Torched Art Studio

Torched Art Studio is not your average smoke shop in Holland, Michigan, and locals will tell you that the moment you walk through the door. One thing first: the GPS can send you off the mark, so copy and paste the address, because the trip is worth it. Look for the spot next to Ditto. Once you're inside, people describe being genuinely amazed at the sheer amount of inventory, glass pipes and water pipes and smoking accessories stacked from low prices right on up.

As one person who found it put it, you can't beat the prices anywhere else. What really sets the tone here is the working glass studio. They have their own stations, and you can watch the artists making pipes and glass art right in front of you. Made in Michigan, not just made in America, and folks have driven an hour and a half just to see it and come away saying the trip was more than worth it.

If you've got a piece that needs help, the word around Holland is that this is the place. We've heard about a rig mouthpiece that came back hitting better than before, and about a customer who bounced through five or six other shops chasing a specific part before the owner used his glass-blowing skills to work out a solution at a surprisingly fair price. The owner gets a lot of love from the people who shop here, described over and over as friendly, down to earth, and easy to work with. This is a genuinely local small business, and it's earned a strong reputation across town, one of the better-regarded shops around.

Beyond glass, the shelves hold a little bit of everything: Magic the Gathering, disc golf gear, hat pins, and local artwork. Ask anyone who shops here and they'll tell you it's the kind of store that makes you want to come back and bring a friend. One longtime resident said they'd lived here since 2008 and had no idea what they were missing.