Brianland

The Art of Glass, the Art of Business, and the Art of Love

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One day a hundred years ago, or maybe it was five, I noticed this store called the Squisha House opened around the corner with insanely cool glass pipes!  What the hell?!  In little Bronte Village?!  I had to investigate!

After keeping an eye on the place for a couple of weeks, I finally went in, and the proprietor Cameron Stubbins & I began such long conversations he had to bring in a chair so I could keep the jam goin’.  He taught me about the history of glass pipe art, and I shared the history of the counterculture it grew out of.

Matt Robertson’s Cow Over The Moon

One day, after months of us talking, a blond babe came through the front door and went straight to the stool behind the cash register.  I figured Cam prolly knew her.  😁  That was my first intro to the Cam & Kate duo.  In that moment, they never said a word to each other — it was all understood.

This is a story about love.

Cameron & Katelynn

They met in a seeking sort of way . . . and Katelynn was infatuated by his Camaro.  That’s the funniest thing to me — the stereotype of the car attracting the girl.  I already had a girl, thank god, when I bought my first car — a 1967 Dodge Fargo van. 

It probably kicked things up a notch, but I never thought the “car thing” actually worked.  Yet it most miraculously did here.

Then they formed a business together championing all the glass artists across Canada.  And here’s the amazing thing — they’ve become the most successful retail store in the history of this waterfront neighbourhood on the shoulder of Toronto!  In fact, it’s the only store that ever has lineups of people stretching down the sidewalk before they open!

Many small businesses fail within a year, and fully half within two — but these guys are rockin it five years out and have stacks of boxes shipping all over the world every day.

I came of age in Greenwich Village in NYC, and now find myself in Bronte Village in the GTA, and this little artists’ hive is the only place that would be at home in either Village.

Oakville The Good is one of the few towns in Canada that doesn’t allow marijuana dispensaries, but this glass pipe store brings in people from all over the world!

It’s so crazy how these two youngins from out of town realized how cool Bronte could be.  Now I can’t imagine the place without them.

They planted the flag of playful weirdness on July 21st, 2018, and the Village has been alive with art and youth ever since!

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You can reach the Squisha gang at their website, or on Instagram, or their Facebook page.

For the other two pieces in The Bronte Village Trilogy —

Here’s a cool story about the astronomers collective that gathers every month and rocks the skies.

Or here’s one about some fireworks shenanigans and how some folks can be too quick to jump to conclusions.

And since we’re in the middle of  the summer movie watching season — here’s my Master Movie List with over 800 films sorted by Auteurs, Comedies, Dramas, Documentaries and such.

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by Brian Hassett

karmacoupon@gmail.com   —  BrianHassett.com

Or here’s my Facebook page if you wanna join in there —

https://www.facebook.com/Brian.Hassett.Canada