Dream Pot shop

[Somatek]

Time to use you all for some market research as I’ve been brainstorming ideas for the pot shop that offered me a job…  What would you like in the ultimate grow/pot shop?  A trimmer or maybe a rosin press to use?  Bubble hash machine and freeze dryer? A dry sieve tumbler?  Cannabinoid testing?  Par meter?  Seeds?  Clones? Do you want a ready to use kit of all the gear you need or do you prefer to shop piece by piece online?  Would you like to be able to buy bud of available genetics before investing in seeds or clones?  Any specific equipment, tools or gear that you’d want on hand?  Grove bags?  If there were grow books and comfy chairs could you see yourself coming to research whatever topic you needed?  What other pot accessories do you buy; papers, blunt wraps, glass, heady glass? Would you be interested in artist drops where you could meet the glassblowers and possibly see them work? What would be your ultimate one stop pot shop that’d fill all your stoner needs and be a destination you’d drive to visit?

[Brad104]

It’s definitely something I would love to see,but as you are north of the states it’s never going to happen to me except if I would hit the lottery.I like the sound of smoking the bud before you buy the seeds that is killer, also the comfy chairs and book area is a win too.Sounds like you are going to be a in there buddy, best of luck @somatek

[Somatek]

If you had a shop in your city what would you want to see in it?  What would be useful to you as a home grower to help learn and make growing more accessible?  What would you like to do now but can’t because it’s too expensive for an individual, like dropping a grand or two on cannabinoid testing gear?  Would you use that or is it irrelevant?

[Brad104]

Yes I would most definitely 😁 use it.I would love to run several little tests like THC, CBD and so forth.I would also love to be able to pick up a 60lb bail of promix for around 40 Bucks instead of the 100 we have to pay off of Amazon now, The you know who keeps gouging us over here as I’m sure you know.This damn war is putting it on us gas groceries are to the roof and just try to ship something,they are making over 60 bucks a bail 1 single bail that’s rediculously to much shipping.I know that the situation in Ukraine is awful,but I believe that we should keep our nose on our face bro.I do not understand why the US thinks that they are the world 🌎 police.I mean Damn it’s truly a fucked up mess if you try shipping anything that is big and heavy.

[Somatek]

Soil, growing medium and a minimal nutrient line selection with key amendments and organic super soil/amendments are the core of a hydro shop and amazon can’t compete.  Selling mylar/panda plastic by the foot is another simple advantage.  I doubt selling lights/fans/controllers/etc would be worth trying to compete with Amazon but I’ve reached out to Spider Farm about their wholesale arrangement just to see if it’d be an option.  Which brings us back to what would be usable services to growers as that’s somewhere that amazon or the BM can’t compete.  The last hydro shop I worked at naturally became a social place as growers hung out and chatted, I’m confident the same thing will happen here but it’s a question of what would be most usable to the widest array of home growers to serve their needs.  I know what I’d want but that’s probably more extreme then a normal person lol, which is why I’ve asked a bunch of people and am debating how to word it to post on social media.

[Somatek]

A question that popped into my head today; how many people shop at brick and mortar hydro shops vs buying everything online?  I assume most people buy soil/nutrients at local shops as the shipping on them usually makes buying online more expensive but figured I’d ask to see.

[Cannabliss]

You hit it on the button about those shipping charges. Anything of significant weight gets picked up. Well, most everything gets picked up. Besides the big stuff. They just recently started carrying white light led fixtures. Those HPS fixtures can get pretty large. Idk if those things were even meant for a tent. Looks like a pizza can be cooked under it.
I only order stuff when I’m in a jam for next day drop off.

[Somatek]

Cheers, that’s exactly the kind of experience I’m looking for to get a better understanding of the current market. Aside from having the gear you need is there anything you’d like from a shop that’d make you shop there over another one?  Like being able to get your bud tested for cannabinoids, having a rosin press or something that hasn’t occurred to me yet.

[Brad104]

We buy are stuff @ the dro shop we always buy 5 gallon of our base nutes and I definitely got our promix up at the store this time we went to,Amazon is like Sam’s club they’ve got a lot of good stuff at bargain price,but they also squirrel in some really high price things as well.Ive always been a bargain price shopper when I have plenty of cash or when I don’t it doesn’t matter

[Keith]

Bro I can’t help you on this one as I would be happy with any pot shop.  I’ve only ever been in one.  Any ideas I had would prob already have been being done already.

[Somatek]

So I’m guessing you don’t go to hydro shops then?

[Keith]

We don’t have them here.  I live behind enemy lines.  I’ve heard you guys talk about them.  And I think “holy shit, a store with everything I need”.  Chances are high I prob still wouldn’t shop there though.  I bet they’re expensive.  No sir, we don’t have them down here in the Bible belt.  But we do have hella fucking churches everywhere.  Mega churches too.  Complexes they spent 50 million dollars on, so these fake ass Christians can sit in their pew every Sunday and feel good about themselves.  Got those everywhere too.  Oh yeah and shitty drivers who either don’t know what a passing lane is or don’t fucking care.  We got that too.  But right now I’m in my home state, laying in the room I grew up in, in the house I grew up in and I’m thinking about how much I miss living here.

[Somatek]

Thanks for clarifying, online competition is why a lot of hydro shops are struggling, plus the BM dying means they’ve lost some of their biggest customers.

That sounds like a truly regressive place you live, must be a bit disturbing being so  out of step with the local culture but very relatable.  The biggest church back in Guelph was an evangelical, modern christian church that a lot of local politicians go to.  It’s pretty creepy to be honest…

[Keith]

What is BM?

[Keith]

Shit, nvm.  It just took me a second.

[Somatek]

Hopefully you didn’t confuse it with Bowel Movement, although that’s an equally succinct way to describe a lot of the growers left in the BM now that prices have bottomed out lol

[Atom]

Bowel movement 🤣

[Somatek]

My mom was a nurse, it came up often lol

[Atom]

Rosin presses and trimmers would be great to be able to rent. Not everyone can afford them, or use them enough to warrant buying one. Plus it could be a way for them to kinda try before you buy. Although it might become a nightmare getting people to return them. You definitely need to get a deposit and all that good stuff

[Somatek]

Having a rosin press in the shop for people to use is the plan, although currently the regulations only allow people to squish product they buy.  So I’ll be organizing a letter writing campaign to push the gov to change the regulations.

Renting a trimmer is a bit more complicated as like you said making sure people bring it back on time is the key.  Like you said you need to have solid policies around a deposit to make it viable.

Would you be interested in being able to test your bud for cannabinoid content at the shop or is that irrelevant to you?  As someone who grows a lot of seeds it seems useful to help figure out which Moms to keep, especially if you’re looking for specific CBD ratio’s or something like THCV.  That may just be me though, not sure how much other people would care.

[Keith]

I can give you a pov from a hobbyist grower.  I just grow for myself and it would be cool to test it and know.  But it would depend most on how much it costs.  If it was under 20$ I’d go for it.  If it was $50 or above.  I’d not.  If it was in between I’d do it if it I’d the bud was really awesome.  But I would think people who grow to sell it or for other people would be all over that though.

This symbol $ is a dollar sign.  It’s what we use for currency in American.  I remembered you were Canadian, so I didn’t know if you were familiar.

• This reply was modified 2 years ago by Keith.

[Keith]

Holy shit bro, that’s a great idea.  I don’t need to own a rosin press, I would just need to use one every few months.  A nice big one set up in the store that you could pay to use.  Smash everything in a couple hours and be good for the next few months.

[Somatek]

Sadly the regulations don’t allow you to rent them out, only have available to use although you could sell the peripherals like micron bags, parchment paper squares, etc I believe.  The real advantage is getting home growers in the shop as even if they don’t buy a lot of bud they need specific supplies like soil regularly but more then anything if you create a good experience when they’re asked where to shop they’ll recommend the shop.  Most growers/glass collectors are the go to heads people ask for advice about pot in their friend group.  You can’t really make sales from them but you can win them over so they recommend you to everyone to increase the brand and drive up traffic.

The dream pot shop is gonna have to be an evolution as the regulations need to be changed but baby steps.

[Somatek]

With the regulations we’d only be catering to small home growers and a lot of this is theoretical at this point as it depends on what we’re allowed to do and what will require changing the regs.

Like with squishing bud we likely wouldn’t be able to charge for testing bud as that requires a different license.  So it’d just be a free service to help people be better growers which makes loyal customers.  I learned working in hydro shops before if you put the customers needs ahead of the shops profits by only selling the appropriate gear and focusing on teaching them how to grow; it creates loyal customers that are more profitable in the long run.

[Atom]

I’d absolutely love being able to test bud and concentrate. An easy place to access that with a shop and hydro store, and a place to press shiiit you’d never get me to ho home.

[Somatek]

lol, that’s exactly where the idea about having comfy chairs and books for people to read come in as I use to regularly have customers that’d come in and shoot the shit for an hour or two.  If people want to listen to me ramble on and on they may as well be comfortable while doing it lol

[Keith]

My god I would love that.  It would end up being a second home for me.  I’d be there so much it would prob destroy my marriage.

[Somatek]

That’s exactly the goal, especially as a lot of growers don’t have anywhere to really share their passion in real life with other people; actually sharing bud or cuttings freely creates a strong community if you tap into it.

[Keith]

To have a group of people who also care about growing as much as I do would be amazing.

So what’s the deal, you’re helping start one?  Or just bettering one that’s already going?

I really just can’t wait until my state changes.  This sucks.

[Somatek]

I got a job at a legal shop that is interested in exploring the grow market.  Which ties into the pot socials I organize for growers, not to mention my experience setting up and running hydro shops.  They don’t know the market so it’s a perfect fit.  Getting into glass is just a good revenue stream, plus a way to build a bigger community and gives me a chance to throw business to the glass blowers I know.  They’re more interested in growing to start though, so that’s what I’m focused on for now.  Especially as it excites me more, I love glass but I’ve had a 20 odd love affair with growing.  Might explain why my ex’s were jealous lol

[Brad104]

That’s why I enjoy talking to you so much my friend, I am always stretched out and comfortable,that’s why, now I know @somatek ha ha

[Somatek]

I was visiting a friend while collecting scrap wood for the next project and we got to talking about the pot shop as he also grows landraces, breeds and is a sacrilegious mixed organic/synthetic grower (I think I mentioned with greenhouse built onto his woodshop that’ll be heated with Jean Pain composting before, maybe it was another forum).  He suggested running workshops regularly to teach people the fundamentals like cloning, transplanting, harvesting, processing, etc.  Are there any topics people think are particularly in need of explaining?  My gut is to set up a series of workshops that’d take people through a grow from cutting clones to harvest/drying/processing but would like to hear what beginners would find most useful?

[Nate]

Congratulations on getting the job dude! I would definitely be interested in using a rosin press/bubble hash machine, and would love access to thc/CBD testing. As far as what I usually go to the hydro store for, I get my coco and perlite, as well as my nutrients there. As far as lights/controllers/fans etc. I would definitely be willing to get one there if it was able to be on par with online. I would much rather support a local business than hope that the gear doesn’t break in shipping. I don’t know if it’d be something they’d be able to do, but maybe some sort of financing system? It’s definitely easier to say I can pay $50 a month for 10 months (or whatever it works out to be with interest) than to try and save $500. But that may be a harder sell.

[Brad104]

@somatek will the shop help beggeners out with the press and bubble hash machine, for I figured you would have to know exactly what to do before renting the equipment right?

[Somatek]

Yes,I’ll be discussing the idea of doing monthly/bi-weekly seminars covering one aspect of growing; so post harvest processing would be one of them.  I’d also suggest training people who are interested so there’s ideally someone trained to use it on every shift to help people between serving other customers.

[Somatek]

Thanks man, it’s gonna be pretty easy by the sounds of it as the shop has a good organization system for keeping everything accessible and organized.  Which is nice as a lot of the packaging is very similar and would be easy to mix up otherwise.

Financing is actually a really interesting suggestion as if done right, like needing a down payment that covers the wholesale price, it would be a way to compete with online vendors but more then anything create loyal customers.  The big problem with carrying lights/tents/etc is it’s a fairly big investment in cash/retail space to meet peoples needs and there’s a lot of competition online with various vendors.  Soil and nutrients are safer in that regard as you really just need a cheap and expensive synthetic option, and organics to cover nutes; promix, coco and a fortified soil mix (aka living soil) to cover 90% of the customers needs.  Most hydro shops carry a lot to fill the space but realistically people only really buy one or two lines, with a bit of market research through grower socials it’ll be easy to figure out what I need to stock.

Stocking a single manufacturer, like Spider farm, that produces quality gear at affordable prices in the most common sizes (2×4 and 4×4) and offering financing may make it feasible though.  Thanks for sharing what would help you, that’s exactly the kind of info that’ll help me create the stoners paradise.

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