Frank Pietras Sr. opened Charlotte's first head shop in 1969, at South Boulevard and Archdale Drive. His son was eight years old at the time. Infinity's End is still family-owned, and the family still runs it.
For its first few decades, the shop had almost no competition. In 1974 the family followed the traffic and moved to East Independence Boulevard. Over the years it grew into five Charlotte-area stores, on South Boulevard, University Boulevard, West Morehead Street, and in Matthews and Monroe. The Pietras and Edwards families have been at it for three generations.
What's on the shelves says a lot about the place: premium glass, vaporizers, hemp products, incense, tarot cards and crystals, band tees, tapestries, disc golf gear, and a rotating cast of eclectic novelties you won't find at a chain. The staff is known for knowing their stuff and for helping people find what they need without making them feel like newcomers.
The family says what matters most isn't the inventory. It's the open, welcoming counterculture community the shop has built. People from different backgrounds come through the door, and when they leave, they don't feel so different.
Charlotte's original. Still family-owned.
