Pubdate: Wed, 08 Dec 2010 Source: Outlook (OR) Copyright: 2010 Pamplin Media Group Contact: http://www.theoutlookonline.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4644 Author: Shannon Wells Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?228 (Paraphernalia) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Cannabis - Medicinal) TOBACCO, PIPE SHOP EXPANDS TO GRESHAM All Star Pipe & Tobacco's clientele includes a growing number of medical marijuana patients To the average Gresham-area consumer, it may seem odd that a golf shop in one of the city's highest-profile retail locations was replaced by a store that sells handcrafted blown-glass pipes for smoking tobacco and marijuana, both legal and otherwise. Yet that's just what happened when the former Pro Golf shut its doors last summer and All Star Pipe & Tobacco opened in early October. Specializing in elaborately designed blown-glass pipes, water pipes, hookahs and tobacco accessories, All Star also caters -- with its cedar-lined humidor -- to cigar aficionados as well as run-of-the-mill smokers with discounted cigarettes. Sami Hales, 29, opened the shop with his partner, Muhammed Alya, 31, as an East County spinoff of House of Pipes, a business Hales opened four years ago on Powell Boulevard in Southeast Portland. Aware of the stigma and controversies surrounding any kind of smoking these days, Hales -- who moved from the Middle East to Gresham at age 18 -- matter-of-factly defends his product line as serving a growing clientele of medical patients who find genuine relief in smoking legally grown marijuana. Others, he says, just like the ritual -- common to Middle Eastern culture -- of relaxing with fruit-flavored hookah tobacco. Furthermore, the Vancouver, Wash., resident says he provides a retail outlet for 15 glass-blowing artisans in the Gresham-Portland area. At ease and clearly comfortable with the niche he and his partner are carving, Hales took a break from a slow-but-steady stream of customers on a recent afternoon to talk with The Outlook about his latest business venture. Outlook: After operating a pipe shop in Portland for four years, what prompted you to open a new store in Gresham in the middle of a recession? Hales: "I've always wanted to open (a store) in Gresham. It's kind of my dream. There are big (busy) streets, big neighborhoods. It's a good area, and there's very friendly people." Outlook: What creates demand for the glassware you sell? Hales: "In Gresham, you have very good quality medical marijuana" being grown. "Most (customers) are using it for medication. I give them 15 percent off" if they have a medical marijuana card. Outlook: What is your philosophy about selling accessories that are often associated with illegal activity and vices? Hales: "I have a good philosophy. The first thing is, when you think about it, (marijuana) is a medication. For people who have medical problems, it does help. And they appreciate the art" that goes into the blown glass. "I support a lot of local glass blowers from Portland and Gresham." Outlook: Have you tried glass blowing yourself? Hales: "I don't. It's kind of hard. But I understand how it's done." Outlook: So how is business at this point? Hales: "There is huge potential. When new customers see me, they're really excited. They say 'Oh, thank God you're here.' More people are coming to the business every day." Outlook: Do you fear you might offend people in the community who don't condone or understand the products you sell? Hales: "If people don't like this type of business, they can go somewhere else. My customers, you're not going to see (lying) on the street or drunk driving. I think alcohol is more dangerous than anything else. "I don't tell you to smoke. You do that on your own. I just give the best price." - -- Pipes and such What: All Star Pipe & Tobacco Where: Burnside Road at Division Street Products: Locally made blown-glass pipes, water pipes, hookahs, tobacco, cigarettes, convenience items Hours: 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Sunday Call: 503-512-8477 - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom