Bud’s Glass Joint celebrated its ninth anniversary on Friday, with an event that brought cannabis enthusiasts from around the valley to the downtown Phoenix shop.
The celebration included glass blowing, live music and major glass discounts to both new and returning customers. Bud’s Glass Joint owner Greg Centrone looks at the celebration as a way to give back to the community for all of their support over the years.
“It’s to provide a venue to showcase local artisans, all the glass in here is local. We also have a bunch of other products here made by locals,” Centrone said.
Bud’s Glass Joint was not always a well-known head shop in Phoenix like it is today. The shop evolved from one small location on 1st Street, to now having two locations including one on Roosevelt Row and another on Grand Ave.
“It’s amazing, we have a great community here and we have been blessed for the past nine years,” Centrone said.
Bud’s Glass Joint has since become a staple in the Phoenix community and has helped promote many small artists and businesses in the area.
One business that was shown off at Bud’s anniversary was Golden Sun Orgon. This business sells different crystal-based products that purportedly help block waveforms from cell phones and help keep people and plants healthy, according to owner Golden Sun Orgon owner Noble Quinton Bey.
“I think people who come into Bud’s Glass Joint are looking for quality products and for something that is going to help them relax. This is something that comes hand in hand with relaxation,” Bey said.
Another major attraction to the event was the live glass blowing where Desi B Glass created a brand-new piece for a live audience.
Former Bud’s employee Michael Moran was able to show off his wire jewelry business at the event and have his products sold in the store.
“We seriously wouldn’t be here without these guys. We could go into detail but the list is so long with all the beautiful things that have happened thanks to Greg, Bud & their awesome team,” Moran said in an Instagram post on Wednesday.
The event not only promoted different glass and art collections, but also showed off local musicians such as i-Dee and Nutter Tut.
Bud’s Glass Joint has also seen increased importance in the community after Arizona passed Proposition 207 last November, which legalized cannabis statewide. Centrone is doing his best to provide a safe environment for new users.
“It’s important to make them feel comfortable enough and that they’re not doing anything wrong. This is a way of life, this is a way to medicate, and you don’t have to feel like it’s passé,” Centrone said.
The legalization has helped promote healthy cannabis use to Arizonans and attract a new audience to the store with people interested in their quality local products.
Bud’s plans to have more events in December on both First and Third Friday’s. These events will also promote local and out-of-state glass blowers.
“It’s important to keep pushing and pushing more stuff on Third Friday as well as First Friday, so we can show downtown Phoenix that we can do things every week,” Centrone said.
Contact the reporter svolante@asu.edu.
