So, I’ve been gone for a few days. Got a call from a lifelong friends dad, says he wants to get into the cannabis game.
He has a storefront already, I live 4 hrs away but I make the trip and the store and it has potential, but it’s a sleepy little town in Oklahoma.
I was wondering if any of u out there might be able to drop some knowledge on running a dispensary, maybe some tips, things u learned that u wish peeps told u.
I think I’m going to jump on this, he has the cash, I have the clean record for the paperwork.
@GrapeApe - thanks for stopping by. im already feeling better about this whole situation with yall’s input and opinions. its been a crazy, crazy week.
@Stusatwork - itll be in hobart, oklahoma. there are 2 others dispensaries but there run down looking on the inside, were going to do a total revamp of the interior, the guy owns the building so no waiting around on go aheads.
@Worcestershire_Farms - we already plan to work with the food bank there, my best friend has a big heart, and donates his time and resources helping down and out folks out. really, hes a good guy, much bigger heart than i have…
i have to file my taxes in my home state first, then ill make the move, i dont want to mess with dual state taxes. besides, thatll let me bang out one more cycle in my grow
Damn…that is out there… I’m all the way on the other side of the state. That town has 3k people in it… I couldn’t see getting my money back on a full renovation with maybe 500 customers to fight over with any other local competition… Now if recreational comes about you guys will be at the forefront if you set up now…
We’re all banking on rec.,I figure I don’t have much to lose. I hate what I do now, but it pays decent, I’ve been able to sock some cash back for a rainy day and boys, it’s looking cloudy
Kind of in talks w a lady locally trying to get shit together for a dispensary. In no way shape or form trying to discourage you, but here, the paperwork and fees are through the roof. Almost like laws were written for big agri and big pharma to come and stake their claims before mom n pops can get their shit together… hope things are different for you locally! Good luck sir
thanks buddy. im waiting on the owner now to get his shit together. im ready to hop and pop - but hes footing the bill, not me. i hope to have things started in motion in 60 days or less. waiting on the owner now.
I’m in the process of going through the legal process to launch a recreational coffee/tea shop in Michigan. What I’ve found keeps most people out of the business is the upfront costs. Licensing here will run $6000 for the application, $5000 to the local gov’t, and then anywhere from $10k-66k for the license itself. (Which has to be renewed yearly.) I am not sure about OK, but make sure to talk to local dispensaries and find out if there are any hidden fees. It’s best to know those things beforehand so you’re not caught offguard – footing the bill or not.
Some states also require you to run a very specific set of software (which is also licensed, of course). This helps keep the supply chain in compliance. Make sure you factor in hardware costs (PCs/tablets/scanners/etc) plus the POS software.
Another thing to keep in mind is banking. Be sure that you have a local bank that will accept your money (non-federal credit union usually, though some non-nationwide banks are starting to accept it as valid income). Paying taxes becomes a bit of an issue as well, so be prepared to talk to your local gov’t and establish a great relationship with them.
And last but certainly not least – get a damn good lawyer. Make sure they understand what you are doing and are ok with it, then fund them well enough to stay on top of the changes in the laws.
Getting small towns to embrace legal MJ is a big step in moving us towards federal legalization. Good luck, I’m rooting for you!
As a former dispensary visitor, I plead don’t BS people; if you advertise compassion & charity, back it up.
As an older weedhead, I heard “now is the time to get OUT of the weed game”.
Not wanting to discourage you at all, just warning of the gold-rush/green-rush fever & long term prospects. An Oregon friend has moved from indoor comm’l MMJ to CBD hemp on acres because weed went from 2k to 500/lb. in less than 5 years.
And of course I realize I’m out here in a foreign country-- Califoreignia.
Not much to add given I’m in Canada - but you did solicit names… why not “Smoklahoma”? Or just too stonery maybe… perhaps you don’t want the association with smoking only.
so i talked with my business partner and we are a go. i gave my 2 weeks notice at my job 5 days ago and i cant say ill be sorry to be leaving it.
last thursday i called the city building to ask about zoning regulations or any restrictions that may arise with my new business venture. i was told the city council would like to meet and discuss details, and if i was available to meet them at the one and only donut shop in town. this was convenient - since my retail space is literally next door.
i arrived at the donut shop to find 3 guys sitting around a table drinking coffee, they called me over and we sat and talked more about the weather and the difficulty the local farmers are having pulling cotton out of the fields due to heavy rain, and the opening of the new cotton gin mill being delayed.
we finally broached the subject in question and they said they have no problems with my store, there are no zone restrictions ill run into, no fees other than the license cost of $2500, and they welcomed me in with open arms.
its the god damn wild west here guys - theres no testing, no packaging requirements, so long has you can maintain your paper work and monthly reporting you wont have any problems. when i talked to the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Association they said license approval is within 14 days!
so i rented an apartment in town, got utilities turned on and filed for residency in Oklahoma as well as a DL to start filing paperwork. next week ill get my patient card.
retail counters, led can lights, signs, and the POS system will be arriving in 4 days. which gives me time to get the owners crap off the retail floor, boxed, and stored.
@Doulovebeef Im sure you are super busy, but just wanted to see if you had any updates or info you could share? Was it hard to find suppliers/growers? Have you thought about getting the growers Lic and doing anything in that space (if you are allowed to hold both)? I have seen the prices are the highest in OK across the nation and dont know if that is the same for your city being out west. What name did you end up with?
Thanks for taking the leap and sharing your experiences for us all to understand better.
Put your shop as close to the state border as you can. There is now a weed spot every 7 square miles in Oklahoma and they are going to be overproducing year 1. If your close to the border you can survive on the out of state custys. If your in the middle of the state you better be the best. Good luck on your journey! Remember cream always rises to the top
@LonnieBoy28 I got my approval from the Oklahoma State Investigators Wednesday and so ive started filing the paperwork with the OMMA - things are moving along and I have to say, they are pretty quick on getting things moving. Oklahoma has a law saying OMMA has to pass for fail you within 14 days of filing, so wait times are pretty low.
the OMMA has a list of approved growers as well as dispensaries, so you can literally pull up a list with company names and license numbers - a simple google search provides the contact information so supply wont be too hard to find. your right though, pricing is fucking stupid high. I got my medical card so ive been poking around the other dispensaries, im no connoisseur, but I think we can offer a better experience than what ive seen around.
im expecting Oklahoma to be a lot like how Oregon and Colorado were the first year. prices are sky high cuz supply isn’t there, then there is an oversupply of product and the price bottom drops out. if Oklahoma would regulated the amount of permits then that could be mitigated, but that doesn’t appear to be in there game plan.
im a grower, not a dealer - the end game of this whole thing is for me to work in the garden full time. I have thought about growing our supply as in a vertical business plan - removing the middle man and it would provide me a chance to bring something new to local market. even if I couldn’t cover the entire supply something new and different or a ‘house strain’ would be swell. but I honestly don’t want to sink the cash into that until I can make a return on what ive invested.
everyone is curious as hell though, I was at the lumber store buying framing studs and sheetrock for building a lobby area - people keep asking about the storefront that just shut down one day and construction on the interior is going on - no one knows whats going in, and they wont until about 2 weeks before we are ready to open. we are the worst kept secret in town and its starting to generate buzz.
oh, and the name. The Copper Pot Health and Wellness.
I must be on the wrong coast…