About Us
A Headshop with Tradition
1988. What a year! George H. W. Bush is president of the United States, Michael Jackson is playing on the radio and legalization is a distant, almost unimaginable prospect. And somewhere in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, Ernst Meerbeck has an idea. As a cannabis enthusiast he had a vision of reviving the bong culture of the USA, which was essentially non-existent in Germany at the time, in his country too. And properly so!
So he founded the Headshop Near Dark. He started designing his own bongs and also imported them from abroad. His products quickly became very popular in the German 420 community. From then on everything happened very quickly: Near Dark entered the B2B market, supplying the majority of German stoners, and then stoners from all over the world, with special smoking devices, essentials, and lots of accessories via retail shops.
Near Dark moved a few times before finally settling in a location that couldn't be more perfect: office space, warehouses and retail space right next to the Hanfbach (Hemp Creek) in Hennef!
Today, Ernst Meerbeck's idea for this project by stoners for stoners has grown into a highly successful enterprise with around 40 employees.
The high trinity consists of:
• Near Dark – the online shop for wholesalers
• Black Leaf – the online shop for private stoners
• The Black Leaf Headshop in Hennef
From bongs and rolling papers to grinders, filters, vaporizers and lifestyle products, not to mention all the knowledge you could ever need as a cannabis enthusiast, you can find everything that will make your green heart beat 420 times faster!
Over the years Near Dark has also established several registered trademarks. The most notable of these are Black Leaf, BLAZE GLASS, and BREITSEITE whose products are tailored to the different needs of our customers.
Near Dark also has been present at major trade fairs such as the Mary Jane in Berlin and the Spannabis in Spain for several decades, connecting with other cannapreneurs and, most importantly, our incredible community. We regularly host events here in Hennef (our Weed & Greets) such as industry meetings for our retail customers and 420 events for the whole community.
We always remain true to our slogan: