Because glass pipes are popular, there's a healthy competition among stores to find the best and most creative pipe artists. A lot of work goes into building these relationships. They know the difference between production and art. Glass pipes reflect the light in Simply Kind. The store offers glassware from local artists, including students who blow pipes to make extra money, employee Jeff Schroeffel said.
Superior production is hard to come by.
The companies and individual artists are difficult to reach. A few individuals seek out stores to hock their wares, or market their pipes at concerts or on the Internet. Yet much of the art's innovation can be found in small 10-person troupes, found in the Pacific Northwest, Colorado and Vermont. Constant networking and investigation is necessary to establish business relationships with these distant collaborators. Aside from larger manufacturers like Jerome Baker Inc. or Graffix, the companies make the glass pipes.