The Joint

Awesome shop, had just what I needed and friendly

I wonder how many people have thought «This is the LAST place I want to say I visited in a Unilocal review.» Ha – and remember to pay with CASH — who wants «tobacco» paraphernalia” on their corporate AMEX, and remember you should ask for a «water pipe,» and never a «bong.» The people who work at this «tobacconists» are very nice, even to old people. I think a lot of boomers are re-​discovering their interest in «herbs», so they are likely used to people their parents’ age or older coming in.

In a classic pedestrian shopper move while moving in and out of Short North shops I found myself in The Joint by simply turning left and walking through the door. Yowzah! I was in a head shop and for no reason. But instead of doing a 180 turn I did my best imitation of a cool dude from the 70s, found my groove and did an up and back.
The proprietor was efficient in his sales pitch during my visit. 20% — 30% off women’s «hippie bags» and when buying t-​shirts I would get one for $ 1 with my first purchase of a t-​shirt. Not bad, not bad. There were more than sufficient choices for glass pipes, bongs, inexpensive hookahs and paper/​smoke supplies. What seemed out of synch was presentation. The Joint was overhead neon when they could have chosen a décor of lamp lighting to bring the white-​noise look down a notch. It all seemed so sterile for an store that is an herb-​enabler destination.
The Joint in the north area of the Short North succeeds likely by being the place you’d hear, «Oh honey, look! A store selling paraphernalia. Let’s look.» There have got to be more places nearby on campus that offer things of Real Deal quality. Me? I will stick to Waterbeds ‘n Stuff on Sawmill for my incense, off-​color birthday cards and a moment to capture to my college youth than trip on down to High for The Joint.

Went to this place last night and it rocks! It was my first time but they had everything I needed! Workers are cool too. Have a wide variety of products. Its a one stop place and they do accept credit cards as well!

The Joint is a passable but ultimately underwhelming head shop. Perhaps it is its location amongst the galleries and boutiques of the Short North, but the understated, small The Joint plays it perhaps plays it too safe and fails to be remarkable, especially to the sizeable stoner crowd on campus, who have better options closer to home.
Still, if you’re already in the area and need a glass waterpipe or a pack of zig-​zags, The Joint is there. The prices are about what you’d expect and the selection is likewise stereotypical of the High Street headshops. But where Import House has all the class, Puff’N’Stuff’s got all the porn and The Dream Merchant has a built-​in tattoo parlor, The Joint is simply a headshop. Nothing more, nothing less.
My friends and I once got an okay deal on a plastic waterpipe here that resembled, but did not function as, a hookah. The thing was ugly but utilitarian, and broke quickly– perhaps too quickly for the price, but we were the idiots who bought a crappy plastic waterpipe. We also bought a whisk-​like head massager here, which saw a lot more use.
If you’re really looking for tobacco-​use-​only kinds of products, you probably want to take the hike to campus. If you don’t really care and are just in the general mood for these sorts of things (or just want a pack of cigarettes), head to The Joint.

«Tobacco Shop»…yeah right! With a name like «The Joint», we all know what goes down here. A huge selection of pipes, papers, and other contraptions to be used for smoking… tobacco. Umm, yeah.
Compared to the handful of similar places around campus that cater to the ever-​growing number of college-​going «tobacco» users, The Joint is tops in Columbus. I haven’t had the need to shop here in a few years, but when I was in the market for some of the products that are offered I was always surprised and even perplexed by the selection. A large number of the pipes are hand-​blown by local craftsmen («hippies») and can be found in sizes/​styles to fit even the most casual smoker’s price range.
The one thing that I like the most about The Joint is it’s staff, which is more or less the same guy with dark hair and glasses every day. He’s got a wicked sense of humor and is rarely ever condescending like some of the other older, more jaded head shop proprietors on High St. can be at times.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot (probably from using products from The Joint too often) to mention that this place is open super late as well to cater to your late night glassware needs. As infrequent as they may be, it’s comforting to know that someone is selling whippets at 3 AM on a Tuesday. Ya know, just in case.