On a typical day, Chris “Special K” Uhlhorn, also known as Bongfather, can be seen on IGTV wearing a Seattle Seahawks outfit, blowing glass with a rod, manipulating it with various tools, and spinning it in a hot oven. Often making a particular bong is difficult and requires the help of two or three people.
Uhlhorn started his Special K Glass business in Seattle in 1998 but returned to his hometown of Eugene in 2005 to raise two young children. It has gained a cult following over the past few decades for its stylish new-age glassware, which can be found in tobacco and pipe stores throughout Oregon, as well as on the Special K website.
“Our next T-shirt will say ‘My first pod was a Special K’,” he said, “because we hear that all the time and I love it.”
Prior to COVID, Ullhorn was very active on social media but was not yet sold online. Now with online sales and pickup, everything has changed. “They pick up the goods through our warehouse,” Uhlhorn told me. “This has never happened before.”
Unlike the financial problems that the pandemic has caused to small businesses of all kinds, cannabis dispensaries and head offices are seen as essential. For Special K: “This is the most transitional period in my business in 21 years,” said Uhlhorn, whose wholesale business has taken off since the pandemic. “Everyone smokes weed at home, and this is the perfect thing for those who are forced to stay at home for the summer and want a tasty treat.”
Uhlhorn added that many glassblowers are experiencing the same business growth. “They were just overcrowded.” Then came the 4/20 and the first round of stimulus checks, which he says helped businesses go from $300 a day in online sales to $1,000 a day almost overnight.
In Portland, you’ll probably find Special K anywhere pipes and bongs are sold, but Mary Jane’s House of Glass and Nomad Crossing (4526 SE Hawthorne) have a particularly good selection.
Uhlhorn currently lives in South Eugene, close to the University of Oregon campus and a few blocks from his childhood home. “It’s changed a bit since 1991… I was in high school and bought my first glass pipe from a little kiosk called Clay Babies at the Oregon Fair. It was a cylinder. the piece that started the whole modern big glass movement, made by Snodgrass, the godfather of glass.”
One of Eugene’s notables is Bob Snodgrass, who began working on his technique while touring with the Grateful Dead in the 1970s and 80s, and is credited with developing the glass tube technology that is used around the world today. In addition to Bob Snodgrass, Uhlhorn also learned about glassblowing from his high school friend Sky, whom Uhlhorn calls a “super OG glassblower”. The friends start making pipes and a bong in Skye’s backyard. “I knew right away that I would end with this,” Uhlhorn said.
In 1998, while living in Eastlake, Seattle, Uhlhorn discovered the creative community, where he started a glass pipe and bong blowing business. “Seattle is America’s epicenter for soft glass,” explains Uhlhorn. “Real young people worked for [American glass sculptor] Dale Chihuly. We opened a small glass workshop right across from Dale Chihuly’s,” Uhlhorn said. Chihuly is known for his many art installations around the world and has paved the way for many artists in the Seattle area.
“Young guys who worked there would come to our shop and we would make bongs,” Uhlhorn recalls. “I was about 25-26 years old. To be honest, I’ve been doing it every day since then.”
Today, you can easily recognize Special K pieces by their signature spiral neck wrap, curved handles and curved details.
“The wrapper is definitely part of my signature style,” Uhlhorn says of the meticulous Venetian-inspired design. “It also has a very functional feature. People really like the handle. The wrap allows us to shape the neck and lean back a bit.”
While not all products come with a glass spiral handle, all Special K hookahs feature vibrant color blends with varying hues (including some glow-in-the-dark areas) and a variety of epic shapes; no two bullets, glasses, bells, cones, goblets or eggs look exactly the same.
“[Customers] love this character. Many women identify themselves by the color of their hair or nails. That’s why purple was very, very popular. “They also like to give them names,” Uhlhorn continues. “I’ve heard some stores say to me, ‘Chris, you must have the most famous bong because everyone who buys it comes back and tells us what he called it.’ ‘”
About 99% of the raw materials that Special K uses (excluding the paints they buy) are post-industrial recycled materials. Uhlhorn creates the handles with tweezers, tongs and scissors and adds design details to each piece while it’s hot. “All those little touches really help me differentiate myself from Chinese imports,” he said.
Although Uhlhorn caters to clients of all ages, he acknowledges that “many young people obviously started with my job. They can afford it. I think that’s a big part of the success.”
Special K says it’s best to use rock salt and rubbing alcohol for cleaning, then rinse with cold water. “We recommend that you do not use hot water,” Uhlhorn says. “It just doesn’t need to be cleaned. It can break into pieces. You learned that the hard way.” But if a small part, such as the bowl or bottom stem, is damaged, it is easy to replace.
“My favorite pieces are the ones I did the day before,” he says. “And I promise there’s a piece in the oven every day where I try something new or do something different… but there’s always a breakthrough. When there’s a breakthrough and you create something new, that’s always the most satisfying “. ”
When asked if he prefers to smoke marijuana with bongs, Uhlhorn said yes.
“We work all day,” Uhlhorn said. “At home, I have to go to the garage, where there is a small household plumbing. I’m trying to be discreet, but no doubt there are smokers in our store. It’s pretty cool.”
Post time: Dec-13-2022