About
West Coast Gifts is North America’s largest designer, manufacturer and distributor of award winning glass pipes, vaporizers and smoking accessories for the cannabis connoisseur. We offer over 7,000 products at competitive prices with speedy shipping and superior customer service.
Our Story
Our Story
Our company was founded by several young entrepreneurs who saw an opportunity to get into the cannabis industry just a couple of years ago. Just kidding.
Our story is a little more interesting than that (no offence to all the cannabros out there). Basically, we owe our existence to the godfather of colour changing glass pipes. It all started from the imagination of a Dead Head we affectionately refer to as ‘H’.
OK. Here's some more
Would you believe us if we told you that the founder of West Coast Gifts discovered the magic of colour changing glass pipes while following the Grateful Dead across North America in the early ‘90s? You can’t make this stuff up. But seriously, our founder Howard ‘H’ Franklin knew he had found something special and made it his mission to spread the word about colour changing glass pipes from coast to coast. Soon, H’s pipes were flying off the shelves at every store he could stock.
Of course H didn’t stop there – after retiring to a giant tree on Vancouver, BC’s Wreck Beach (ok maybe not an actual tree, but close), he made tons of zany friends (as you would expect) and was inspired to start a wholesale distribution company so people far and wide could experience the wonder of glass pipes that change colour. He called them Red Eye Glass pipes, built a website and decided to start a business. When H tried to secure a business loan, however, the banks were less than excited about giving money to a guy in a tree selling magic pipes (fair enough) so our boy H got creative. He re-designed the front page of his website and rebranded it from Red Eye Glass to West Coast Gifts where he promoted incense and candles. The bank finally agreed to give him a loan and he launched his wholesale distribution business.
Today, H’s original Red Eye Glass® brand is one of the most widely recognized glass pipe brands in the world. Since 2003, West Coast Gifts has grown to become the largest distributor of smoking accessories and vaporizers in North America. All thanks to a creative and resourceful Dead Head named Howard and our loyal customers to whom we are eternally grateful.
Timeline
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1991
Howard ‘H’ Franklin starts following the Grateful Dead on tour with other devoted fans and selling t-shirts and stickers to pay his way. -
1992
During his travels, H is captivated by a magical glass pipe that changes colour. He tries his hand at making them and sells them under the name Chameleon Glass—the first branded colour changing glass pipes in the world! -
1994
H releases his first Chameleon Glass catalogue, the earliest iteration of things to come for this industrious travelling salesman. -
1995
Jerry Garcia passes on to that billowing cloud of smoke in the sky, leaving H and legions of Dead Heads heartbroken. -
2002
While on vacation in Amsterdam, H falls in love with a Canadian, sells his Chameleon Glass business and moves to Vancouver. -
2003
H finds his community on Vancouver’s famous Wreck Beach, where he starts to rekindle his pipe dreams. He decides to call his new glass pipe company Red Eye Glass®. -
2004
H continues to expand his glass pipe offerings to include an innovative new product line called GEAR Premium®—the first scientific glass pipe brand in Canada. Weed geeks everywhere rejoice. -
2006
After an unsuccessful attempt to get a bank loan for his business, H finds a creative way to get financing—by starting an online gift shop called West Coast Gifts. -
2011
West Coast Gifts is such a hit with the glass pipe crowd, H moves his growing business to a 20,000 square foot warehouse. -
2012
The West Coast Gifts catalogue expands even further to include the Red Eye Tek® Collection. -
2014
Two of the greatest legends in the game approve of H’s business savvy and Cheech & Chong® Glass officially joins the family. -
2019
With a booming business that’s picking up steam as cannabis is legalized in more places, H is still fulfilling his dreams of changing the world one colour changing glass pipe at a time. -
2021
Canadian comedy troupe, The Kids in the Hall™, officially partners with West Coast Gifts to release one of many exclusive collections. Cabbage heads, unite! -
2022
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office issues H a patent for his innovative water pipe with an integrated lighter receptacle sold and marketed under the GEAR Premium® Sidekick brand. -
2023
West Coast Gifts celebrates its 20 year anniversary. Time flies when you're having fun!
Our Brands
We carry over 30 different product lines, but our eight house brands have a special place in our hearts. We’re so proud of our babies… they grow up so fast!
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Our original house brand since 2003, Red Eye Glass® continues to be a source of creative collaboration. Classic with a twist of tie-dye, this collection always provides a high-quality experience that honours our colourful history.
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Red Eye Tek® is our premium collection of water pipes and oil rigs developed in a top-secret underground lab using classified technology. It’s everything on the advanced cannabis enthusiast’s must-have list.
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This collection pays homage to the roots of cannabis culture with a nod to two of the most beloved pioneers in the game (and their licensed trademark of course). Smoke with the originals, smoke with Cheech & Chong® Glass!
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The self-driving sports car fleet of cannabis vessels, our GEAR Premium® line represents the pinnacle of expertly engineered water pipes and oil rigs that inspire people to push the boundaries of maximum adjectives tolerated in one sentence.
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Engineered from smooth, brightly coloured silicone in eyebrow-raising shapes, these bongs, oil rigs and hand pipes will make you question everything you know (but we promise you’ll come out on the other side a better person).
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Psychedelic swirls and glow-in-the-dark finishes highlight this nostalgic line of bongs. They’re the perfect water pipes for old-school connoisseurs or new schoolers who wish they’d been alive during the grooviest of times.
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The iRie™ collection is perfect for those days you want to breathe in deeply, close your eyes and imagine steel drums playing softly in the distance while warm sand squishes between your toes (just don’t ask how the sand got there).
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Feast your eyes on our carefully curated vaporizers and vaporizing accessories from some of the most highly rated and sophisticated brands. Put that in your vape and… vape it? We’re still figuring that part out.
Careers
Looking for a career in the fast growing cannabis industry? Check out our current job openings below.
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Order Picker (Warehouse)
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Cannabis markets are quickly growing in Canada and worldwide. This is a tremendous opportunity to join the largest distributor of award-winning delivery devices for the cannabis connoisseur as we build upon our established brands.
Since 2003, West Coast Gifts has provided its retail customers with the largest selection of cannabis accessories at competitive prices, speedy shipping, and superior customer service. We are the exclusive designer, manufacturer and distributor of some of the most recognized brands in the industry, including Red Eye Glass®, GEAR Premium®, Cheech & Chong® Glass, Red Eye Tek®, LIT® Silicone, iRie™ and Retro Glass.
We are looking for Order Pickers to join us in our expanding Warehouse team.
The Role:
Order pickers are responsible for filling customer orders and delivering them to the delivery dock in a manner that meets company standards for safety, security and productivity, to ensure accurate and timely delivery of products.In this job you will:
– Receive and check incoming pick tickets to make sure orders are picked accurately and in a timely manner
– Restock Inventory manually or using a lift picker
– Keep records of damaged or broken stock, to ensure accurate information is available at all times
– Locate product using scanner technology
– Maintain a safe working environment, adhering to all relevant OHS regulations and company guidelines
– Ship out orders, utilizing various shipping companies software solutions.
– Maintain the warehouse space clean and organized, maintain equipment and report on any malfunctions.Education, Skills and Experience:
– High School Diploma or above
– Previous experience working in a warehouse/supply chain environment
– Able to read and write in English
– Good organizational and time management skills with strong attention to detail
– Ability to meet tight deadlines and confidently work in a fast-passed environment
– Good physical strength and stamina, able to lift and carry over short distances 50-75lbs, and to stand for prolonged periods of time.
– Good math skills and general computer skills, including vendor specialized shipping software solutions, such as Canpar, FedEx software, etc.
– Or equivalent combination of education, training and experience that provides the knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the job.
– Knowledge of industry and Company products will be considered a strong advantageIf you think we could be a good match, apply now by sending your resume to hr@westcoastgifts.ca, and tell us why!
We’re looking forward to meeting you!
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Digital Marketing Specialist
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West Coast Gifts is the leading designer, manufacturer and distributor of smoking accessories in Canada. With international expansion on the horizon, we are in search of an experienced, ambitious and creative Digital Marketing Specialist to help fuel the growth of our company (along with multiple in-house brands) within the digital space.
The Digital Marketing Specialist is an enthusiastic storyteller and leader. You are detail-oriented and love crafting new messages and campaign concepts that reflect the brand and engage the audience. You follow the latest trends in digital marketing and recognize the need to focus efforts on areas that deliver the most ROI. You excel in content creation, project management, analytics reporting, copywriting and customer service. You have a desire to keep up with the constantly changing landscape of digital
marketing. You are a people person and enjoy working in a marketing team but take ownership of your role and regularly bring innovative digital marketing ideas to the table.Key Responsibilities:
- Writes product copy for all SKUs in our catalogue.
- Develops, researches and executes social media strategies, maximizing social media presence across all social media platforms.
- Develops engaging, relevant, and varied content (evergreen, contests, product launches) across social media channels, including but not limited to blogs, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, other social media platforms, and SMS marketing
- Manages LiveChat and social media channels to ensure inquiries are answered promptly.
- Creates and schedules email blasts for both B2B and B2C channels.
- Plans and executes SEO strategies.
- Provides superior customer service. Listens attentively across all social media channels and effectively responds to questions, comments, and complaints with a great deal of transparency and authenticity.
- Understands how to handle a wide variety of situations.
- Create hashtag strategies to increase online community.
Develops and maintains performance reporting and metrics to demonstrate proof of performance. - Proactively and regularly, communicates results to key stakeholders.
- Responsible for community growth and engagement, content planning, content development, scheduling,
posting, and monitoring. Identifies opportunities to improve social media activity. - Scouts potential influencers, affiliates, and media outlets that best represent each brand.
- Creates and maintains a professional relationship with partners, resulting in potential collaborative
efforts/campaigns. - Creates targeted content through various social media platforms.
- Attend company events to promote brands through social channels.
- Other duties as assigned.
Skills and Qualifications:
- Minimum 4 years experience in Digital Marketing role
- 3+ years of Google Ads experience required
- Advanced knowledge of Google Analytics and reporting
- Knowledge in Excel, Mailchimp, Klaviyo, Shopify and various social media platforms including (but not limited to) Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok and LinkedIn
- Strong knowledge of SEO
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
- Ability to manage targets and report on KPIs
- Enthusiastic, energetic, and creative; likes to bring ideas to the table
- Analytical with a high attention to detail
- Results-oriented with a strong sense of ownership of projects and the ability to manage multiple deadlines
- Passion for learning and keeping on top of the latest ad trends and media
- Strong commercial awareness
- Takes responsibility and ownership of assigned tasks; able to handle multiple work streams without supervision
- Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment managing different accounts at once
- Excellent video editing skills
- Knowledge of the cannabis industry is a plus
Application must include:
- Resume
- Cover Letter
- LinkedIn Profile Link
Due to the large volume of submissions, only qualified candidates selected for the interview process will be contacted.