Empire Glassworks is a Placentia, California glass studio that turns donuts, koi ponds, pandas and rocket ships into working pipes, mini rigs and Puffco attachments. Phillip Vuong founded it in 2013, and the tagline says the rest: Art that Rips.
The studio sells to shops through a wholesale program with a $500 minimum, builds custom glass for other brands and runs its own online headshop, Empire Smokes.
From Disney figurines to Art that Rips
Empire's style starts with figurines. The company says its designs stem from its experience making glass figurines for Disney, and it built the catalog on figurine glass that mixes fun with function.
The craft runs through the family. Smoke Cartel's August 2025 profile says Vuong's parents bought Unicorne Beads, a bead and figurine maker founded in 1967, in the 1980s. Vuong grew up doing homework surrounded by torches, color rods and glasswork, and the studio draws on 40 years of family knowledge.
Smoke Cartel counts a team of 40 glassblowers across facilities in Southern California and Wisconsin, working in lampwork, dichroic glass and hand-sculpted characters with color mixed in-house. Smokerolla's February 2026 feature adds that Empire works in laboratory-grade borosilicate imported from Europe, with every piece handcrafted in the Placentia studio.
Donuts, nigiri and a squirrel's nest
The dry pipe shelf holds 31 pieces, and it reads like a food hall crossed with a nature documentary. Jelly Donut, Pink Sprinkle Donut, Shrimp Nigiri, SPAM Musubi, Eggplant and Avocadope sit next to Mossy Log, Mushrooms, Sunflower, Otter and Squirrel's Nest.
Spoon pipes carry full scenes: Climbing Pandas, Koi Pond, Kraken, Icy Penguins, Great Barrier Reef, Hootie's Forest and Lady Bugs among them. Water pieces work the same themes at a bigger scale.
Mini rigs include Hootie's Tree, Cookie Monster Sundae, Chocolate Cookie Sundae Float, Beehive and Climbing Pandas. Baby Beakers come in Koi Pond, Galactic, Under the Sea and Renew the Redwood. The Rocket Ship Kit water pipe lists at $175 on Empire's site.
A deep bench of Puffco glass
Glass for Puffco devices fills 43 product slots, more than the dry pipe, bowl or accessory collections. Empire makes themed attachments for the Puffco Peak and Peak Pro in Save the Bees, Save the Seas, Avenge the Arctic, Renew the Redwood, Rocket Ship, Soju Bottle and Avocadope. A 15-inch Big Dawg Extendo attachment turns the Peak Pro into a tall piece.
The Puffco Proxy gets Sherlock-style attachments in Galactic, Hootie, Cactus, Under the Sea and Beehive. Joystick caps come in Blue Lagoon, Firestone Red, Slime, Pink UV and Glow in the Dark. Pivot mouthpieces ship to shops in 18-piece wholesale cases with a point-of-purchase display.
On Empire Smokes, the Save the Bees Peak attachment sells for $180, a Peak Pro 3DXL joystick cap for $20 and a Red Mushroom Pivot mouthpiece for $30.
Collabs from Amsterdam to Session Goods
Empire's collaboration page maps a slice of smoke-shop culture. It makes glass smoking gear with The Bulldog, the Amsterdam brand, and glass stash jars for Session Goods. Huni Badger gets a bee-themed glass dabber top and terp jar, and Glassfinity a run of glass bongs.
The fashion side gets louder. The Mmmelty collab turns tiny glass bongs into earrings, Retro Highz brings handmade glass shoes, and Saki Bomb adds purple lipstick pipes, kitty bongs and nail polish pipes. Empire also makes custom glass for the Stundenglass gravity infuser and merchandise with Seedstockers.
Pandas, reefs and bees: Empire Gives Back
Several spoon pipes fund conservation groups through the Empire Gives Back program. A portion of proceeds from the Climbing Panda spoons goes to the World Wildlife Fund. The Finding Kraken, Great Barrier Reef and East Australian Current spoons support the Coral Reef Alliance.
The Beehive spoon sends a portion of sales to the Orange County Beekeepers Association, and the Icy Penguins spoon backs the Environmental Defense Fund.
Wholesale, OEM and distribution
Shops apply for wholesale accounts with a $500 minimum order, and domestic orders ship free. North American distributors include Medusa Distribution, Got Vape, AFG Distribution, SPS Wholesale, Infinity Wholesale Group, Smoke A Wholesale and CKZ Wholesale. Heatex Products and Plantasur carry the line in Europe.
The OEM program takes custom glass from design consultation through sampling, testing and post-production support, down to product photos and descriptions. Minimums depend on the design, with price breaks at quantity tiers. Session Goods, Retro Highz, Saki Bomb, Stundenglass and The Bulldog all show up as OEM collaborations.
Where Empire glass sells in 2026
Empire Smokes carries Empire Glassworks as its house brand next to beakers, dab rigs and bowl pieces, and its 2026 shelf lists the Dragon Sphere large spoon pipe at $70. Wholesale buyers reach the rest of the catalog through the distributor network, the store locator and an online retailer directory.
The trade show calendar lists GlassRoots in Las Vegas on February 17–19, 2026, after Champ Vegas Winter on February 12–15, 2025 and Mary Jane in Germany on June 19–22, 2025.