#26: A 24-hour smoke shop.

Steamed in incense and drenched in tie-dye, The Import House appears to be an alternative shop for the ever-revolutionary underdog. 


But with stores strategically built in the most liberal-loving regions of Ohio- Columbus, Yellow Springs and Athens- The Import House is as business-savvy as the business-frat-bros’ “networking” excuse to party. Until this year, The Import House has had a monopoly on the Athens smoke scene, which is supported locally by subtle references such as this:

And this:

Alas, Twilight Boutique- which started in Northeast Ohio and then tellingly opened branches in Athens and Las Vegas- debuted this year, creating The Import House’s first competition for supportive supplies for the vast underground market.

Twilight Boutique’s smoke shops are open 24/7 and are smartly placed at the finish line of the infamous shuffle, Broney’s.

With the exception of Wal-Mart and O’Bleness Memorial Hospital, Twilight Boutique stands as the only shop open 24/7 in Athens.

Drunk, or Athens?

The ever-monopolizing Wal-Mart, which sits at the end of civilization- the end of East State Street- and O’Bleness Memorial Hospital, share the quality that neither are places anyone wants to utilize at 4:30 a.m. 
The same cannot be applied to Twilight Boutique, stocked with tapestries, drinking games and the only kind of intricate glassware used while sloppily drunk.

Only in Athens would a Wal-Mart, a hospital and a smoke shop be the only places open 24/7.

Athens.