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By Christine Graf
Glens Falls business owner Robin Barkenhagen recently opened a second location of his 42° ventures. The new glass gallery and smoke shop is located in Ellsworth Plaza on Route 9 in Malta.
Last year, he relocated his Glens Falls store from Park Street to the Colvin Building at 206 Glen St. The building was purchased for $945,000 in January 2019 by Brian Bronzino, part owner of 42°. Barkenhagen and Bronzino entered into their partnership in 2018.
The first 42° opened in 2010, and the move to the larger store on Glen Street allowed Barkenhagen to expand his product line.
Both stores feature glass products that are handmade by more than 100 independent glass artists throughout the United States, he said. Convenience store items are also sold at the Glens Falls location.
“We sell things like cigarettes and vape products,” he said. “Our glass gallery features high-end glass. We have pipes ranging from $15 to $80, and our most expensive piece is $40,000. It’s a glass chess board that’s in our window in Glens Falls.
“Some people buy our glass and use it as decorations. There are collectors around the country that will seek out some of these blowers that we have that are nationally and internationally known,” Barkenhagen said.
42° also sells a full line of CBD products. They carry several brands including their own proprietary product line of pain creams, tinctures, and candies. It is produced with CBD that was harvested in 2019 during Barkenhagen’s brief foray into hemp farming, he said.
Although the market is flooded with CBD products, Barkenhagen said not all products are equal. The 42° brand of products are made with strains that have a very high CBD count, are competitively priced, and “offer more for less.”
“But we pride ourselves on having employees with the best knowledge of CBD. It’s so overwhelming, and we try to break it down into general terms” for customers, he said.
The stores also sponsor special events. In July, they held a show featuring the work of Karma, a well-known glass artist from North Carolina. The event attracted collectors from all over the country, according to Barkenhagen.
Barkenhagen has 10 employees between both stores. Although walk-in sales have declined due to COVID-19, online sales have grown, he said. The increase is due in part to the store’s expanded product line.
He said his website used to generate maybe a few sales a month. “Now we do $20,000 a month in online sales.”
Barkenhagen is involved in the Glens Falls community and recently helped organize a drive through food distribution event that provided boxes of food to more than 300 families. He is president of the Glens Falls Collaborative and a member of the Glens Falls Urban Renewal Agency.
For information, visit 42degreesgallery.com.