Annapurna

I have gone to this place 3 – 4 times, for sure I can always trust their price, customer care is so good, I am very impressed with their detailed explanation. I will highly recommend this place and for sure will come back in future if i need anything

This review is based off of my experience with who I am assuming was the owner. In one word OUTSTANDING. I I I
Want more words? See below. VVV
I guarantee, that you will not find another shop with better customer service or knowledge. The owner, was very well versed, kind, patient, and suggested price searching online, even though I was way ahead of him. Integrity was strong with this one
I came in knowing that I wanted a quality 420 vape at a cheaper price, not much over 100 and I wasn’t too interested in the portables
The storkes and Bickel vapes run 400 – 600 so i was obviously not spending big money, but he still treated me like I was. respect bro
We discussed over 6 different types all but 4 he discounted for me. I’m telling you, I picked this guys brain, and he was a pleasure to deal with.
The thing that I value most from the entire experience was the fact that he was very willing to tell me which devices to avoid for my particular specifics. I repeat… Integrity.
First time at the shop, didn’t deal with any of the girls, as previous reviewers stated, but I’m pretty sure this guy knows what he’s doing.
For all my SERIOUS purchases in the future, you have my word bro, I’m coming back

Bought a vaporizer there with a 10 year warranty. Worked once. They won’t take it back and the company that made it does not respond. Mixture of 60s vibe with 80s greed.

I love love this place! I’ve been coming here for years, i love the quirk this place carries and the selection/​price of things! I decided to bring my friend by since she had something in mind she was looking for and I knew this was the to-​go spot. We headed over and were not greeted, not even looked at. I didn’t think much of it, Im in the customer service industry i know how wrapped up one can get in something they are doing. She was on the phone for almost the whole half hour we were in there, finally she got off and my friend approached her. She was rude and didn’t even give us the time of day. I wanted to keep looking however the vibes were definitely thrown off and the last thing I wanted was to stay any longer. I hate leaving bad reviews to a place like this one but i do emphasize it is NOT anything wrong with the place or products, nor the other lovely ladies/​gentleman who work there. My friend and I are bummed that we were so turned off of Annapurna due to their rude employee.

Interesting shop. Has a nice selection of basic smoking needs (papers, glass, vaporizers, etc) as well as incenses and other random stuff. I like the vibe, they did a good job decorating the place.

Do you know how many stores I went to looking for a temporary tattoo?!
I was stoked when the girl working here said they have them.
Their fake tattoos are totally cute. I know, I should just get a real one!

I love going to Annapurna for patchouli oil, theirs smells better than any other store’s version. I also love the Berkeley feel of the store, laid back, funky, easy going, and in touch with Mother Earth. If you need herbs, oils, or something else to create your magic, this is the place for you.

Friendly knowledgeable staff that were very helpful, and not pushy.

Annapurna = Berkeley institution.

This place is history. This place is magic. You don’t go into it with your version, you let its version go into you.
If you don’t know, you been told. Get here and learn.

This area of town is completely annoying, but I’ll make the trip here just because I can get my parking validated while at a head shop. Name anywhere else in the country where that’s possible… yes, only Berkeley.

This is one of many head shops around Telegraph, but definitely not one of the best if you’re looking for a comfortable chat with the staff. If you’re aiming for a quick in-​and-​out for a specific novelty something-​or-​other, go ahead.
Every time I’ve walked in (or out) the girls at the counter glare at me, wide-​eyed, and when I’ve needed help they’ve been vague and disinterested at best. They tend to talk on the phone and smoke cigarettes in the store when the manager isn’t around.
The selection of stuff is a little disorganized and sometimes dusty, but they have a decent layout overall that’s easy enough to navigate on busy days considering the tight space.
It is fun, though, on the warmer nights when this store opens up the doors near closing time and blasts old Green Day songs down Telegraph. At least they’re still trying.
FYI — Nag Champa is cheaper at the smokeshop next door.

let me start by saying that i love all of the ‘hippie’ type shops. annapurna is no longer one. and just because the place hasn’t been cleaned since the 60s does not mean it’s ‘authentic’. poor employees & poor inventory make this a must-​skip, not a must-​see.
my first experience here was amazing. i bought a beautiful hand-​blown glass piece from a VERY knowledgeable and helpful man (the owner?). it was a great purchase. however, since then, my experiences have been beyond poor.
one time, i went for papers, shisha (sp?) and coals. i asked for recommendations (i assumed that the employees knew more about their inventory than i did). wrong. the recommended papers rolled very poorly and had the worst adhesive i’ve ever experienced. they burned really fast and came unrolled. it was awful. the shisha (all 3 flavors) had no flavor at all. they all tasted the same. faintly sweet and fruity. i had asked for the kind of coals that weren’t quick start (the coating imparts a weird flavor). i was assured that they weren’t the quick start despite the packaging saying that they lit quickly. they were wrong.
i have been back a few times since (i must be a masochist). each time, the employee (s) have sucked beyond belief. one girl didn’t even know where the hookah coals were (they were literally 3 inches from her right elbow). they had 2 different kinds of coals that were exactly the same, quick-​start. i have become increasingly disappointed in their inventory. it seems like there is less everytime i go in.
i still appreciate the spot for its history. however, annapurna is no longer the go-​to place for smoke stuff. it’s really disappointing. if you’re serious about your gear or you want some help from knowledgeable staff, go to big al’s. seriously.

*Awesome* and very nice staff. Not a great selection of items, but if you’re not picky, this is a good ‘quick stop’ place. A major pain in the ass to get to tho. However, they do validate parking.

This store smelled like feces. Maybe it was a customer who stepped in something, but I had to stop looking around so I could go outside and cough away the foul air.
The chick behind the counter gave me the stink eye when I walked inside intially too. Dang, just want to look at the Bettie Page postcards, if that’s alright with you lady.
Unwelcoming experience overall.

How a VW Camper Bus could survive 33 years without external stickers is beyond me. Where does one go to doll up the old girl?
Telegraph Ave in Berkeley.
Where can you get all said stickers in one place?
Annapurna — that’s where.
A bit pricey for stickers but who knew they could be so hard to find?
They do get extra points for allowing our dog in the store with us!

Near and dear to my heart.
Very found memories, of buying loosies (which they stopped), cigarettes (which I stopped), buying Sandlewood and Musk (which for some reason my particular brand was hard to find) and incense.
The place is small but has very other interesting items associated with head shops, the kind that strangers and tourist will go into
for a taste of the area, or notion of it.
The place had a personality that felt held over from the 60’s and a place that I visit when ever I’m in town for old times sake, just to browse.

This was our go-​to head shop whenever we needed screens, pipes or accessories back in the mid to late nineties. And I agree with Josh B. — it reeks of incense in here.
The dude who owned it then (pretty sure it’s still the same guy) was always nice to me — but he can be tough so don’t cross him.
We also bought a few glass pipes here –ahem– for tobacco purposes only.

I used to work next door to this place. The owner is a super nice guy and he’s good to his employees. Perhaps it’s karma that’s kept him in business after three-​plus decades when everything around him has gone out of business.
Yes, it’s karma that keeps Annapurna afloat – because it’s sure as hell not the baja shirts or bong cleaner or Steal Your Face window decals. WHAT A LONG, STRANGE TRIP IT’S BEEN!!! Not.
Kidding! I kid Annapurna. Really, I love them.
Back when I did hair at the salon next door (also defunct, of course), I learned that smokers have an excuse to take ten times as many breaks as a non-​smoking employee. FUCK YOU, CAL OSHA!!!
Since my own boss was not as kind and mellow as the hippy who runs Annapurna and worked my delicate fingers to the bone, I decided to take up smoking during workday hours to free up my schedule. But since I really don’t care for the taste of tobacco, I chose to smoke clove cigarettes – the preferred cigarette of hippies. YOU’VE COME A LONG WAY, BABY – I MEAN, DUDE!!!
I would go to Annapurna to buy my Djarums. I would always get a discount and a smile, and a bit of friendly chit-​chat. Then I would stand outside and cough and gag and generally avoid cutting the hair of cheap, no-​tipping-​ass, collegiate douchebags.
Yes. I drank lots of chai and smoked Djarums. I smelled like a patchouli-​laced ashtray.
Then one Saturday morning I had a screaming hangover at work. I chugged down a chai, smoked a cigarette and proceeded to go to work cutting the hair of a male cheerleader from Cal. I was fading out his neckline while feigning interest in his rant on the subtle intricacies of the human pyramid, when suddenly, I burped. A big smoky, clovey bubble of warmth began to rise in my esophagus. I dropped my clippers just in time to run outside and puke next to a guy doing a rasta hair wrap on his dog.
*burns sage*
Now that Jerry’s dead and I don’t smoke (or drink chai or anything else that tastes remotely clovey), I don’t have much of a reason to go into Annapurna anymore. But I still love the place. It’s good to see a little bit of the real Telegraph keep on keepin’ on.
5 stars for karma and all that other hippy shit.

Got to love it when the employees are rude — not because they provide bad service — but just because they have so much going for them in the physical attractiveness department — it doesnt matter much what they say.
Great place to find all of the novelty items and gogly bits you have never knew you would find absolutely required as part of your mystic pleasures treasure.