A city with as much character as Hoboken has is now home to a store that sells items of an even quirkier nature. The Haha Haven: Smoke Shop & Accessories opened just before the Christmas holiday.
The store, located at 303 First St., sells a variety of water based smoking pipes, ashtrays, tee shirts, patches, stickers and other novelty items.
Owner Andrew Godsil said he had the idea to open the Haha Haven, known colloquially as a head shop, for many years. A Hoboken resident, he thought the store could appeal to a young demographic, especially given that few other local stores might sell similar items.
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“With the age group here it just made sense,” he said.
Though the Haha Haven does sell water pipes which conceivably could be used to smoke illegal substances (in addition to legal tobacco products), a store sign explicitly instructs customers not to refer to such activity. All customers must also be able to show identification proving they are over the age of 18.
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“Everything here is for legal use only,” Godsil said.
In addition to featuring sales racks, Godsil said that he plans to devote the rear section of the space to showcase the work of local artists.
Godsil said his girlfriend, who helps him run the store, came up with the name for the Haha Haven.
“We figured some things in here would give people a chuckle, so why not go with it,” he said.
Coming soon: where to get your chicken fix uptown, and a French bakery comes closer to opening
The Business Beat covers businesses opening, closing, renovating, relocating and celebrating anniversaries in the Mile Square. Have a Hoboken related business tip? Send an email to alanskontra@hotmail.com.
