Reinventing The Way The Headshop/Vape Industry Operates
Located between the booming neighborhoods of Fishtown and Northern Liberties is a renovated PBR factory building that has moved from housing glass beer bottles to a different type of glass. Kannakart is an online headshop and the first company of its kind in Philadelphia. Kannakart was launched in Philadelphia by two entrepreneurs who are reinventing the way the glass and vape industry operates.
“As smoking becomes more accepted in society, it is becoming a lifestyle rather than something that is reserved for stoners,” says CEO Jon Monk. “The soccer mom who smokes on weekends may feel intimidated walking into a headshop on South Street, so we’re trying to give casual smokers a place to pick up the stuff they need conveniently.” Chinese glass companies were flooding the glass industry. Glass blown in China is often cheaply manufactured in bulk, by factories. The folks at Kannakart made it a point to offer American-made glass bongs and pipes, so they linked up with companies like Grav Labs, Glowfly, Purr, and Empire Glassworks, all based in the U.S.
A lot of the online headshops and smoke shops only offer bongs and rolling papers. Kannakart offers accessories such as Annabis fashion accessories for women and other lifestyle products that appeal to smokers of all ages and backgrounds. The Kannakart kangaroo mascot is representative of the lifestyle brand that they are building. They’re the only company in the space that uses an animal mascot.
The team at Kannakart is made up of mostly local college graduates in their 20’s. The vibe at their headquarters is reflective of that. While they put in long hours, even on weekends, to grow their business, they find time to run to a local coffee shop together, or grab dinner. “It’s important that we work in a collaborative environment.” says co-owner Claudia Post. “We want everyone bouncing ideas off each other constantly. It gets the creative juices flowing, helps us innovate, and builds relationships between our team members.” Claudia, a baby boomer, is often referred to as the “world’s oldest millennial” by her colleagues.
Kannakart is one of only a few online smoke shops that offer free shipping across the U.S. While they sell their products across the country, Jon says Kannakart is committed to growing with Philadelphia. “We see Philadelphia as a place with a lot of opportunity for business owners. We always rep Philly and show our pride in our branding, on social media, on our website, and in everything we do at Kannakart.”