McCloudz

            With the recent rise in states moving towards legalizing marijuana, glass shops and glass artists who make artistic pipes are becoming more prominent across the nation.
            With a population of about 12,000 smoke shops in the United States, the glass culture is thriving. New shops are opening that house not only a place to showcase this glass work, but also a studio to create these one-of-a-kind pieces. One of these shops, McCloudz Pipes and Novelties, is housed on Main Street in Norman, Oklahoma.

            To build his shop and studio, TaMike McCloud first needed to make some money. His lawn mowing/property preservation company, Oklahoma Superior Investments (OSI) preservation was started in 2009. Luckily for him, OSI expanded from 50 properties to 300 properties in the matter of a year, and in 2011 McCloudz was able to open its doors in Midwest City. Since moving McCloudz to Norman in 2013, TaMike has stepped away from OSI for the most part, leaving it to his wife Laura to operate.

            For the last year, TaMike has worked to expand his studio. When it first opened in Norman, McCloudz shared space with a screen printing company called Perspectives. The shop was housed in the back half of the suite space, using a curtain as a divider between the two companies. Perspectives later moved out of the suite, deciding that working from home would be more cost-effective for their business. This allowed TaMike to take over the entire space, making McCloudz what it is today.

            TaMike and his employees share a vision of creating a space for art. So far, their vision is taking shape; and as the shop continues to grow, so will their artist collection.

VIDEO: Tyler Jones

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