Weed, CA is a town that's totally in on the joke; they get it. They know you stop, snicker, and share the news with a friend whenever their name pops up on a Google map search. They also understand that being blessed with such a powerful and unique identity means you owe it to yourself, your NorCal/Humboldt County clientele, and (most importantly) tourists to exploit said name in every possible way.
With that in mind, the good townsfolk of Weed parlayed that massive interest and enthusiastically opened up an entire store dedicated to all things branded "Weed." Welcome to The Weed Store in Weed, CA, which is exactly what it sounds like (sans any real ganja, ironically).
A small mountain town shack—covered in Christmas lights and merchandise, waving their "World Famous" flag high—located at the base of Mount Shasta, the store is an emporium of Weed-related gift items, goofy copyright infringed logo parodies, and spectacularly bad (but at times humorously awesome) weed puns. Pop by and unleash the inner stoner that's been clawing to get out.
The store aesthetic is exactly what you'd expect from a gift shop, with every item neatly placed and organized into regions I deem “T-shirt Town,” “Cup/Mug Land,” “Posterville,” and "Everything Else." It's a colorful and hypnotic display that'll leave your eyes burning from being overexposed to the word "Weed." In all, it's a visually satisfying and glorious experience.
As for merchandise, you've got all of the twisted tourist gift shop classics on display here: mugs, shirts, pencils, postcards, signs, hoodies, and more, which have all been "Weedified" for your giggling pleasure, naturally.
Some somewhat witty things are happening here—the "I love weed" NYC knockoff definitely brings a nostalgic smile to my face—but some of the parodies are as stale as the ground-up schwag your older brother sold you in the 7th grade. Like this...
And who could forget the ambrosia of our 1960s forefathers, the tie-dye. Groovy!
And mints! Gotta have those weed-branded mints! An absolute must for any Christmas, birthday party, new job celebration, grandparents' 60th anniversary, high school graduation, or Bat Mitzvah present.
And there are a few edible gifts as well, such as this green weed hot sauce, which I'm sure is "Smokin' hot!" (mic drop... booed off stage... cries in corner).
The Weed Gift Shop is a unique shopping experience, to say the least, and serves as the crown jewel tourist attraction in the wacky town we call Weed, CA. The items are fun, the customer service is really spectacular (how could you be disillusioned working at the official “Weed CA” gift shop?), and it's certainly worth the trip for those who can't stop chuckling when the clock hits 4:20.
Good vibes indeed.
