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Mon., Sat. 10:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Five stars because: hours, pricing, selection, random ass crap you didn't know you needed... Must I go on?
Help on getting there: you have to be on the shop's side of the street to access the lot, so come in from San Carlos.
The employees have always been friendly and super helpful. I went in tonight to buy a waterpipe, incense, cig filters, and zig zags (makes the tobacco taste way better than the papers you receive with your tobacco brand).
I think I may be allergic to a couple of their incense sticks, but it could also be this nasty cold I picked up, or it could be that their sticks are much denser than I'm used to (I'm talking about the self-packaged stuff).
I thought I was going to be spending $35-$50. $27.47 later and I am one happy customer.
Oh, and I've never not received a free [refillable] butane lighter with my purchases. I wonder if they sell the refills there...
I haven't been to this place in at least 5 years...and it is totally the same. I was needing some incense sticks. But, ended up with some of those, a new burner, an aromotherapy burner, a bumper sticker, and a pair of yellow sunglasses...all for $35-ish dollars.
So much incense to choose from...and it is nice to be able to burn it in my own home and my dad isn't assuming that I am covering up pot smell. Every time I buy incense I think of highschool and my dad thinking nagchumpa was weed.
4 Stars
Damn, I hadn't been in here since high school. Went back to look for a shirt.....it was halloween, and one of the employees was dressed up like a zombie.....played it great.....(in a zombie voice) "caaan I heeelllp youuuuu?"
we're just looking around now, thanks
"oooooo kkkkkk, thennnn i'llll gooo back to eattiiinnnnggg soommmmeee bbraaaiiinnnnssss"
hahahahah, that's great!!!...u know what, just for that, I'm adding another star.....Four star review!
The place changed a little....but the smell was exactly the same. I couldn't find the shirt I needed, but they do have a huge selection of things you'd find at a smoke shop....probably the best selection in san jose.
Valentine's Day is a day of reflection and relaxation when one is other-halfless. [not fishing] What better way to spend a gloomy day then at a happy place? Paramount Imports is a Marijuana-Connoisseur's Babylon. You walk in and immediately feel at home. Low lighting and dim, the store is cozy. Scattered about are psychedelic items of the paranormal kind. Large selection of posters, candles, incense, and apparel. Not to mention the vast colorful array of glass "tobacco" pipes and water bongs. As Keanu Reeves would put it, " WHOA!"
I'm not a reefer fanatic, although I did go through a stage in college. Who in California hasn't? The fact that marijuana is illegal while alcohol and tobacco contribute to millions of deaths per year is ridiculous and makes no sense. The only reason that it is illegal is because society says so. There is no scientific reasoning to support its harmful effects; and what little there is pales in comparison to the long-term effects of alcohol, tobacco, and what the hell, let's throw over-the-counter-drugs in for poops and giggles. Marijuana, simply, makes people happy, hungry, and sleepy. I believe that it falls in line with the old adage that anything in excess, is excessive. Moderation in life, as it is in death, is key and if you bust your back being productive in your life, then you owe it to yourself to relax in a way that you deem relaxing.
When you feel like unwinding and need the tools to do so..[candles, incense, black lights, or glass works]..you will find all the above at Paramount Imports. Suffice to say, my V-Day was very lax and my day was spent captivated in the essence of peace and happiness.
One Love.
Hiii there yelpers!
Well I have been going to Paramount Imports for a while now before that little store in the back closed. I wish they'd bring it back! lol
But all in all they are a great smoke shop with everything you could need. Very cozy!
The people that work there are always pretty cool & interesting.
Never had a bad experience here & I've been going here for a while.
Wonderful smoke shop! 5 Stars!
From the Autographs of Adult Film Stars, to the Antiquated omnipresence of grateful dead posters, and helpful staff Paramount Imports is among the best.
Its dodgy wooden shack location just past the intersection makes it a lovely find. the store its HUGE, having lots of stoneriffic clothing, an OK selection of Jewelry and a very nice glass sales area with tons of staff, who are very helpful.
The prices are indicated over the glass, they even have some artist crafted high end glass. The selection is outstanding , they could use more hookahs.
This place is a one stop shop. You would not need to go anywhere else.
A fun place to check out if you're a non-smoker as well! I've been getting their little velvet mary janes here for years. They have a great selection of unusual cards and gifts.
This place would receive an extra star just because they also carry sick band shirts as well. The staff provides outstanding service ( i guess i would to at a head shop). Great selection of items from incense to fine "tobacco products" this place is the shit.
Just as I remembered-- great selection, reasonable prices. And the guys who work there are chill and very helpful. Might even score a little freebie if you ask!
This place is a pretty solid smokeshop, and quite cheap, too. Excellent selection of pipes,… Read more »
Another San Jose classic. I can recall Paramount as early as my Hoover Jr. High Days when midtown Safeway was still dirt or a Sears. And the same awesome, friendly, informative staff has been there since about then too.
$1.25 Bic Lighters w/ flair like your Astrology sign or Martini glass on them, which I don' think even Long's can beat. And the cheap clear Bic's ones are under a buck.
Also, Paramount has carried Mary Jane's way before Hot Topic caught on they were cool and sadly poser goth girls were ripped off for $20.00 a pair. Luckily Paramount still carries them for I think under $10.00 bucks, in every color, even Wizard of Oz Dorothy Glitter red.
Also good gifts for the Hippie Chic buddy! We all have at least one!=)
This place is one stop shopping for all my friends, even the non smokers like myself. I pretty much stick to the left side of the store which has all the clothing, and cool stuff. Came here one night with a couple of girl pals after a night of drinking and came out with an assortment of wonderful stuff! The friend got a green knitted lumberjack hat that was too funny and I got a AC/DC Zippo for the boy for XMAS and some totally cute Bebe sunglass for $5 for myself, and a jewelry/change plate with bugs on it for my friend's XMAS present.
There selction of odds and ends is pretty cool too. My cousin who is now in her 40s use to skip HS and come here, so for old time sake I got her a KISS apron for XMAS from here (she is also a big KISS fan). They also have lunchboxes, rubber duckies, magnets, etc. I love the homemade incense here and the selection of posters. Got an oldschool Dawn of the Dead poster here and matching Dawn of the Dead playing cards.
The workers are sometimes a little rude or weird but the guy who helped me with the apron was super nice but their parking sucks. Park across the street at University Art and walk across. Also don't talking about the pipes being for drugs here. We heard some kids come in and say something about using something for weed and the worker was like "No, this is for Hash....Browns. Yes it's not good to make Hash Browns." This place is still too cool!
paramount import definately has genuine products... but i've never seen so many fake hippies in one place. everyone there sucks but the guy with the long black hair rocks he is the master guru. the guy with the red hair used to be the guru but he is WRONG.
That this is called a 'tobacco shop' cracks me up.
Pipes. Bongs. Grinders. Incense. Incense burners. Shirts. Corsets. Shoes. Posters. Beer bongs. Blankets. All of it seems to have that beer-guzzling stoner feel to it.
While it seems that even though it's kosher to have a store named 420 Smoke Shop in downtown San Jose, it seems that it is not kosher to simply say that Paramount Imports is A HEADSHOP. IT'S A HEADSHOP!!!! THAT'S RIGHT, IT'S A STONER STORE! I KNOW, IT'S SIMPLY SHOCKING!
But no, seriously. Nice store, quality products, friendly clerks, and let's admit it, quite a chill atmosphere.
this place is craazzzzyy!
everyone was really helpful here..
came here with a girlfriend and her boyfriend's bro was going to buy him a bong..
they have so many different kinds! i had no idea there were so many since i've never been to a shop like that..
the guy that rung us up was hilarious! i was cracking up the whole time..
i'd recommend this place if a friend wanted a bong.. cause here, they're helpful and they have EVERYTHING you need.
Very old School Smoke Shop. They might have too big of a selection. Way to many to look through but they have a wide range of prices. Just seems a little old, out dated, and smells like stale incense but all in all a quality place to grab your smoking needs. Ohh the only place I will buy my papers at as they carry the brand I like in the style that is hard to even find on the internet.
Yay! They do have Manic Panic hair dye in an array of colors. It was about $10.95 though, I wish it was a little cheaper.
When I walked in, there were a few hippies and the old-school "green" smokers. I giggled (to myself) knowing my dad was like that, lol. There were 2 girls (in their late 20's) behind the counter filled with crystals and figurines. I felt like a ghost b/c the ladies didn't see me (which means no one helped me). So I smiled at the gal chit-chatting on the phone and she had to ask the other gal to help me. Customer service at a smoke shop!? I never expect the best.
I got what I was looking for and paid. The gal (her name was "Hot Mama" according to my receipt, lol) gave me a lighter with Paramount Imports logo on it. Cool! A free lighter is always nice.
And as usual parking always sucks (you always need to make a u-turn to get out, err).
Smoke shops were a frequent stop for me when I was a kid because my dad was an "alternative hippie".… Read more »
I've been going here before anyone else has I'm so cool it hurts real bad!
LOL ok, really I am looking for imported cigarettes and google trustee ol' Paramount and still here, yay! Last time i was here, I bought some Cravin A Canadian cigarettes, long time ago, and the associates cracked me up, they go, "cravin cigarette, aye, aye?" So funny.
THE BEST SMOKE SHOP IN THE SOUTH BAY!! I love Paramount. They have a great selection of jewelery, decorations, incense, posters and ohh yeah... everything for your smoking needs. They have an amazing arrangement in all colors and price ranges. Don't go anywhere else!!
"Paramount Imports will be closing in 15 minutes, so get your shit and get the fuck out."
Um!
I love this place.
This was the place to go in high school and it was one of those very cool shops you appreciated because it had everything you wanted. Um, but apparently it still is the place to go.
And any store that has that as their closing message - really just wins so many, so many points in my book. A good smoke-shop is also one to keep in the phone book as well.
This is my go to smoke shop! Everyone is always super awesome, knowledgeable, and helpful. I bought my very first pipe here, and almost everything I've needed since. Its like a candy store, I love it.
Only reason I gave it four stars as opposed to five is that the parking really does suck pretty hard. You have to make sure not to park between cars or else you have to back out of the joint, which on Meridian this is no easy task!!
Otherwise? Fantastic.
Great selection of gifts and kitchy costumery. Their "novelty" selection leaves a lot to be desired and is quite pricey so you're better off going to a cheap seedy porn shop. Their pipe selection is expansive and lately they have Simpsons themed pipes in their cases. The staff is all really friendly and you can rest assured they know about their detox products when you ask advice :-P
There's also a great incense selection along with other smelly delights for all your hippie needs. There is no shortage of soft core 1980s girl posters, generic butt-rock t-shirts, weird Cheech & Chong themed incense holders, bead curtains or Bob Marley schwag. I really really appreciate their relatively expansive Marylin Monroe and Betty Paige selections, as well.
If you're lookin' for the full Head Shop Experience, this is definitely the place to go.
OH! And don't forget to pick up some Merry Hempsters hemp lip balm! It's expensive but it's the best lip balm EVER EVER EVER!
Paramount Imports is like a landmark for San Jose, really. I remember their cute radio ads got my interest and so I checked the place out when I was about 14. I begged my mom to take me there. I could have stayed there ALL day. I wanted to see every piece of jewelry, every poster, every sticker. and so on! I couldn't let on that I wanted to take a look at the tobacco products so I had to check that out later when I wasn't with mom!
So, now, 25 years later, I still love this store. I found some really cool Marilyn Monroe gifts for my friend and still all these years later, I could have hung out in there for a while, checking out all the cool hippy stuff!
Last year, for Christmas, my hubby bought me a plush Jerry Garcia doll and it smelled just like Paramount Imports.
I couldn't decide whether to give them 4 or 5 stars.. so it's sort of in the middle. I suppose if I still smoked, I'd probably think this place was perfect and went for all 5!
Went there today to pick up some incense and a couple of new stickers for my outdoor shed. Score!! Good selection of all kinds of underground stuff.
I almost shed a tear as I walked in the newish digs.
Took me back to the days of junior high. We used to take the 23 Bus from the rough streets of Cupertino down to West San Jose to do the "young stoner" tour. Stops at Guitar Center, The Music Warehouse, Streetlight Records, Tower, Taco Bravo and/or Arby's, and then, invariably to this place.
Hey, it was 1983 and us kids liked to peruse the many posters featured at Parmount - ogling the hotties of the 80's - poofed out hairspray hairdoos and full bottom bikinis, oh yeah!!
Of course, Paramount has numerous options if a smoking device is needed. Pity the fool who goes into Paramount baked to buy said apparatus and has to navigate that one lane parking lot and blind turn back onto Bascom Ave.
My dad took me here back in the day... when I was in middle school.. before I actually knew what it was all about and everything was in one building... then I had my phase where I frequented this place quite often in high school...
but I have to say, to this day I love this place! There is soooo much stuff here, now they have everything separated into two buildings... the front building is paraphernelia options and the back building has everything else.. I love just wandering around this store and finding all the little gems! jewelry, stickers, posters, shoes, trinkets... randomness, I love it!
This place is huge, from glass pipes, to posters, to goth clothes, to gifts and incense. I was looking for healing crytals, they has some, polished and inexpensive, around .50 but a limited selection.
paramount imports, a cool "tobacco" shop and other misc stuff. posters of your favorite artist. some really cool "fuck bush" shirts, tie dies, scarfs, fun hats and funny buttons. good selection of incense and holders. i'm sure this shop is keeping afloat from the sales of hand made "tobacco" pipes of different shapes, sizes and types. the "tobacco" pipe section takes up about 1/3 of the store.
rest assured, this retired "tobacco" smoker was shopping for some incense but found a nice tank top, good incense, funny ass buttons and a few cool post cards.
_____
note 1: they have an all in one fitting room and rest room for their customers. was actually great since i had to go really bad and needed to make sure the tank fit me right. if only the fitting/bath room smelt cleaner and the toilet seat stayed on the toilet.
note 2: for the parking challenged, park on meridian.
Back when I was a much younger bad seed, this was one of my favorite stores.
The last time I went was about 10 years ago for some fake facial piercings to wear to a costume party. The manager got very pinched when we referred to the place as a "head shop". Oh no....it's a "gift shop".
Uh huh.
This place was my favorite shop for the longest time., back when I was a bad seed. It's a bit out of the way, and yes parking is tricky.
The staff is amazing, very informative, and the selection is great. I was surprised they added an addendum store in the back, which used to be used for storage.
Their incense selection is great, the posters are cool, and just looking around is fun in itself.
highly recommended!
Pretty cool spot. My aunt smokes rollies, so she takes me here with her when she needs to re-up her Samson stash. Apparently buying it here as opposed to another smoke shop is better because the tobacco isn't dry? LOL. Pretty cool things in here. Pipes, knickknacks, etc. Employees are helpful and nice, but as everyone says...parking is a bitch!
This place is great to wander around. Lots to see. The merchandise is kind of chintzy, but that comes with the territory. Me and my bff have killed many an hour in the parking lot taking Polaroids with Spiderman and whatever other random graffiti we come across. Speaking of the parking lot... good luck getting out, you'll see what I mean.
This was the 1st 'gift shop' I visited when I moved to SJ - and still the best in the S Bay, in my opinion. Very friendly staff, much wider selection than other similar stores in the area. Parking lot is kinda tricky -- you have to park diagonally & then test your maneuvering skills as you try to get back out the same way you came in. - Today I went in there to buy some detox stuff & their prices were $15 cheaper than 420Lifestyles in Campbell, and even cheaper than online stores. They also have home test kits for $10 cheaper than Walgreen's/Long's. Should've gone here first, I could've saved a ton of money.
UPDATE: Hey here's a tip re: parking - Turn into the side street next to Diddum's or whatever that party supply place is called across the street; park on the side street & then walk (nay, RUN) across Meridian to the store. Beats having to make that 6-point turn to get out of the parking lot.
if your serious about your shit paramount is where you go. the end.
Overall a nice head shop, the people are friendly, or at least friendlier than most of the people who work in head shops are to people with normal hair and no visible tattoos. My only complaint is that whenever I leave the store I smell of hippy incense for a little bit and my girlfriend knows where I have been.
Whenever I need to find a unique gift, I go here. They are a bit pricey, but they always have a great variety of lotions, essential oils, glass goods, candles, incense, jewlery, cards, and posters. The sales people are always very friendly and happy to assist you with product inquiries.
This place will have what you need smoke-wise..its up there with other smokeshops in santacruz and berekely..i can never get over that reekish air though..but i guess it comes with the territory
Friendly, Variety, Unique, Hole-in-the-wall, Awesome store...
my favorite head shop. Friendly staff, huge selection of stuff, A must on your stop by list when you're in the southbay
I love Paramount. It was my mom's headshop, back in the day and it's become mine. I've been going there for almost 10 years and still love it. The prices and selection can't be beat, and the employees are always helpful and nice (unlike self-righteous assholes that work elsewhere).
The sales person was very informative and helpful. I was able to define the specifics as to what I needed, balancing the physics, cost of energy, and benefits of time consumption given the variety of options available to me.
this place is the shiznit. they have the coolest shit you could possibly want at a smoke shop. you get what you pay for. this guy name red was helping my friend and i out and he was funny as hell and very informative of all the best products out there. he'll definitely give you some good recommendations for tobacco smoking products.
San Jose, CA
Category: Tobacco Shops
San Jose, CA
Category: Tobacco Shops
San Jose, CA
Category: Tobacco Shops
San Jose, CA
Category: Tobacco Shops
Santa Clara, CA
Category: Tobacco Shops
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