Being new to the Infused CDB I went in wanting knowledge. I was fully informed and treated very professionally. After my first evening of using the product I was relaxed, pain was much more bearable and haven't slept better in months. Can't wait for the new location to open. Take the edge off and be fully alert... try Area 51 Smoke Shop!!!! read more

went there for the first time, they charged me $40 for one off brand vape. will never go there again.

DO NOT SHOP HERE if you are looking for edibles. I was sold fake edibles from here TWICE by two different employees. It's sad because they have a wide selection of THC edibles but all of them are fake. Buyer beware!!! read more

Great knowledgeable employee and huge selection. But the charged me an $0.88 "service fee" on a $2.99 purchase, that's a 29% fee, in my opinion it is just bad business. read more

Not a smoke shop worth going to if they don't carry Storz & Bickel accessories period. Asked them if they would consider carrying accessories for Volcano, Mighty, etc and they told me they don't plan on it. At least when I worked there if we carried a product, we'd carry all the parts necessary for replacements. Go to Carytown tobacco, the people are attentive and they actually carry accessories for products they carry. read more

Staff was not knowledgeable on non thc items when I describe what I needed it for. Then someone came from the back and sold me kratom green. Was told to take 2 and the first time it worked after that it's a waste hasn't worked since even tried taking an extra nope non effective. Plus the girl behind the counter didn't have any non nicotine vapes with no thc? I will go to kultures. read more

Smoke shop is a staple for the past 5 years in the pandemic and out has been here for the people. There isn't anything really these guys can't get done. Just have to communicate. I saw by far Area 51 is the most trusted smoke shop on this side of VA read more

Staff is friendly, but no one working there has been wearing a mask the last 3 times I have visited. When I asked their reasoning for not wearing masks during my final visit, they said "management is really chill and lets us do whatever we are comfortable with." It doesn't matter if wearing a mask makes you uncomfortable, there is a *deadly* global pandemic that is not over yet and is actually getting *worse*. I will not be returning as a customer as this company obviously doesn't take the pandemic or their customer's safety seriously. read more

This place has everything a smoke shop should. Large selection, latest gadgets, and a knowledgeable staff. So VERY, V E R Y COOL! You'll find pretty much whatever you need here. A little on the pricey side compared to online places but a few extra quarters are worth the immediate gratification.... .. . Highly Recommended!!! Feels like I'm in there for something almost every day. read more

Area 51 Smoke Shop - Vape Shops Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

Love this spot, and the people here. Lots of great product, easy layout. Super friendly and know their regulars - treat us well.

I've been to this shop twice, and both times, the employee who assisted me was rude and unapproachable. They were not helpful and as a matter of fact, the one today rolled her eyes and laughed at me when the gift card I was using wasn't accepted. She snatched it from me and proceeded to swipe it 5 or 6 times before it worked. The whole time she acted like she would rather be anywhere else. She never looked at me, she never thanked me for shopping there, she never even acknowledged my presence other than as a distraction for her. You can drive 10 minutes to the Carytown area and go to Katra Gala or Higher Education, where employees are engaged, interested and willing to help. And the quality of the products in both of these stores are as good or better than the offerings at Area 51. I will never shop there again! read more

Went here recommended by a friend I was in need of a cartridge vaporizer. Walking in the store looked cool but cashiers & other shoppers in here weren't wearing masks. I assumed it was a anti- mask spot. (February 2021)Staff wasn't friendly one bit. The prices here are way over priced. I felt like the woman behind the counter got irritated when I asked her questions about vaporizers and she pointed to where they were and that was it. I even informed her that I was referred there by a friend and was seeking a new vaporizer for my cartridge. I left & went to another Vape shop down the street. Don't waste your time here. read more

Not enough delta 8 products, glass is cheap and breaks, the employees are stuck up, you should just go to kultures instead better prices.

My favorite local smoke shop! Pretty much all of the staff is very helpful and friendly, minus 1 experience, but I don't remember her name... But overall I love this place! they always have what I need! Certain days lead to special promotions so check them out! You won't be disappointed! I always go there for one thing and end up leaving out with a bag full of goodies lol read more

So this place used to be my go to, like literally spent on 250-300$ a week for kratom, cbd, and delta. But, after what I saw and heard, NEVER AGAIN. I buy two bottles of black label v2 kratom weekly right? I went in over a week ago and saw that my 115$ bottle was almost half empty. I brought it to the associates attention, and she goes in the back for awhile then comes back with a random bottle and no inclination of what type of kratom it was, then proceeded to fill up my almost half empty bottle. I questioned it, especially bc the last bottle I bought before thatt had almost clear liquid (now I see why). She told me that it comes like it so (news to me when I literally go through 2 bottles a week). I went back a few days later and talked to an associate who I knew better and dealt with regularly. I was told that it is filled and packaged at the distributors and sent there, and that the liquid goes "missing" a lot so they have to refill the bottles. Oh and also that they mixed up the v1 and v2 bottles by refilling or not labeling correctly so I could "smell" it to see which one it was. And they had a problem with people watering it down so make sure you check. Like what?!? I reached out MULTIPLE times, even directly to the owner with NO response. I was a loyal high paying customer for about two years and I use this medically for multiple reasons. To find out that this is what I've been buying is heartbreaking. I wasted THOUSANDS of dollars in this store for teenagers to be able to water down kratom extract or to just take half the bottles and refill them. I even have a bottle that has a v1? on the cap but was told oh no it's v2, I think. People put this in their bodies! And pay a lot for it. How can you not make sure the customer is getting what they pay for? Don't go here unless you want to be ripped off. read more

Area 51 Smoke Shop - Vape Shops Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

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Went yesterday to pick up my first cbd oil and Lindsey helped me pick one. She was very knowledgeable and sweet. She helped me understand what it was and how to use it. The only reason for the 4 stars instead of five is the prices are a bit high. read more

Area 51 Smoke Shop - Vape Shops Near Me - Richmond, Virginia

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Very clean in the place! Everyone is super willing to help you out! For sure would recommended whenever you need something new

pretty good. wish weekly discounts were back. I miss the 20 percent everyday of the week. overall cbd selection isn't to bad. multiple locations is a plus. read more

I would love to make a list of all the great staff members, because they have all treated me like their most important customer. So I don't want to accidentally leave someone out. The staff not only understands my needs, they treat me with respect. The culture between management and staff seems to a well fused unit. read more

Wouldnt come here if it was the only place in richmond. They sell products they don't carry replacement parts for such as their pulsar wax devices that will run you 69.99 witch is the magic number in that store i might add. Their vape device selection is disgraceful with outrageous gorging in prices so Wednesday you can get it regular price To top it all off they cant even keep stock in, i bought their last down stem. Looks like a shop struggling to stay afloat and i don't wonder why. read more

Aston was the worst person we could of ever encountered. She knew nothing about any of the products. And she was acting clueless to simple things. Worst customer service I've ever experienced. read more

Overpriced! I have no idea how they stay in business with so many reasonably priced competitors less than 2 miles away. I walked in and admitted that I was new too vaping and guess what, out comes the most expensive product they have! Might be cheaper to keep smoking based on how Area 51 explained things. This is more like a bong store from back in the day with all the neon lighting. The vaping business looks like a side thought as every other person in there was buying a "tobacco" accessory. No need for a repeat with so many other options right down the street. read more

Cool little spot! The lollipops are good and the gummy CDB chews are really good! Haven't really looked around for anything else here but maybe one day I will. read more

Employees were not wearing masks during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic. (December 2020) When the cashier handed me my receipt I had to ask for my change back, her reply "we only have penny's due to the coin shortage" (when I needed 40 cents back) would have been nice to have know before hand... read more

Love this place! Great deals, great selection, great staff and cool vibe!! They can answer any of your questions and set up your mods for you. It's a bit of a head shop but also great vape shop supply. read more

Great prices, chill vibes! The staff was very helpful!!! 10/10 recommend Thanks for the glass!!!

They lit! Uhhhhh it's telling me I need to write more but honestly if you've been in here you know they're the best. Great customer service as always. They lit! read more

Outstanding selection, and very knowledgeable staff make Area 51 the absolute best smoke shop in Richmond. The prices are better than other comparable shops. I highly recommend you visiting Area 51 for your needs. Thank you Area 51 for always making my visits memorable! read more

I like the selection of the illiquid and also a selection of devices. I used to chew for 35 years while in the military and I wanted to give Vaping a try. At first I was skeptical and not a firm believer. The girls at the counter listened to what I wanted to do and I do not like the big taping devices so they showed me many different smaller ones. They took the time to show me how to use them and every time I have gone back I have been treated with respect and great customer service. The owner is on site and he is always willing to Help and he has a lot of knowledge when it comes to his products. I have always enjoyed going there because of the great customer service, places, and a military discount on purchases. read more

Good selection. Fair prices. Great service. Was greeted right away when I walked in and they were busy.

I love the atmosphere, But for a first timer I think things should have been explained slower and helped me price wise as to where to start for a beginner. I will go back, but will take my time and google things first. read more

If you are new to, enjoy vaping, or just have a lot of questions, I would suggest paying this store a visit. The gentleman behind the counter has been more then helpful and courteous the two times my wife and I have stopped in. Their prices are resonable and the new e-juice from vapeall they carry comes in 12 ml bottles for 8.99. They also carry the new GS-H2 tanks. They are still a bit short on supplies, especially since they do not have any coils in stock yet. However, they have assured us that they are coming soon. read more

When I entered the store, I explained to the owner, who greeted me, that I was brand new to vaping. He immediately tried to sell me the most expensive vape he had. I purchased one half that price. They came with no written instructions, and only the briefest oral overview of the product. Two days later I discovered I had somehow burned the battery out. Back in the store, he told me there was nothing he could do, but quickly added that he would SELL me the another for half price. When I told him that was unacceptable he pointed me to a small sign stating 'no refunds'. This business cares nothing about customer satisfaction. The smirk on the owner's face when I asked that the vape be repaired, replaced, or refunded was priceless.i would try any number of smoke shops before going into Area 51. read more

I want to like this place because the set up is kind of cool but honestly the atmosphere sucks. Some bitchy old lady runs it and a bunch of twenty something boys work there. They're all pretty rude and impersonal... read more

Me and my boyfriend have been coming here lately for all out tobacco needs. Employees are very friendly, they know their tuff and I always walk out with what I initially set out to get. Unlike most places lile Kultures I always end up spending more than what I intended and walk out with something completely unessesary or that I didn't want or when I get home it doesn't work with what equipment I have. I recommend this place to all fellow smokers. read more

Their glass is well crafted. I went to high school with many of the staff, so I personally have a good time whenever I'm in here. However, what makes the store so "eh" are the prices. $18 for a glass bowl seems a tad steep. However, I've never had any problems with any of my purchases here. read more

Enjoyed the atmosphere, but was displeased after my purchase. Got home. Took the package out of the wrapping, and lo behold, the pipe I just paid 40 bucks for has cracks in it, which I couldn't see at the store due to the low lighting. Probably not going to try bothering getting a return due to the history I've heard of them not taking returns. read more

Do not buy glass from this place. They sold me a cracked rig for full price. They did not inform me that the piece was broken. I went back in there to see what they could do for me. They tried to give me $20 in store credit for a $150 rig. Bottom line, they sold me broken glass for full price. I went in there respectfully and got close to nothing out of it. I hope that no one else has to waste their money on this place. read more

As stated in other reviews "They scam customers who demonstrate a lack of knowledge about products. Do not trust this business." If I could give it 0 stars I would. Horrible customer service. I walked in, only 1 employee visible, another one smoking a cig right outside the door. No greetings (dudeman inside even looked straight at me and went right back to stocking inventory) no "how can we help you". 2 other stoners walk in 30 seconds after me and dudeman still takes a minute to get his bearings straight and walks right up to the other people and takes 10 minutes to help the stoners pick out a digital scale, (the one smoking a cig finally came back inside, sat on a chair and started reading hightimes) and when dudeman finally finishes with the stoners, he just starts stocking his inventory again, completely ignoring me again.... Another employee finally walks out from the back and assists me with what I wanted to get (literally took 30 seconds b/c I knew the exact item) and then they tried to overcharge me by 4x the amount... I ask for a manager and I'm replied with "there's a lot of us", I let him know about the horrendous customer service (while dudeman was still stocking right next to the cash register) and complete silence, and once again I get completely blown off by the employees. Don't go to this shop. let me reiterate DO NOT GO HERE... and especially if you are going in for vape stuff head down the street to a real vape shop that's not overpriced. read more

I've been walking through the doors of smoke shops for about 15 years. Area 51 is by far the worst yet. I have purchased 3 pieces of glass from here. All 3 have broken within a week of purchase. I bought 2 slides with built in screens. The first one, the slide just suddenly broke as I was using it. There was no pressure or anything to cause this other than poor manufacturing. Same thing happened to the other one while simply cleaning with some luke warm water. The 3rd piece was a stem piece that just randomly broke when pulling out the slide. Now its stuck in there rendering the tube useless. My final purchase there was the 2 slides, I was ripped off by some young kid who I had never seen working there. He over charged me by 30% and wouldn't refund me. The person helping was also clueless as to what they where talking about. There are a lot of place's in Rva for to purchase my glass and papers etc; I think I am going to have to take my business elsewhere. Edit: It was NOT user error when it came to the glass breaking. I've been buying glass for 15 years and handle it gently. I look at it as an investment -Overcharged me by 30% and denied a refund. -No knowledge of the product being sold -Extremely poor product I think my money will be going towards other local smoke shops who supply a better piece of glass at a better price point. read more