The Green House Smoke Shop - Gone, But Never Forgotten

 I can't believe I have to write this, but the beloved Green House Smoke Shop on Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice, California is gone. GONE. Yep. Another victim of gentrification, the long standing purveyor of all smoking needs and community catch ups has shut its doors, leaving a massive hole in the hearts of so many old school Venetians. The landlord decided to cash in on their building, gave them a 60 day notice, and Green House owners Bunny Lua and Sandor Caplan found themselves having to pack up everything in order to close up shop on what has been nearly their entire existence the past two decades. The Green House was one of the last cool Mom and Pop shops on the boulevard, and now it's pretty much down to Abbot's Pizza, The Brig, and Burro. It's so sad, it really does feel like yet another death in the Venice family. 

I've written about the Green House in the past, but I would never be prepared to write about it not being there.  I wrote about Bunny in the past for Women's Day in Venice, too, but when I talked to her about her shop closing, we were both real emotional about it - for good reason. The Green House was not just a store, but a hub of the community, where you might not need anything to smoke that day, but you would stop in anyway, to catch up with your friends and hear about what was the latest in the neighborhood. I have spent hours on the couch behind the counter talking with Bunny, and saw first hand just how much this place meant to so many. 

Having survived the worst part of the Covid pandemic (so far), even though they were considered "non-essential" (and many would argue with that distinction), it was an especially hard gut-punch to be told that they had to clear out 20 years of Smoke Shop history, all while having no idea of what they were to do next. The Green House is quintessentially Venice, so relocating is a challenge ... plus they need time to grieve what was a true and deep loss in this community. 

As they had to be out pretty quickly, the Green House closed up shop without much fanfare. Longtime customers had no idea - and might still not know - that their go-to on Abbot Kinney was now gone. Empty. The stories and memories of a crucial Venice generation are now just that. Memories. Great ones. 

Bunny, Sandor, and their son, Leaf, as well as their extended family members are so dear to me, I have always considered them my Venice Ohana. The first memory I have of Leaf is of him banging on a conga drum at out annual 4/20 Sponto Croquet Tournament when he was just a little toddler. I painted his face with little leaves, and adored him ever since. Leaf would have little sales of his toys (I still have a Smurf!) on the sidewalk in front of the shop, and then when he got bigger (a LOT bigger, he's way taller than me now), he would practice his basketball moves on a hoop Sandor installed in front. Everyone on the block knew and loved Leaf, and he truly grew up inside that little shop. 

 

Bunny's dad tended to a slew of plants and succulents in the yard of the shop, and that was one of the saddest things to me ... seeing them all cleared out and gone. So much vibrancy, so much life, so many good vibes ... all just gone. For what? Caplan told me so many locals had told him over the years that if it wasn't for the Green House, they would never go to the Abbot Kinney anymore. When you take all the character out of a place, what's the point of going there? Everywhere has mall shops. And we don't like malls. 

They chose Abbot Kinney for their shop because the rent was cheap (!), as the block was as ghost town in those days - I honestly can recall a tumbleweed blowing down the road! Abbot Kinney (Formerly West Washington!) ran through the heart of town, was a main street for locals, and far enough away from the Boardwalk that they catered more to people who lived here than to the tourist crowd. Oh, how things very quickly changed. Green House never advertised - they didn't have to. It was all friends and word of mouth customers who quickly became friends. "To many, the shop stood as the last beacon of the true Venice, the Venice they remembered and fell in love with when they first arrived, and the Shop was locked in that time. It was so familiar, it made you feel at home - always the same, but a little different - when you came back years later," explained Caplan in what I think is a perfect summation of why the Green House was so special to so many. It encapsulated a moment in time in Venice ... a time that I think most will agree was way better.

The main thing both Lua and Caplan wanted to express was their deep gratitude for all the wonderful years of business, and all their friendships that were made. In the shop's last days, those who knew they were closing came in to thank THEM - showing just how crucial they were to so many's Venice experience. Those customers taught them things, and vice-versa. They supported the Green House, and in turn, the Green House supported so many Venice entities, from the Abbot Kinney Festival to getting new trashcans put in on the boulevard, to sometimes just listening to a friend cry on their shoulders (me). It doesn't even seem real to me that the next time I stroll down Abbot Kinney, I won't be able to pop into the Green House to see my dear, dear friends. And that SUCKS.

We all know things change and blah blah, but this one is real tough to swallow. Things are still a bit up in the air as this is all pretty new, but Lua has a CBD business she's getting off the ground called Vertbiotic, which you can follow on Instagram until there is a proper launch. (You can also keep in touch with the Green House family on Instagram. If you have any smoke needs or just want to know what they're up to, or would like to offer them your own thanks, you can DM them at Greenhousesmokeshopvenice on IG, or at Facebook.com/GreenHouseVenice) I know that Vertbiotic will be a great business endeavor for Bunny, but still ... it sure won't be the same as dropping in to the good old Green House to catch on up with the news of the day. Those days are now gone. 

I'd like to offer my own deep thanks and gratitude to Bunny, Sandor, and Leaf. For the visits, the support, the pipes, the news, the laughs, the copies of Vice I would pick up there, the hugs ... but most importantly, for the years of friendship and memories that will be guaranteed to bring a smile to my face for the rest of my life. THANK YOU, FRIENDS! And Cheers to you for creating something special that will live on in the hearts of all the Venice locals who loved you for so long. WE LOVED YOU, GREEN HOUSE SMOKE SHOP! ALWAYS. 

 

IG: GreenHouseSmokeShopVenice

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GreenHouseVenice

Bunny Lua - Green House Goddess

When I think about my very favorite women in Venice, Bunny Lua is at the top of the list. I spent some time with her recently at her family business, The Green House Smoke Shop, and I'm clearly not alone in adoring Bunny. All day long, her regulars came in, thrilled both to see her, and to get the most quality smoke products in town.

In a time of so much change in Venice, The Green House is an exception to the recent rule of longtime Venice businesses getting moved out and replaced by cheesy high-end stores run by people who simply do not get the neighborhood. On the contrary, The Green House has added another location at 736 Washington Boulevard, in addition to the original on Abbot Kinney. So loyal are her customers that when the new one opened up shop, they were getting enraged customers walking in there thinking that they stole the Green House name! There are happy sighs of relief once reassured that it was a second, just as cool location, by the same people. Phew.

It's easy to see where that loyalty comes from. Lua and her "Old Man," Sandor Caplan, are super knowledgeable about every item they sell, and it's evident that they actually care about their customers. It's an education to sit and listen to them deal with people and their smoking needs, as they were schooled by legends in the field, such as Tommy Chong, Jason Harris, Jack Herer and Charlie Weinberger.

But it's not just the expertise that brings the people back. Even if they have to come far, like a Hunter Thompson looking guy that came in all the way from Apple Valley, just to see Lua and get his specific kind of Nat Shermans (which they carry every single kind of). He called her a "Dakini", a Tibetan goddess, and kept saying things like, "Whoa, you really are tuned in!" and "Wow, you really do listen!" And she does. So much so that she feels like a Mom to the whole community, often listening to peoples' deepest stuff when they come in and need a kind and generous ear.

She's also a Mom to their wonderful son, Leaf, who has grown up in the shop and been raised by the whole Venice village. He's the kind of kid who the first thing he said when he saw me was "Straight A's!" and threw up a high five. The kind of kid who asked us questions about how to best be a gentleman. Who loves basketball so much that Caplan installed a hoop on the sidewalk right in front of the shop for a while. They're the kind of Venice business that keeps it old school too. If Leaf has a midday doctor appointment, they'll close the shop and take him. If it's a particularly gorgeous day, you might find a sign saying, "Gone Swimming!" Their business card says they're open "11-ish." (And they close at 7-ish). "It's a beach community ... things happen in the daytime. Business is just one part of life ... but it's not ALL of life. You have to LIVE." Amen, my sister.

The Green House is a place that endorses "smoking for your health". That sounds funny, but to hear Lua explain it, it makes sense. "Smoking is an age-old ritual. You do it for enjoyment. It relaxes you. It's something you do for yourself ... for your sanity, your alignment, for your clarity and spiritual self." Which is why they carry the top shelf items (like the very popular Pax vaporizer) to do so. Like, you could go get some cheap water pipe on the Boardwalk, "but there's a huge difference in quality pieces. There just is. We have integrity. Have some self respect," says Lua. Yeah.

Being pioneers and mainstays of the legitimately "cool" part of Abbot Kinney, Lua and Caplan have always kept it real at The Green House (which opened on 4/20/2001, appropriately).  When they opened, "Abbot Kinney was kind of a scary street. Our first customers were gangsters, and this shop was a neutral zone." It still is. Lua enthused, "I love the people I meet here, from the homeless of the homeless to literally royalty. We're part of each others' lives, and my stores wouldn't be what they are without my customers. They are the soul of our business. We want to provide something they want with pleasure and passion." This became more obvious with each customer that walked through the door. After one long conversation about fracking and wealth inequality with a guy visiting from New York, he said, "I have chills! I'm so glad I opened my mouth to talk to you!" And it's like that all day long, with owners and customers alike both enjoying and learning from each other.

Lua was born in the Phillipines and raised in Hawai'i and California. She and Caplan settled in Venice in 1998 and have been an important part of the town ever since. Very active locally, Lua has taken on the Abbot Kinney festival planning, been a film liaison between local merchants and production companies, was active in getting a new playground for Westminster school, an active pursuer of getting bike racks, garbage bins and crosswalks installed, cleans up all the trash after the filthy food truck people Saturdays after First Fridays, and the list goes on. She clearly cares so much about the community she calls home, and does her best to "Protect our hood".

"It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood kind of feeling here. I love this place. I AM a Venetian. I belong here. I will protect Venice." We aren't talking about stopping progress or change. "It's about protecting the feeling of the place. People feel like they're a part of something here, it's special. We don't want to lose that feeling ... and the kind of loyalty we enjoy only happens in a true community." Just the a guy came in and asked if his dog could come in too, to which Lua replied, "That's your VIP pass." It's that kind of a place.

That neighborhood feeling is disappearing though, and it's up to people like us to preserve it. Lua said, "People all used to know each other. You could run next door and borrow a hammer. Kristy at Jin Patisserie would save the last cake she knew I loved. The corporations coming in are taking away that community feel, and that's what I miss the most." THAT is what we're trying to protect.

When you walk in the Green House door and see all the postcards friends of the shop have sent from all over the world, you realize how truly much a part of their customers' lives these special places are. I asked this spectacular Venice woman what she would want to say to everyone in the neighborhood, and she simply and beautifully answered, "Be kind. All of Venice needs to care about each other." True words, timely words, and ones that Lua absolutely lives by.

Stop in and say hi at either Green House location ... and try them again if they happen to have left early to see a particularly great sunset that day in Venice.


The Green Houses are at:

1428 Abbot Kinney

          AND

736 Washington Blvd.

Wheel Of Fortune

What a delight to see another fun installation from Venice Public Art on the boulevard! Abbot Kinney was packed with people enjoying the sunshine this last weekend, and many of them stopped to give the new Wheel Of Fortune a spin in the front yard of The Green House Smoke Shop's Abbot Kinney location.

Keeping the spirit of fun alive in Venice is our responsibility as much as it is to fight big development and gentrification so out of control we won't recognize the place if we're not careful. So to that end, it's always a joy to see something out there just for the fun of it.

Robin Murez just installed the wheel on Saturday, and we were among the first spinners. I'm happy to report that I will enjoy a life of Passion. Of course. Lacey, no surprise, spun up some Fun.

Thank goodness for fun local businesses like the Green House, cool owners like Bunny and Sandor, and active artists like Murez for maintaining a atmosphere of whimsy and unexpected surprises.

Abbot Kinney himself would be proud of you. Other businesses and artists should take note, take part and join the FUN. Thank you. Love you.