The High Design Edit: Top 5 Garden Party AVL Finds
My favorite finds from Appalachia's premiere boutique
High Design is a biweekly newsletter exploring the big, wide world of weed accessories. The High Design edit is a new series in which I pick a few of my favorite items from small 420-friendly businesses nationwide (Not sponsored, just people, places, and things I believe in!). To start, I’m featuring Garden Party: an Asheville-based boutique specializing in pretty colors and artisan-made smokeware.
I consider myself an original Garden Party fan. Introduced to me by my roommate in 2019, I was immediately drawn to the shop not only because of its perfect curation, but because it shares its name with a song that’s always stuck with me: Garden Party by Ricky Nelson. My ex-boyfriend showed me it initially – he’s a subscriber, we’re good – and I wrote an admittedly very cliche short story based on it shortly after we broke up, so I always feel a stomach-churning mix of pleasant nostalgia and deep embarrassment when I hear it (which, ironically, is almost exactly what the song is about). Anyway, enough about me. Let’s talk cannaccessories.
John Quick Ceramics - Tall Ritual Vase
My favorite thing about the John Quick “ritual vases” (bubblers, in layman’s terms) are their dreamy color schemes. Featuring complimentary gradients and highly saturated hues, this cotton candy pink and purple ceramic piece is a collector’s dream. It’s also a simpler way to get into the bong game if you’re not there yet — easy to use, easy to clean, and just one piece to keep track of.
Garden Party x Hazeltine - Garden Party Candle
If I didn’t write about bongs, I would write about candles. I have very specific scent preferences (do not come near me with a Bath & Body Works “waffle” anything), and this ticks all the boxes: bright green cannabis leaves, rich soil, and earthy roses. They say scent is the scent most closely associated with memory, and this candle brings me back to my backyard garden in D.C. — one of the few things I deeply miss about the city. It brings me back to plucking figs from the tree above the plot and watering the weed plants growing in pots scattered around the patio.
Ficus Ceramica - Strawberry Fruit Poke
Pokers are devastatingly unsung heroes in the cannabis accessories game. Ditch your toothpicks for a fruit pick with Ficus Ceramica, an artist I’ve written about on High Design before who uses real fruits, vegetables, and other members of nature’s bounty to mold hyper-realistic smoke accessories. I also love the black color — shiny silver gunks up with goo all too quickly.
Gossamer - Happy Hour CBG Mini Joints
Hemp cannabinoids don’t end at CBD. Sometimes called “the mother of all cannabinoids,” CBG is the cannabinoid from which all others are derived. A perfect choice for medical patients, CBG helps to relieve the effects of migraines, muscle soreness, and appetite loss without inducing drowsiness. These are a great choice for all the relief of a mid-day smoke break without the buzz.
Kierra Boyd - Weed Leaf Mirror
Kierra Boyd is an Asheville-based artist specializing in quirky, anthropomorphic renditions of classic stoner paraphernalia – from bong earrings to smoking daisy keychains. This tiny mirrored weed leaf fits perfectly into the family for people (like myself) who aren’t huge jewelry fans.
Bonus: Legalize Appalachia - Cannabis for All, Ya’ll: A Guide for the Prohibition South
Legalize Appalachia is pushing for a part of the country that desperately needs it to achieve equitable cannabis legalization while helping those who are currently affected by continued prohibition. This area always remains at the forefront of my mind and close to my heart in the fight for legal weed – only partially because my mom lives in Knoxville. Not only does Garden Party sell this handy guide to learning outdated laws and how to resist while protecting yourself in the currently hostile environment, but co-owner Tarleton Walmsley is also on the Founding Board of Directors for the organization.