Let it be known: The ubiquity of cannabis culture in Colorado is not limited to the human scale.
For evidence, look no further than a display case near a back corner of Norm’s Dollhouse, a full-service dollhouse and miniatures shop at 7300 S. Colorado Blvd. in Centennial.
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There, in the case, along with the exceptionally tiny Russian nesting dolls, pint-sized potted plants and other items that might be found in an elaborate dollhouse sit a selection of miniature bongs.
When asked about the tiny toking apparatuses, shop owner Norma Nielsen laughed.
“Trust me, it had nothing to do with me,” the 79-year-old said. “That would be my son and his girlfriend.”
Norm’s — named for Norma’s late husband and shop founder, Norm Nielsen — has been around for nearly 39 years, occupying various spaces around Arapahoe County. It sells custom-made dollhouses, dollhouse kits and just about everything else you could think of. Want a miniature cat for your mini family? Norm’s has it. Seeking a ping-pong table for the tiny rumpus room? It’s there.
Norma said the bongs are a somewhat recent addition, joining the shop’s selection in just the last four or five years after her son and company vice president, David Nielsen, and his girlfriend spotted them labeled “vases” in a supplier catalog.
“I about died when I saw them. That didn’t quite fit with my Victorian vision, but that’s OK,” Norma said. “It’s everywhere I guess. Even in the miniature world.”
David said he knows that the tiny water pipes aren’t necessarily kid-friendly merchandise for the store, but so far he hasn’t fielded any complaints.
“We used to keep them behind the counter to show them to select customers, but since it’s legal in Colorado we figured it was safe to put them on the shelf,” he said. “You can usually tell when someone spots them over there because they start chuckling.”
David pointed out the shop carries all kinds of items, both mass-produced and handmade. In the same case as the itty bitty bongs sits a one-of-a-kind hookah he found at a trade show. That piece is going for $75.
Norma estimates the shop has sold six or seven bongs over the years. One notable sale occurred just recently. David said a couple from a local marijuana business came in seeking items to make a scene for their company Christmas card. They bought a porcelain sleeping Santa and wanted to pair him with a pipe.
Forget the pipe. “We have a bong for a poor old sleeping Santa,” Norma said.
Norm’s had five bongs for sale last week in a range of styles and colors, sized at 1 inch tall or less. Labeled with item numbers 410-425 (yep, one is 420), they are priced between $5 and $5.55.
Those interested in purchasing a bong or any other items in Norm’s seemingly limitless selection should visit soon. The business will close for good on March 15.
To read more about Norm’s Dollhouse and its four decades in business visit YourHub.com.
