420 Science

The story of 420 Jars begins in the summer of 2003. At the time, I was a 24 year old software developer at Ticketmaster and my roommmate, Gary, was a graphic designer for a small promotional printing company. He came home from work one evening and began to tell me about an idea he had. He said we could offer custom printed jars to headshops with their name and logo. As we talked about it, the idea evolved into creating our own designs on the jars.
We spent nine months planning and preparing to launch 420 Jars on March 1st, 2004. During the first year, when we were very small, I was still working fulltime for Ticketmaster and carrying a full course load at Arizona State so I could finish my degree. In those days Gary and I spent most of our evenings and weekends working on 420 Jars (some things never change).
In May of 2005, I graduated from ASU with a bachelor's degree in Journalism and my focus of study in Strategic Media. When I began the program I wanted to work in the creative department of an advertising agency, but instead I found myself creating the advertising and managing the brand of my own company. 420 Jars had grown large enough to demand my fulltime attention. In a one week period I graduated from school and resigned from my job of nearly five years.
2005 was a good year for 420 Jars. Our sales grew exponentially from the previous year and we moved from operating out of several rooms and the garage of our house into a warehouse that seemed too big for us to ever fill. During Christmas that year we made our first appearance in High Times. Their staff tested 420 Jars for their Holiday Gift Guide and gave us a glowing review.
By February of 2006 the time had come for Gary to leave his job at the printing company. With both of us able to dedicate our full attention to the business, 2006 was the year that 420 Jars became a nationally known brand. People were going to their local smoke shops and asking for 420 Jars by name. We were now advertising in High Times every month and 420 Jars was selected as the Official Stash Jar of the Cannabis Cup. In November we flew to Amsterdam for the Cannabis Cup and sold a limited edition commemorative jar with the logo of the cup created by Alex Grey.
In 2007 our jars were featured on the cover of Heads Magazine. They've since switched to an online only format and that was their last print issue. It's too bad, Heads was a beautiful lifestyle publication that treated us well. In March we launched a new line of jars called the Elemental Strains. Our customers had been asking for a small jar, something pocket or purse-size and travel friendly. The X-Small Strains jar fit that need perfectly.
In June we met with the founder of WeedOscope, a handheld microscope for examining your weed. He had just started the company and we saw an opportunity for us to work together. We decided to rename the company 420 Scope to better fit our brand. On July 1st of 2007, WeedOscope officially became 420 Scope and we're excited about the future of our new product.
Matt LaPrairie
co-founder of 420 Jars