A Glass Act: Blue In the Face offers smoking accessories for students
Smells of incense and rainbows of multicolored merchandise greet all who enter Blue in the Face.
Located at 217 S. Main St., the staple of downtown Mount Pleasant offers smoking accessories for tobacco use such as dry glass pipes, soft glass pipes, glass-on-glass pipes, rolling papers and hookahs.
Owner Mike DuJardin, 27, of Traverse City, said that one of his favorite parts of the job is being around the glass art populating the shop's shelves. The store features multicolored glass pipes in shapes ranging from a dragon to "Star Wars" character Boba Fett.
"I have a passion for glass art," he said. "These artists make beautiful work."
DuJardin first worked at the Blue In The Face store in Traverse City in 2006 when he was fresh out of the Air Force. He later bought the Mount Pleasant store from the previous owner in 2011.
He said he's enjoyed swapping stories with several regular customers over the years.
"It's almost like being a bartender at a popular bar," DuJardin said. "People get to know you, and you get to know them."
While Blue In The Face does have some older customers, DuJardin said a large portion of the establishment's business comes from college students.
"We try to support dorm room and college needs," DuJardin said.
Port Huron sophomore and employee Mitchel Schrader said I.D. is needed to buy smoking or drinking accessories in the back.
"The first half of the store you can be under 18 for, and for the second half of the store you have to be 18 and over," Schrader said.
Schrader, who has been working at Blue In The Face since September, said that he enjoys interacting with customers, the artwork on the walls and the laid-back atmosphere of the store.
"I love that I can play my own music, and Mike is really cool with me doing homework in the back room when we're not busy," Schrader said. "I'd say it's the perfect part-time job."
Schrader said that even when the store is busy, it's usually not busy enough to need more than one employee at all times.
"75 percent of the time, the stuff here sells itself," Schrader said. "Someone who comes in here is kind of expecting to already know what they want."
Detroit sophomore Lauren Agnew said she shops at the store about every two weeks.
"This place definitely has the best deals over the other smoke shops in town," Agnew said.
Blue In The Face is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday through Saturday, and 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Identification is needed to buy items such as smoking accessories and drinking accessories.
