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Most smoke shops are pretty standard -- you'll find lots of shelves with pipes, pot leaf motifs here and there, and maybe a poster of Bob Marley somewhere. But one local head shop owner is trying to make his new location more like an art gallery, and he's enlisted the help of talented Phoenix muralist Lalo Cota.
The new Herb N Legend location, scheduled to open on Saturday, is an extension of the Herb N Legend shop in Peoria, and will feature all kinds of artistic touches -- most prominently, Cota's cityscape/skyline mural.
In addition to Cota's mural, the fountain, and the art deco humidor, Martin plans to install an old (but still functional) pay phone in the store. The pay phone was part of an art exhibit downtown, and has been refitted with all sorts of graffiti and light-up effects. There's also an elaborate blown glass chandelier on the way.
Martin's hoping to get everything installed and finished by Saturday. Cota just began work on the mural on Wednesday, and will be working almost nonstop until completion. "I'm really excited to have Lalo's work in here," Martin says. "This is going to be like no smoke shop anybody's ever seen."
Learn more about Lalo Cota and his work when he speaks on November 12, as part of Pecha Kucha Night: Phoenix.
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