Arsenic & Old Lace Smoke Shop

Arsenic & Old Lace has been an Akron institution for more than fifty years, and folks around town treat it like one. Some of the people who shop here will tell you they have been coming since the 70s, which says just about everything you need to know. This is an authentic smoke shop through and through, the kind of place with real character instead of the fake corporate polish you sometimes run into elsewhere. First things first: it takes a little effort to find. The shop sits up on the third floor of an unassuming building, the sign is small, and you have to walk in and head up the stairs.

Don't let that throw you. As one regular put it, you might feel like you took a wrong turn until you step through the door, and then it feels like walking into Narnia. Inside you'll find a big open room packed with glass pipes and water pipes, tobacco pipes, cigars, rolling papers and accessories, plus posters, clothes and decor that lean hard into that 70s nostalgia. People say there's always something new to check out. The heart of the place is the people running it.

Ron has been at this location for going on half a century, and his nephew Rod works alongside him. Ask anyone who shops here and they'll tell you Ron remembers names and treats everybody fair. We've heard stories of him marking prices down just to be nice and tossing in a few extras for free. There's a good sale the first Saturday of every month, usually thirty percent off, and Ron will tell you to come back for it. No pressure, just genuine service.

Word around Akron is that nobody beats Arsenic's prices, and plenty of longtime shoppers rank it among the very best smoke shops in the area. A true lesser-known option, and one of the oldest head shops in the country to boot. Worth the climb up those stairs.