Flyin’ High Novelties opened early last week at 1084 Main St., selling glass pipes for use with tobacco and other novelties.
The shop will eventually include all kinds of tobacco, T-shirts, jewelry and posters, said owner Matt Garcia. “We just got the sign up three days ago. Not many people knew we were here. We just got the sign up, and more people are coming in.”
The shop will carry a variety of cigarettes, cigars and the flavored pipe tobacco as well as more traditional tobacco pipes, he said, perhaps including high-end cigars later as the shop expands.
Garcia’s wife, Natasha Garcia, likened it to a gift shop.
The glasswork goes beyond pipes and tubing.
“If you come in here and say you want a hummingbird on a string, we’ll order it,” Garcia said. “Pipes are just a small thing in the store.”
The T-shirts will include jokes, Garcia said, and the store will sell a variety of knick-knacks, things people just like to have.
He sees the business as an opportunity, he said. “I have friends that own stores like this; and this is the only town that didn’t have one.”
The other reason he decided to open the store has to do with the job market.
“I’ve tried looking for a job for the past six months €“ no luck,” Garcia said last December, when he first planned to open the store, so he’s making his own job.
The opening was delayed for personal matters.
Hours will be adjusted as necessary, Garcia said. Initially, the store will be open from 11 a.m. to somewhere between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., possibly later on weekends.
The couple lives in Lebanon. Garcia grew up in California and came to Oregon about five years ago. His wife grew up in Salem.
Garcia worked in retail and commercial construction, he said.
Natasha has worked in daycare and at a Christian camp, she said.
They enjoy spending time with the family. Garcia has four children.
Garcia likened the shop to The Pipeline in Lebanon and Albany.
Though glass pipes sold in these shops also are often associated with drugs other than tobacco, it is illegal to sell them for any use other than tobacco.
But pipes will constitute less than 50 percent of the new business, Garcia said.
“I’m hoping to work it into a novelty shop. The only reason I thought about a tobacco shop was because it’s in my budget.”
The difference between his shop and The Pipeline is that all The Pipeline sells is pipes, Garcia said
The pipes at Flyin’ High are clearly marked “tobacco use only” at the counter.
Eventually, Garcia said, he would like to slow down on the pipes, and focus more on novelty items, he said.
For now, access to the shop is limited to people above the age of 18, he said. “I’m hoping to get a bigger store to where anybody can come in. The pipes, they’ll be in their own little corner. Right now, I’m not trying to make it look like a thing. It’s pretty much all I can afford.”
The city approved the occupancy permit on Oct. 30 for a new business called “Flyin’ High 4:20” at 1084 Main St.
The term “4:20,” a slang term associated with the use of marijuana, was soon removed from the name of the shop.
The permit lists the products at the business as “tobacco pipes, glass tubing, shirts and ash trays.”
The name has been changed to Flyin’ High Novelties, Garcia said.
The Garcias went through 10 to 20 names looking for something to call the shop, Natasha said, but those ideas had already been used.
Talking it over one day, Natasha’s brother came up with the name, Garcia said, and the name had an upside.
“Everybody found out my name a lot faster than anything else,” he said.
Police Chief Bob Burford said that shops like Garcias’ have to be careful about what they’re selling and to whom they sell to.
“According to state statute, it’s unlawful for a person to sell or possess, with intent to sell or manufacture, drug paraphernalia knowing it’ll be used in making or using controlled substances,” Burford said. That includes pipes and bongs.
“It’s additionally unlawful to sell any products, which includes pipes, etc., in which tobacco products could be used if it’s a minor,” Burford said. “These people will have to work within these state statutes. As long as they’re operating within the law, we’ll protect and serve them just like any other business; however, I don’t think it’s the image Sweet Home wants or needs.”