Long ago, Michael Kesselman decided that if he was going to open a smoke shop, he was going all the way.
"My goal was to open the ultimate smoke shops," says Kesselman.
In 2003, he launched his first shop, Knuckleheads, on State Street in Madison, and almost four years ago, he opened a second location, also called Knuckleheads, 2949 N. Oakland Ave.
"My philosophy is if I'm gonna be in this, I'm going have the largest selection available in the state," he says.
Knuckleheads features approximately 100 hookahs, ranging in price from $25 to $150. Both single-smoker and multiple-smoker hookahs are available, along with more than 80 flavors of hookah tobacco, called shisha.
"There isn't a larger selection in the state," says Kesselman, who is originally from New York and a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Kesselman's wife and children also attended Madison.
Knuckleheads stocks 160 different type of rolling papers, ranging in flavor from bacon to cotton candy. Also, the shop features a variety of rolling devices to create the perfect cigarette.
"We also sell every (pre-rolled) cigarette that's legal in the state of Wisconsin," says Kesselman. "We have cigarettes from Japan, India and England, among many others."
Knuckleheads has 140 aromas of incense in both stick and cone form and 36 different kinds of essential oils. Premium cigars, such as Macanudo and Romeo Y Julieta, are also available.
To accommodate his massive wares, Kesselman expanded the space this past spring, doubling the size of the shop. "This location is ideal," he says. "Close proximity to the university is key."
Kesselman says when it comes to the law, he has only one comment. "If it's legal, I sell it," he says. "Period."
Knuckleheads' customers must use "legal language" if they want to shop, and if a customer suggests they are using products for illegal drug use, they are asked to leave immediately.
"I've trained my staff how to handle illegal language, and if they don't deal with it, I usually whip them," jokes Kesselman.
Also, Kesselman doesn't stock anything with a pot leaf on it. In fact, he veers away from the usual head shop attire, like tie-dyed Grateful Dead shirts. Instead, Knuckheads features two brands of T-shirts, Seedless and Threadless, which are one-of-a-kind shirts made by a Chicago designer.
"I sell current," says Kesselman. "I'm not a hardcore head shop."
Kesselman says he instructs his staff to card everyone to make sure they are at least 18 years old, the legal age required to purchase tobacco or tobacco products. He says the city sends in a "secret shopper" about every six months with a fake ID to make sure the shop is carding enough.
Kesselman says he has never received a citation, and doesn't plan to get one in the future, citing his age and the importance of his family as his reasons for not messing around with the law.
Kesselman says the Madison stock is slightly different from the Milwaukee stock. The biggest difference is the Madison location features a cutting-edge skate shop.
"Milwaukee and Madison are two different countries, and our stock reflects that," he says. "But that's all I'm saying."
Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.
Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.
