Late last year, videos of teenagers trying their hand at using a rotary phone went viral on the internet. Some tapped at it, others prodded at the holes, while a couple more just did not have a clue. But all-in-all, we were all amused on different levels, depending on what stage of the internet takeover we were born in. Toronto’s new cannabis retail store, The Neighbourhood Joint (TNJ), is creating a buzz among connoisseurs by bringing back to use an outdated communications system: the pneumatic tube system. The mechanism—inspired by the system used by newspapers like Toronto Star to send reports efficiently between buildings—is a key element at the outlet, located at 1987 Queen St. E. “The idea came about when we were faced with the challenge of having our storage room in the basement and our customers on the main floor. We quickly realized that having a “runner” physically run up and down the stairs, all day to deliver the product just wouldn’t be realistic or provide the best customer service. After doing some research we decided pneumatic tubes would be the perfect solution. On top of the functionality and increased speed efficiencies, it is a nod to Toronto’s newspaper history of using pneumatic tubes to deliver news between City Hall and the newsroom,” says co-owner Andrew Rhodes.