Ngosuku olujwayelekile, uChris “Special K” Uhlhorn, owaziwa ngelikaBongfather, angabonakala ku-IGTV egqoke ingubo yaseSeattle Seahawks, ephephetha ingilazi ngenduku, eyiphatha ngamathuluzi ahlukahlukene, futhi ayiphotha kuhhavini oshisayo.Ngokuvamile ukwenza i- bong ethile kunzima futhi kudinga usizo lwabantu ababili noma abathathu.
Uhlhorn waqala ibhizinisi lakhe le-Special K Glass e-Seattle ngo-1998 kodwa wabuyela edolobheni lakubo e-Eugene ngo-2005 ukuze akhulise izingane ezimbili ezincane.Izuze inkolo elandelayo emashumini ambalwa eminyaka adlule ngezingilazi zayo zesimanje zesimanje ezisesitayeleni, ezingatholakala ezitolo zikagwayi namapayipi kulo lonke elase-Oregon, kanye nakuwebhusayithi ye-Special K.
"Isikibha sethu esilandelayo sizothi 'I-pod yami yokuqala bekuyi-Special K'," esho, "ngoba sizwa lokho ngaso sonke isikhathi futhi ngiyayithanda."
Ngaphambi kwe-COVID, i-Ullhorn ibisebenza kakhulu ezinkundleni zokuxhumana kodwa ibingakathengiswa ku-inthanethi.Manje ngokuthengiswa kwe-inthanethi nokulandwa, yonke into isishintshile.“Bacosha izimpahla endlini yethu yokugcina impahla,” kusho u-Uhlhorn kimi."Lokhu akukaze kwenzeke ngaphambili."
Ngokungafani nezinkinga zezimali ubhubhane olubangele amabhizinisi amancane azo zonke izinhlobo, ama-cannabis dispensaries namahhovisi amakhulu abonwa njengento ebalulekile.Ku-Special K: "Lesi yisikhathi esishintshayo kakhulu ebhizinisini lami eminyakeni engama-21," kusho u-Uhlhorn, ibhizinisi lakhe lezitolo eziningi seliqalile kusukela kwalolu bhubhane."Wonke umuntu ubhema ukhula ekhaya, futhi lokhu kuyinto efanelekile kulabo abaphoqeleka ukuthi bahlale ekhaya ehlobo futhi bafuna ukunambitheka okumnandi."
Uhlhorn wengeze ngokuthi ama-glassblowers amaningi abhekene nokukhula kwebhizinisi okufanayo.“Bebegcwele ngokweqile nje.”Kwabe sekufika i-4/20 kanye nomjikelezo wokuqala wokuhlola ukuvuselela, athi usize amabhizinisi ukuthi asuke ku-$300 ngosuku ekuthengisweni kwe-inthanethi aye ku-$1,000 ngosuku cishe ubusuku bonke.
E-Portland, cishe uzothola i-Special K noma kuphi lapho kuthengiswa khona amapayipi nama-bong, kodwa i-House of Glass ka-Mary Jane kanye ne-Nomad Crossing (4526 SE Hawthorne) inokukhethwa okuhle ngokukhethekile.
Njengamanje u-Uhlhorn uhlala eSouth Eugene, eduze nekhempasi yaseNyuvesi yase-Oregon kanye namabhulokhi ambalwa ukusuka ekhaya lakhe lobuntwana.“Kushintshile kancane kusukela ngo-1991… ngisesikoleni samabanga aphezulu futhi ngathenga ipayipi lami lokuqala lengilazi endaweni encane ebizwa ngokuthi i-Clay Babies e-Oregon Fair.Kwakuyisilinda.ucezu olwaqala lonke ukunyakaza kwengilazi enkulu yesimanje, eyenziwe uSnodgrass, unkulunkulukazi wengilazi.”
Omunye wabaqaphelekayo u-Eugene u-Bob Snodgrass, owaqala ukusebenza ngobuchule bakhe ngenkathi evakashela Abafile Ababongayo ngeminyaka yawo-1970s kanye nama-80s, futhi utuswa ngokuthuthukisa ubuchwepheshe beshubhu lengilazi elisetshenziswa emhlabeni wonke namuhla.Ngaphandle kuka-Bob Snodgrass, u-Uhlhorn wabuye wafunda ngokuvungula ingilazi kumngane wakhe wasesikoleni esiphakeme u-Sky, u-Uhlhorn ambiza ngokuthi “i-glassblower ye-OG ephezulu”.Abangane baqala ukwenza amapayipi kanye nomculo egcekeni lakwaSkye.Ngangazi zisuka nje ukuthi ngizophetha ngalokhu,” kusho uhlhorn.
Ngo-1998, ngesikhathi ehlala e-Eastlake, e-Seattle, u-Uhlhorn wathola umphakathi wokudala, lapho aqala khona ipayipi lengilazi kanye nebhizinisi lokufutha i-bong.“I-Seattle iyisizinda saseMelika sengilazi ethambile,” kuchaza u-Uhlhorn.“Intsha yangempela yayisebenzela [umqophi wezingilazi waseMelika] uDale Chihuly.Sivule indawo yokusebenzela encane yengilazi khona kanye kwaDale Chihuly,” kusho u-Uhlhorn.U-Chihuly waziwa ngokufaka kwakhe ubuciko obuningi emhlabeni jikelele futhi uvule indlela kubaculi abaningi endaweni yaseSeattle.
“Abafana abasebasha ababesebenza lapho babeza esitolo sethu futhi senze ama-bong,” kukhumbula u-Uhlhorn.“Ngangineminyaka engaba ngu-25-26 ubudala.Uma ngikhuluma iqiniso, bengilokhu ngikwenza nsuku zonke kusukela ngaleso sikhathi.”
Namuhla, ungakwazi ukubona kalula izingcezu ze-Special K ngokugoqa kwentamo yazo eyisiginesha, izibambo ezigobile nemininingwane egobile.
"I-wrapper ngokuqinisekile iyingxenye yesitayela sami sokusayina," kusho u-Uhlhorn mayelana nomklamo wokucophelela ophefumulelwe waseVenetian.“Iphinde ibe nesici esisebenza kakhulu.Abantu bayasithanda ngempela isibambo.Ukugoqa kusivumela ukuthi silolonge intamo futhi sincike emuva kancane.”
Nakuba kungeyona yonke imikhiqizo eza nesibambo sengilazi esivunguzayo, wonke ama-hookah akhethekile we-K ahlanganisa imibala egqamile enama-hues ahlukahlukene (okuhlanganisa nezindawo ezikhazimulayo ezimnyama) kanye nezinhlobonhlobo zobumo obumangalisayo;azikho izinhlamvu ezimbili, izibuko, izinsimbi, izigaxa, izitsha noma amaqanda afana ncamashi.
“[Amakhasimende] ayamthanda lo mlingiswa.Abesifazane abaningi bazichaza ngombala wezinwele noma izinzipho zabo.Yingakho okunsomi kwakudume kakhulu.“Bathanda nokubaqamba amagama,” kuqhuba u-Uhlhorn.“Ngike ngezwa ezinye izitolo zithi kimi, 'Chris, kufanele ube nengoma edume kakhulu ngoba wonke umuntu oyithengayo uyabuya azositshela ukuthi ayibize ngani.''”
Cishe u-99% wezinto zokusetshenziswa ezisetshenziswa iSpecial K (ngaphandle kopende abawathengayo) yizinto ezigaywe kabusha zangemuva kwezimboni.I-Uhlhorn idala izibambo ngama-tweezers, izindlawu nezikele futhi yengeza imininingwane yedizayini esiqeshini ngasinye ngenkathi kushisa.“Konke lokho kuthinta okuncane kungisiza ngempela ukuthi ngizihlukanise nokungeniswa kwamanye amazwe kwamaShayina,” kusho yena.
Nakuba u-Uhlhorn enakekela amakhasimende abo bonke ubudala, uyavuma ukuthi “intsha eningi ngokusobala yaqala ngomsebenzi wami.Bangakwazi ukuyikhokhela.Ngicabanga ukuthi lokho kuyingxenye enkulu yempumelelo.”
U-Special K uthi kungcono ukusebenzisa usawoti we-rock kanye nokuhlikihla utshwala ukuze uhlanze, bese ugeza ngamanzi abandayo.“Sincoma ukuthi ungawasebenzisi amanzi ashisayo,” kusho u-Uhlhorn.“Akudingi nje ukuhlanzwa.Ingaphuka ibe yizicucu.Ukufunde kanzima lokho.”Kodwa uma ingxenye encane, njengesitsha noma isiqu esiphansi, yonakalisiwe, kulula ukuyishintsha.
Uthi: “Izicucu engizikhonzile yilezo engenze ngayizolo.“Futhi ngiyathembisa ukuthi kunocezu kuhhavini nsuku zonke lapho ngizama khona into entsha noma ngenze okuthile okuhlukile… kodwa kuhlale kuba khona impumelelo.Uma kukhona impumelelo futhi udala okuthile okusha, lokho kuhlala kwanelisa kakhulu “.”
Lapho ebuzwa ukuthi uthanda ukubhema insangu ngama-bongs, u-Uhlhorn uthe yebo.
"Sisebenza usuku lonke," kusho u-Uhlhorn.“Ekhaya, kufanele ngiye egaraji, lapho kukhona amapayipi amancane asendlini.Ngizama ukuhlakanipha, kodwa ngokungangabazeki bakhona ababhemayo esitolo sethu.Kuhle kakhulu.”
Isikhathi sokuthumela: Dec-13-2022