Owning A Hookah Shop/store

[SaintPendulous]

i know theres a thread for owning a hookah bar, but has anybody owned or know somebody who has owned or DOES own a hookah store? I think thated be a little easier than owning a hookah bar, the hours would be open during the day. and Ideally id maybe have an extra room for rent off on the side of the shop to rent out for a couple hours to somebody who wants to smoke! 

When i get talking about hookah I get so damn excited/passionate because its really something i enjoy and want to share with everyone around me. I figured if i could make that my job and actually build something from the ground up FOR Hookah, ABOUT Hookah id probably live a happy life while i did it!

 

I know i would need licenses and permits and such to go through with it...i used to have a damn notebook FULL of notes. 
 

 

any thoughts??

[agunn1231]

There are pleanty of hookah shops, and starting a shop may be easier than a lounge, as for renting out a room, i have no idea. But the few hookah stores around here hold down the market, while still keeping prices low, I got a KM for $90 locally that was $156+shipping online. I am not sure how much money you would bring in only selling hookahs, the few hookah shops here are also middle eastern grocery stores, as i dont consider the head shops around here to be hookah stores.

[king_lunchb0x]

a legit hookah shop seems rare, most are those head shops (like said above). I think the bigger the city the better it would be. I do my local shopping at the local middle eastern grocery stores, but they have such a limited selection. The room rent idea is a bit confusing to me..care to elaborate ? 

[Skoozle]

A few of the local places I get hookah stuff from are tobacco shops, not head shops (although they do have a small selection of glass "tobacco" pipes) they sell cigarettes, cigars and pipe tobacco in addition to hookah stuff.

A couple of the others are hookah shops and supply the local lounges. One is a full on middle eastern market and they have a hookah section.

I think if you go strictly hookah, you will have a hard time getting enough customers. I would imagine that you would need to supplement your sales with other types of tobacco products, online sales or wholesale.

Some of the shops allow smoking inside but it's usually cigars or cigarettes. Not a really nice environment for hookah. I don't even go to the cigar place anymore because even if I pop in for just a couple of minutes I leave stinking like a cigar.

It would be cool if you offered some way for customers to sample your products whether you keep a hookah going and let customers take a puff of whatever you are smoking or they rent a hookah to try some other stuff you offer.

[SaintPendulous]

well theres NOTHING here in Iowa theres 2 shops i know of but theys just Bong stores disguised as hookah shops, they sell like starbuzz and AF i guess but i want to open a shop selling hookahs and shisha and assorted accessories and there's a college here in town, that I bet if I wanted i could get mad business from them. I want to show the legetimacy of the art of Hookah and take the idea that its just for smoking NHT in a fancier pipe! I know a couple dudes from Missouri who came up and opened a bar in omaha that sells Tangiers which is HUGE for this area. They were blown away when i started talkin to them about acclimation and flavors and such, they figured NOBODY around here had heard of it, and alot of the group i run with havent heard of it until i brought them into it. I wanna sell tangiers and maybe use their name and sorta partner back and forth.

[mushrat]

If your rent is low enough, and you build up a good customer base I think it would work. The key is going to be having enough variety to keep people coming back AND people working the place who are outgoing and really know their stuff. If you end up with people who just sit behind the counter and text while the customer is trying to figure out what to get you won't do nearly as well.

When I had Hookah Bliss we also did retail, basically selling everything we used or served and then some and being able to talk about all the products kept people coming back.

[thehelios]

Do dedicated hookah stores even exist?  I've never seen one before.  Any storefront that had hookah products was either an Arab/Israeli market or a head shop.

[SaintPendulous]

id want a small store to start off, i know people dig it and id hafta educate alot of folks. I think the target marktet obviously will be 18-30 somthings who dont use Hookah already, young adults. Apparently there is alot of people who know about hookah just dont know where to get their start, I think ited be fun to be the person to give them that chance.

[Skoozle]

Do dedicated hookah stores even exist?  I've never seen one before.  Any storefront that had hookah products was either an Arab/Israeli market or a head shop.

 

Yep, Arabica and Oasis around here are Hookah shops.  Arabica has a cigar humidor, but other than that they are all hookah. Oasis has some tea sets and other Middle Eastern items, but is clearly focused on hookah.

 

Cigar Zone is about half hookah, Most of that is tobacco.

[mushrat]

I would give demos if i had a dedicated hookah shop. Packing demos, product demos, anything to keep em coming in.