back to either show and that the management had deemed us “undesirable.” We felt rejected to say the least. We all had legitimate businesses. We had payroll, taxes, and bills to pay and yet there we were.

This meant we needed to again hit the road and go door-to-door, store to store or run our businesses out of the backs of our trucks, heading to just about anywhere we could sell our products -- including festival parking lots across the country just to stay afloat. We also tried placing magazine advertisements, but nobody would dare take them or didn’t run our ads.

NEED MEETS INSPIRATION
We were spinning our wheels. In one of my previous ventures, I had worked for a company that sold business machines. My job was to run the sales team that went to various shows across the country from the smallest business fairs in Fresno, Calif., to the granddaddy at the time, the Comdex Show in Las Vegas. I was always wondering what it would be like on the other side of the fence. In discussing this with one of my partners he said, “I used to run raves in San Francisco.” I giggled. I had never been to a rave before and I thought that comparing
business trade shows to a rave was quite a reach. Well, reach we did.

In February 1999, four months after being booted from the other trade shows, we held the first Contemporary Tobacco Accessories (CTA) show held at the Gold Coast Hotel in Las
Vegas with a grand total of 34 booths. After returning home our phones lit up. All the vendors were coming back that August and about 40 others were being added.

Over the next few years we grew rapidly to 250 booths and needed more and more space. With the growth came growing pains, especially the ongoing problem of finding a suitable venue
that would let us come year after year. We moved from hotel to hotel including Palace Station, Stardust, The Riviera and Mandalay Bay, but the main issue was that we were forced to
remain small. We began thinking that we could move to the Las Vegas Convention Center where all of us could do business in a professional and safe environment. But it wasn’t to be … not just yet.

A DARK TIME LEAD TO A REBIRTH
In 2003, as we in the industry call it “Black Monday” hit. You might remember when Tommy Chong went to jail, but this was just the tip of the iceberg. Many companies were hurt financially with heavy government regulations, red tape and various prosecutions. The industry was scared and on the run.

Unfortunately, “Black Monday” was only eight days before our show. A news conference called it “Operation Pipe Dreams” and broadcasts on the national news spoke about our convention in
Las Vegas where all these “bad” people were going to be.

Within two days we had over 165 cancellations, leaving us with only approximately 55 companies exhibiting. We had spent all our money to produce the show and now the business was broke. Even though many of our exhibitors understood the situation, they still expected or desired their money back. I was lucky enough to own a home at the time so after talking to my family, I mortgaged my house and refunded every exhibitor who requested it. Thankfully, many of the companies still on life support agreed to come to our next show.

In 2004, a new birth, CHAMPS Trade Show was formed with approximately 80 vendors in attendance. As CHAMPS, we made the major transformation into emphasizing our
commitment to American glass artists. In 2010, we moved to the Las Vegas Convention Center to provide a reliable venue where we can grow exponentially and allow us to work with established distributors and actively seek out new, exciting products. But our exciting growth didn’t stop there.

THE CHAMPS VISION
Our trademark is that CHAMPS is the “Premier Counterculture Business to Business Expo,” but really my belief and goal for CHAMPS is to have anything and everything that goes into a modern day 420/Smoke Shop.

The formula is simple but our goal is to first provide a safe and legal venue to showcase the largest and best wholesale, manufacturers and distributors for our industry. As a part of this
goal we also focus on giving smaller-sized companies or new products an opportunity to reach over 3,000 wholesale buyers.

THE GLASS GAMES
We created the CHAMPS Glass Games to have the greatest American glass artists and glassblowers display their wares and showcase their talents. We also offer them big
money prizes to help create maximum exposure for these artists.

Originally titled the “Flame-Off” and well known as one of the largest glass blowing competitions in the world, we wanted a different approach to a traditional flame-off event. Enter Matt White, the CHAMPS glass coordinator and a DFO winner. White raised the bar for the Glass Games by creating highly competitive events with truly exciting themes such as “Sound, Light and
Movement” for February 2012. Glass Game winners walked away with over $35,000 in cash prizes.

EVERYBODY’S INVITED. AND THEY COME!
Another component of the CHAMPS mission is inviting every retailer in our industry to attend whether by phone or other available methods -- which have changed through the years.
Our most recent show in February 2012 was by far our largest with 445 exhibitor booths, more than 36,000 products on display and approximately 5,000 retail store buyers in attendance. This
was by far our largest numbers ever. After a hard day’s work on the show floor, many of our exhibitors throw wild after-parties, which keeps the fun going till the wee hours of the night. It’s
an experience that I would like to invite all to try. On a rare occasion you may see me, but more than likely I will be in my own room soaking my feet and preparing for another long day.

Other show highlights include the CHAMPS Cash Giveaway that began at our 25th show in Las Vegas. This August we’ll be giving away $1,000 in CHAMPS Cash every hour to 27 lucky retail store buyers – that’s 27 winners and $27,000. Additionally, we are also able to leverage our large customer base to negotiate incredible room plus food deals available only
for CHAMPS attendees. We worked out contracts with hotels including the Hard Rock and The Tuscany Suites (the official CHAMPS headquarters) where we pre-buy 1,000 room nights at $38/night. We also started providing a free shuttle service running all three days of the show to improve the experience, plus save your hard earned dollars along the way.

EAST COAST EXPANSION
For many years our East Coast customers have been asking us to do a show on the east coast. So in 2011 we held our first CHAMPS East show with approximately 160 exhibitor booths and 1,000 retail store buyers. Our next event is scheduled for May 22-24 at the Atlantic City Convention Center.

We have ramped up our advertising budget and hope to effectively increase our number. Not that we think Atlantic City can ever beat Las Vegas. And for those of you that know me, I have lived West Coast/California style for over 40 years, but I was born in Brooklyn, NY – as they say you can take the boy from Brooklyn, but…

FINAL WORDS
Hope to see you all in Atlantic City, May 22-24! If you can’t make it then we’ll see you in Las Vegas, Aug. 21-23, 2012.

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STUFF WE DIG: ISSUE 2

Movies

“The Dictator”

We’ve seen Sacha Baron Cohen as the bumbling “Borat” and the flamboyant “Bruno” now let’s see what he can do as an outrageous Middle Eastern dictator. In “The Dictator,” Baron Cohen plays Admiral General Aladeen and goes less mockumentary and more scripted comedy. (Out May 11)

“The Avengers”

It’s like a superhero orgy. You take Ironman, The Hulk, Thor, Captain America and the rest of the Marvel crew, put them together and it’s like five comic book movies in one. There’s no shortage of action here. Bet on that. (Out May 4)

Music

Alabama Shakes

You know those bands that sound like they’ve been plucked out of another era? That’s Alabama Shakes -- a bluesy, soulful southern rock band whose young lead singer sounds like a Janis Joplin stand-in. Look for their major-label debut album, “Boys & Girls” and pretend it’s the late ’60s and early ’70s.

Kendrick Lamar

Is this the new heir to the Compton rap throne? Kendrick Lamar -- who has already built a nice underground following behind his laid-back, drug-fueled raps -- earned a powerful co-sign from rap king Dr. Dre, who, lest we forget, introduced us to Snoop Dogg, Eminem and The Game. Kendrick and Dre already dropped “The Recipe.” Find that and look out for more.

TV

“Magic City”

Seek out Starz on your cable box to find “Magic City,” which details the hotel and mobster scene of Miami Beach in 1959.  It’s like “Mad Men” meets “Boardwalk Empire” with a little bit of  “Grand Theft Auto: Vice City” thrown into the mix.

“True Blood”

Look, we don’t like all that “Twilight” nonsense either. When it comes to vampires, we trust HBO. That’s why everybody will be happy to know that “True Blood” is returning for its fifth season starting June 10.

Video Games

“Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon: Future Soldier”
What gamer doesn’t like to be a bad-ass in the battlefield? “Ghost Recon: Future Solider” will allow you do just that -- as one of four elite soldiers fighting a cross-continent secret war that will decide who rules the world. Better work on that aim, soldier.

Babes

Kate Upton

Even your mom knows Kate Upton is hot. Upton -- if you don’t know the name -- is the smoking hot blonde in the recent Carl’s Jr. TV ad. She was also the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue covergirl this year and she’s in that regrettable “Three Stooges” movie. She’s everywhere. And all men are happier for it.

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The Main Man

Bill Kleppinger brings the happy, hippie vibe to his friendly smoke shop 632 Main

Bill Kleppinger never really intended to open a smoke shop. It just kind of happened.
One day he was a landlord renting out a building on 632 Main St. in Toledo, Ohio. Not too long later, he was in business there himself, running a shop that would eventually be called 632 Main.

When he was the landlord, Kleppinger says his tenants never seemed to “make a go of it” -- even though the rest was reasonable. So he started to operate his own business out of the building. He was selling used goods at first. But then he started buying boxes of rolling papers for some friends, giving them a better deal than the other local smoke shops would. That’s what changed things

“Doing a friend a favor, is what I thought I was doing,” Kleppinger says. “More and more people just wanted me to get them things -- that's how I fell into it. I just started getting people what they needed at a really good price because I was trying to help out friends.”

A connected man is a man who can find business. But in Kleppinger’s case, a connected man and a friendly man is one who stays in business for a long time -- 14 years so far in the case of 632 Main.

You’d only need to talk to Kleppinger for a few minutes to know what kind of guy he is -- he’s the happy hippie we all know, a guy who calls things “groovy” and has a jolly demeanor. He describes the vibe inside 632 Main as “more honest than superficial.”

“I would say everybody thinks that I'm their friend,” says Kleppinger, 53.

He also would say he’s a bit of a pack rat.

“It’s a pretty small store,” he says. “But we have things packed in there. Every inch of the store is packed with different items.”

That includes typical smoke shop items such as glass pipes, posters and clothes, in addition to things like comic books, tapestries and Zippo lighters. Ask him how many items total and he stops for a moment and calculates in his head. At least 300, he decides.

One way he’s devised to get some off the shelves? Sell grab bags.

It’s something he adapted from a friend, but the basic concept should be familiar to most people: You sell a variety of products as a bagged bundle for a flat cost. His cost $10, $20, $35 and $50.

“You have to make each grab bag super awesome where people have to tell their friends,” Kleppinger says.
His grab bags became so popular at 632 Main that other shops in his area started copying him when customers came in asking to get grab bags. That’s when you know you have a product that’s in-demand.

“Every store within a 50-mile radius has copied that,” Kleppinger says.

That’s not the only reminder Kleppinger has about keeping things fresh. When he started his shop in 1998, it was in the era where glass pipes were very high in demand. Today, not as much. Now everybody has glass pipes and not as many people want them.

Point being: Kleppinger has seen the trends come and go -- be they pipes, incense or whatever else. So flexibility goes a long way, he says, as does being the guy who can get people things they want.

“Even though the products change, people still need something,” Kleppinger says. “If you're able to talk to those people on a legitimate person-to-person basis, you can find out what that is and be able to sell them something.

“It just gets back to treating your customer like a friend.”

WORDS OF WISDOM

632 Main’s Bill Kleppinger offers three tips for other smoke shops owners out there

Be Flexible: “To make it long-term you have to flexible with what you're selling. Things that sold a lot one day aren't going to necessarily be selling a lot tomorrow.”

Try grab bags: “It's a very good way, as a store owner, to get some of your merchandise out into the community rather than having that merchandise sit on the shelf. It’s no haggle, bottom-line price for some of your merchandise.”

Believe in yourself: “Be true to yourself and believe what you're doing is the right thing. When you face challenges or when times are tight financially, you’ll keep making it through.”

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WIZ KID

Budding hip-hop superstar Wiz Khalifa joins the elite circle of music’s most famous potheads with a little help from Snoop Dogg

The hip-hop collaboration that got the most attention in 2011 was Watch the Throne -- the tandem album from megastars Jay-Z and Kanye West.

But while Jigga and ‘Ye postured and bragged about how rich and famous they were, another hip-hop twosome was -- metaphorically speaking -- sitting in the back row, blazed out of their minds, too high to even care. Heck, maybe that’s not a metaphor. It’s Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa we’re talking about.

You’d never want to bet against either of them being stoned.

Instead of watching the throne, this duo was actually passing the torch. Emphasis in “passing.”
On “Mac and Devin Go to High School,” the joint album released by Snoop and Wiz, you could almost hear hip-hop’s most esteemed pothead welcoming his younger counterpart into the inner circle.

The pair is like a hip-hop version of Cheech & Chong, a comparison that might hold even more weight once the accompanying “Mac and Devin” movie -- a stoner flick, no doubt -- see its release. That’s expected in February.

“It's a buddy film and we're just playing on our relationship,”

Khalifa recently told Spin magazine, 

“giving people something fun to get high to. That's the mission of the film.”

Something to get high to? This kid learn quick.

MOUNT KUSHMORE
If someone were to erect a Mount Rushmore of music’s pothead -- perhaps Mount Kushmore, in this case -- you could make a good case for Khalifa’s mug to be up there with Snoop and fellow pot icons Bob Marley and Willie Nelson.
This new project signals the latest in what’s been a rapid rise to the top of Khalifa -- a 24-year-old from Pittsburg who bubbled in rap’s underground and mixtape scene before finding major label success in 2011 with singles such as “Black & Yellow” and “Roll Up.”
You’d only need to listen to one Khalifa verse to hear how devoted he is to weed. It’s inescapable really. While it’s common to hear rappers brag about how much money they have or how gangster they are, Wiz simply brags about how much weed he smokes.
It goes beyond bragging really. He knows his stuff. Check his mixtape cut “Flickin’ Ashes” for an end-song diatribe shouting out various weed strands from around the country and then letting everyone know: “I’m rollin’ me a whole week's worth, in one blunt, you know? And that's just to get a little high.”

Fun fact: Wiz has said in interviews that he spends $10,000 per month on Mary Jane.

His breakthrough mixtape, 2010’s “Kush & Orange Juice,” was essentially a whole album of weed songs. Just check the titles: “Still Blazin’,” “Up” and “Good Dank.”
Not since Snoop Dogg had hip-hop seen such a devoted pothead. Nor has there been a single artist so explicitly attached to a stoner persona.
Like any good stoner celeb, Wiz had a much-publicized arrest under his belt. He got caught up with 30 pounds of weed before a show in North California in 2010.
Yep, 30 pounds. That’s gotta be worth some kind of merit badge, right?

YOUNG, WILD & FREE
On the “Mac and Devin” album with Snoop, the lead single is titled “Young, Wild & Free,” a youthful anthem about independence, partying and, of course, smoking weed.

In this case, Khalifa brags about smoking joints “as big as King Kong’s fingers” before the catchy sing-songy chorus hits: “So what we get drunk? / So what we smoke weed?/ We’re just having fun / We don’t care who cares who sees.”

In many ways, that sums up the appeal of Wiz Khalifa quite concisely. He’s young, doesn’t take himself too seriously, doesn’t care a whole heck of a lot society’s norms -- and his young fans love him for it.

He appeals to a demographic that, largely, was too young to remember when Snoop Dogg dropped “Doggystyle,” a demographic that probably isn’t searching YouTube for Willie Nelson songs, a demographic whose parents are Bob Marley fans.

There is a diversity to what Wiz is doing, though. His songs have sampled indie rock songs and even video game theme music. Some songs have a reggae flair, some are total pop anthems.

It fits in with a younger generation that’s less and less bound by music genre -- but totally entrenched in the lifestyle of it all. Twenty-somethings enamored with the pot culture? They’re the ones in the front row of Wiz shows, rapping along to every word.

There’s probably many a young person who smoked their first joint listening to a Wiz Khalifa song these past couple years.

If that’s not the sign of a young icon in the weed-meets-music world, then we don’t know what is.

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Extreme Athlete Profile: RANDY JONES

Flying high off creativity, on camera and off

Ask any extreme athlete and they’ll tell ya what separates their sports from more traditional athletic conquests is the danger, the risk.
But there’s another thing too: the creative flair.
No diss to Albert Pujols, but there are only a few ways to hit a baseball. And LeBron, well, he can only put a ball in a basket so many ways.
But a skater or snowboarder? In their worlds, creativity reigns supreme.
Just ask Randy Jones -- the first of Erb Magazine’s sponsored athletes.
“The thing that appealed to me with skating and snowboarding is that you have creative freedom,” says Jones, 29, of Dinuba, a small Central California town near Fresno. “There are no rules on how to ride, if you can visualize yourself doing a trick you can probably do it.”
This, of course, leads to everybody who skates or snowboards having a crazy story about some trick they completed. So Jones took things a step further. He started his own production company, Daylife Productions, that creates videos of skaters and ’boarders.

“I’ve always been inspired after watching videos,” Jones says. “When you put so much work into something, having a video part is kinda the payoff.”
Jones started at China Peak Mountain Resort in Lakeshore, Calif., but he’s gone all over the western United States in search of footage.
“During winter we do a lot of traveling to film,” Jones says. “I’ve been everywhere from the local Sierra Nevadas to Tahoe, Colorado, Oregon and Washington. Most of the people we film are all friends, but anyone can get involved and end up in a video.”
Much like he’d get creative as a rider, now Jones gets creative behind the camera.
“There is a lot to take into consideration when you’re filming,” Jones says. “Lighting is very important and shooting from the right angles can make the difference between a good or bad shot. I like to use two cameras for multiple angles, this gives you more options when you’re editing.”
Jones still finds time to get out and ride recreationally, but approaching something like snowboarding from a video standpoint has changed the way he prepares.
It’s not just about having the right gear to wear anymore.

“I try to snowboard as much as possible but the video aspect has definitely changed things,” Jones says. “Instead of just riding the resort I spend more time snowmobiling and exploring trying to find new places and new ideas to film.”

He also gets a little bit of help from what he’s smoking on. These days that’s Banana Kush, Candy Kush and O.G. Kush.

“I don’t know if makes me more creative,” Jones says. “But it gets me in the zone.”


ON THE WEB
youtube.com/RandyLJones

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POP CULTURE PANEL - ISSUE 1

This month: What’s your favorite movie about pot?

HALF BAKED
“I wanna talk to Samson! Fly me to the moon like that bitch Alice Kramden! 'Cause it's hard being black and gifted! Sometimes I wanna throw it all down and get lifted!”

- Peter, Seattle

“Dave Chappelle said his best friend was an Abba Zabba bar.”

- Mike, Visalia

BLOW
“‘Blow’ was essentially an herb movie about the incremental steps of moving small end to making deals with a product swap in a time of supply and demand. Kinda.”

- Pop, Fresno

ASSASSIN OF YOUTH and REEFER MADNESS
bauching effect of society. These films foretold of the escalation in violence and perverse lawlessness that our future would hold if we did not put an end to marijuana use.”

-  Leanne Porterville, CA

CHEECH & CHONG’S NEXT MOVIE
“First movie I watched while I was actually high. It’s Still funny till this day.”

- George, Dinuba, CA






HAROLD & KUMAR GO TO WHITE CASTLE
“NPH is great, and the scene where they sing Wilson Phillips is too funny”

- Tanya, Denver





CLERKS
“If I had to pick someone to sell me weed, it would be Jay and Silent Bob.”

- Mike, The Bay





NEXT POP CULTURE
WHO’S YOUR FAVORITE POTHEAD COMEDIAN?

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MAN ON A MISSION

Phatmanz Alley devoted to great pipes and making customers to feel good

Rick Zimmerman knows the importance of owning a good pipe.

Don’t believe us? Listen to this story. 

One day a few years ago, he was driving down the freeway, window down, arm hanging out, pipe in hand. Suddenly, he lost his grip, his pipe flew out of his hand and went clanking down the road. He was bummed. It was his favorite.

About a year later, a customer came walking into to Phatmanz Alley -- the Central California smoke shop that Zimmerman owns -- looking to buy a new pipe. Zimmerman whipped out one similar to the pipe he lost. The customer balked. Said he already had one like that, that he found it on the side of the freeway.

Could it be? At Zimmerman’s request, the customer brought the pipe into the store and -- sure enough! -- it was Zimmerman’s beloved pipe. What were the odds? So they worked out a trade. The old pipe for any new one in the store.

All this is just a long way of saying that Zimmerman is really devoted to pipes. It’s why he got into the business and why his store is overflowing with pipes for any customer who is just as dedicated as him.

"As I kid," Zimmerman says, "I always had the best selection of pipes out of all my friends. My favorite part about this whole culture is the apparatus you smoke with."

Inside Phatmanz Alley -- which has two locations, one in Clovis and one in Visalia, which are both near Fresno -- there’s a huge wall of pipes. They’re the main attraction in a store that sells everything from detox products and jewelry to stash cans and digital scales.

"The biggest challenge is making sure we have everything our customers could want in stock," Zimmerman says. "I hate it when someone asks me for an item and we don’t have it. I watch them walk out the door and that is no good for business."

Spoken like a true businessman.

Zimmerman opened Phatmanz Alley in 2004 when he moved his family from Illinois to California. Prior to moving to California, he owned a smoke shop called Cloud 9 in McHenry, Illinois for five years.

One cardinal rule of the smoke shop biz, he says, is employing friendly, attentive workers. Between his two shops, a garden center in Illinois and his custom glass business, Zimmerman employs 14 people.

"After years of hearing how rude the staff at other shops was, I knew we needed to be different," Zimmerman says. "Because if our customer thinks our employees are rude, why in the hell would they want to give us their money? Customer service is No. 1.

"What makes us unique is the fact that we have a wide range of products, we specialize in American made products and we also blow a lot of our own glass," Zimmerman says. That's something he started when the country sank into recession.

Zimmerman wanted to diversify his business offerings, so he started Phat Tubz (pronounced Fat Tubes), also based in Clovis.

"We had to find a way to stay above our competitors," Zimmerman says. "So by making our own glass line, the customers in our area could only get these pieces from our stores. Because we make them, we can sell them for less than other places, making our prices untouchable."

In addition to Phatmanz Alley, Phat Tubz are sold at smoke shops up and down California and in states such as Colorado, Illinois, New York, Texas and Virginia.

While pipes are obviously a love, Zimmerman says he’s also always on the prowl for new merchandise that will bring in new customers. He sells tattooing gear and plans to start stocking homebrew equipment as well.

Basically, anything his customers will love as much as he loved that pipe.

"We want our customers to feel good",  Zimmerman says.  We are a happy hippie kind of shop.

Phatmanz Alley

200 W. Shaw Ave # 107 / Clovis, Calif.

1746 South Mooney Blvd. /  Visalia, CA

phattubz.com

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THE VAPE CRUSADERS

From humble beginnings

to a worldwide network, Got Vape has been on the forefront of the vaporizer movement

The folks at Got Vape are predicting a big boom in vaporizers in 2012.

If they’re correct, then the Got Vape crew -- the leading distributor of vaporizers and vaporizer related products -- is in for a big year.

“Usually there's like one or two new vaporizers per year, this year we have about eight,” says Nano Donlin, the marketing and promotions for Got Vape.

 

He’s counting off new products his company is unveiling at the CHAMPS Trade Show Feb. 21-23 in Las Vegas. The “Class of 2012” he calls it -- with new products from Volcano, ThermoVape, Arizer Solo and VaporBLUNT among others.

Got Vape debuts these new products first because it has been in the forefront of the vaporizer market for a decade now. The Orange County-based company was started in 2001 with one product -- the company’s own Inspector Vapors Kit.

“It literally started off with just an IV Kit,” Donlin says. “That was one of the innovative things we did. No one had ever thought about using vaporization via heatgun before.”

Got Vape quickly started selling products from Volcano and Vapir, and the company has been ahead of the curve on the vaporizer market ever since.

Today, it sells more than 40 different vaporizers and more than 200 products total. It’s also a go-to source for vaporizer repair and education. In short: It’s the pied piper of the vaporizer world.

“If you look at the industry 10 years ago, vaporizers were in one section of a store’s case,” Donlin says. “Now people are dedicating whole cases to vaporizers. That’s big. We’ve been the movers and pushers. We started letting people know not only the health benefits of vaporizers, but we also started going in and dressing their shops.”

That’s paid off. Got Vape has a big network of smokeshops that it sells to -- more than 3,000 worldwide -- and an online retail set-up that directly serves customers, both nationally and internationally.

The company has four distribution centers, on each coast and in the midwest. It prides itself on quick shipping and delivery. It promises three-day delivery across the country, and to customers in New York, New Jersey, Colorado, Northern California, Oregon and Southern California, it even offers free delivery.

If you talk to Donlin for even a short time, he’ll surely bring up the health impact of vaporizers. It’s something he’s obviously passionate about. Vaporizers and their smoke-less, clean technology have built a market with cancer patients and diseases like COPD.

“Our main motto,” Donlin says, “is ‘Because your health matters.’ ”

It’s why Got Vape contributes to AIDS walks and cancer walks.

“That's my big thing,” Donlin says. “Whenever I hear from someone who’s using these things to benefit their lifestyle, it just make happy to be a part of it.”

With that, Donlin expects to see growth for Got Vape, as vaporizers become more and more mainstream.

While Got Vape’s core customers is -- and will continue to be -- men ages 18-24, they’re reporting growth with females and older customers.

Says Donlin: “We know that is the movement itself gets to more places, it’s just going to give us more opportunities.”

ABOUT GOT VAPE

gotvape.com

facebook.com/gotvape01

twitter.com/gotvape01

youtube.com/gotvape

1 (888) VAPE101

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STUFF WE DIG - ISSUE 1

STUFF WE DIG

(aka stuff we’re high on at the moment)

Music

El Camino -- The Black Keys

The stomping bluesy-rock duo recently unveiled its latest album and it’s more of what they do best -- great guitar riffs, groovy baselines and infectious songs. Is it time for them to finally crack into full-on mainstream stardom? Perhaps.

A$AP Rocky

Rocky is a New York rapper with a Houston drawl -- a guy whose music is equal parts Mobb Deep, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and UGK. Many are picking him as a breakout hip-hop star for 2012. Check out his debut mixtape, “Live Love A$AP,” which is a free download at ASAPmob.com. We recommend track No. 14, “Roll One Up.”

Movies

“Safe House”

What can we say? It’s always fun to see Denzel Washington being a bad ass, and that’s what he’s doing here. Alongside co-star Ryan Reynolds, Denzel plays a dangerous ex-CIA operative whose safe house is attacked. Carnage ensues. Sign us up.

 

 

“Mission Impossible IV: Ghost Protocol”

Think what you will about Tom Cruise’s life off the camera, but he sure can deliver as spy Ethan Hunt in the “Mission Impossible” series. “Ghost Protocol,” the fourth film in the series, is a rush. You might be able to still find it in theaters near you. Or watch a little bit and bring the Blu-Ray home.

TV

“Luck”

Looking for the next great HBO series? It might be “Luck,” which is centered around the world of horse racing -- the gamblers, the jockeys, the ups, the downs. The high-powered cast includes Dustin Hoffman, Dennis Farina and Nick Nolte, among others.

 

“Unsupervised”

This new cartoon on FX is one part “Beavis & Butthead,” one part “Bill & Ted” -- with all the wackiness and (hopefully) edginess that made FX’s “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” a favorite. In fact, it comes from the “Always Sunny” team. The show is about two teens who live, as the title suggests, without adult supervision.

Video Games

“SSX”

The “SSX” series is looking to redefine the snowboarding video game. Not only is the new installment about pulling off mind-bending tricks, but you’ll have to make it through missions that pit you against Mother Nature’s most dangerous mountains. Lucky for you, it’s only a video game.

Tech

iLaunch Thunder

We all understand the appeal of a Nerf gun that shoots foam bullets. The iLaunch Thunder takes that idea and makes it 100x more awesome. It’s a moving missile launching station you control with your iPhone or iPad via Bluetooth. It costs $99.99 -- a small price for being the baddest foam-missile shooter on the block. More: dreamcheeky.com.

80-inch 3D LED TV from Sharp

Sorry, Big TV Guy -- Sharp just blew up your spot. Sure, you thought your 55-inch flatscreen brought plenty of wow, then Sharp announced its 80-inch 3D LED TV. It actually has twice as much screen area as the 55-incher, and all the modern bells and whistles, such as Wi-Fi and web apps. Look for it in April and be prepared to drop $5,000.

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