Erb Magazine Volume 59 by ERB Magazine

AUGUST 2017 VOL 59

22 CALI CULTURE 32 CHOICE BOTANICALS EXCEPTIONAL RETAILER:

VENDOR SPOTLIGHT:

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COVER STORY:

LOS MARIJUANOS

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FEATURED CONTENT 10 MUNCHIES RETAILER: 22 EXCEPTIONAL CALI CULTURE SPOTLIGHT: 32 VENDOR CHOICE BOTANICALS 58 STUFF WE DIG 62 CULTURE PANEL

EDITORIAL CONTENT EDITOR CREATIVE DIRECTOR DESIGN & LAYOUT

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It was only a matter of time, right? The Flamin’ Hot chip craze never quite reached the level of many other food trends — we’re looking at you, Pumpkin Spice, and you, Salted Caramel — but it’s remained a popular flavor for well over a decade now. Flamin’ Hot Cheetos started it all and they’re still something kids love. Adults too. But Flamin’ Hot is popping up in new places again. This time, the new Flamin’ Hot Ruffles caught our eye. It’s a curious combination to be sure, but it’s a winner. You know the Flamin’ Hot taste, but the putting it on a potato chip makes for a nice touch. The mixture of the saltiness that you love from Ruffles and that Flamin’ Hot spice works quite well together. There are many chip choices in the world, but rest assured that these are a keeper.

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Crossword Solution Issue 58

Across:

5. Olympic hero who raced a shark for Shark Week 6. This Marvel comic was called the winner of Comic Con 8. Damn, he really got paroled 9. It’s back 11. R.I.P. Chester Bennington from this band 12. The song that won’t go away this summer

Down:

1. Season 2 trailer for this show debuted at Comic Con 2. MMA star who is taking on Floyd Mayweather in a boxing match 3. He quit as Donald Trump’s press secretary 4. This is gonna be a big deal on Aug. 21 7. J-Lo is dating this famous athlete now 10. His “4:44” album came out and captivated hip-hop

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EXCEPTIONAL RETAILER Written by ERB Caen

Industry vet Josh Joseph has finally realized his dream, opening Cali Culture, a glass and art shop in Northeast Ohio. He quit his job five years and sunk everything into making his dream come true. This is what it looks like to chase a dream. This is what it looks like to set a goal, dedicate yourself to meeting it and never giving up. This is what it looks like when you wake up everyday knowing that you’re doing exactly what you want. “I really love what I do,” says Josh Joseph, the owner of Cali 22

Culture in Alliance, Ohio, in a way where you can actually hear the smile coming off his face. “I live my dream.” Josh’s story is a familiar one in many ways — he was a driven young guy who took a big risk, worked hard and eventually got the break he was looking for. In other ways,

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Josh’s story is uniquely his own. He opened his shop earlier this year with a sharp focus on supporting local artists and local makers. It’s part smoke shop, part art gallery, part local market for creatives.

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Cali Culture

Inside Cali Culture, an art-focused shop inSouthside Ohio. EXCEPTIONAL RETAIL BUYERS MAGAZINE - ERBMAGAZINE.COM

Cali Culture's Josh Joseph gets help from his brother (right) and J & Diamond Glass.

EXCEPTIONAL RETAILER “I really don’t care if I don’t make money,” Josh says. “I want a place that my friends can come to sell their artwork and that locals can come to sell their artwork. In my city, that doesn’t exist.” To fully understand how he got here, we have to back in time a bit. The year was 2012. Josh had a job selling DirecTV, doing a typical 9-to-5 job. But that was the last thing he wanted to be doing. He wanted something more creative, more freeing for his soul. “I knew I had a lot inside of me,” Josh says. “I was ready to do something on my own. So I took my final paycheck and tax return, every cent just went to glass artists. I had all this glass in a suitcase.” Soon, he was selling it in more of a pop-up style. He thought this would lead to his dream of opening his own smoke shop, but a few things popped up first. As Josh started to meet people in the industry, he learned that they had help to offer beyond just opening a smoke shop.

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Bubba's philosophy on product is to always be ahead of the curve.

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EXCEPTIONAL RETAILER He met Bubba from Bubba’s Death Star Nation, the big smoke shop in Northeast Ohio and soon Josh was helping Bubba promote his grand opening. He met Richard Marumoto whom took Josh under his ring and hired him to do some promo work for him. He even began to work for us here at ERB Magazine, helping set up and work at trade shows. No matter where he went, Josh had two things he always did: He worked extremely hard and he soaked up everything he could. He made friends with owners and CEOs to learn as much as he could about the industry. He went to trade shows and made all the connections he could. “I really owe a lot of my success to the people who showed me the ropes,” Josh says. All the while, Josh had two other hustles: He would sell his products at local marketplaces and the local camp ground, Nelson Ledges Quarry Park, which attracted a hippie crowd. He also worked in another business he started, Joshua The Help, where he’d help senior citizens with things like doing yard work, cooking dinner or taking out their trash. 26 14

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Glass blower Brad Ross

“I don’t ever plan on stopping that,” Josh says. “I love it as much as I love having a shop and supporting artists.” Back home in Northeast Ohio, after all his travels around the country to become a part of the smoke-shop industry, Josh heard about a retail spot that he could take over. He’s thankful to a local juggler named Ted the Juggler and Sherry, the owner of Troll Hole and a landlord who helped him get into his current building. “As soon as I heard about it,” Josh says. “I was like, ‘it’s mine.’ The universe aligned, I guess. I asked and the universe listened.” So he opened Cali Culture. It took longer than the five-year goal he set for himself, but he got the doors open, which is something not every dreamer achieves. The name came from his travels. “It’s about all the adventures I went on,” Josh says. “I really love the California vibe. I wanted to bring that vibe back to this depressed area where I live. I think the name was just the start.” It’s not a typical smoke shop, though. “My smoke shop really isn’t a smoke shop,” Josh says. “There’s no tobacco license. It’s more of a glass and art gallery. I sell handmade one-of-a-kind pipes, paintings, jewelry, knives. I try to focus locally as Ted the Juggler helped Josh find his retail space.

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EXCEPTIONAL RETAILER much as possible. I don’t have vape juice or wraps. I focus literally on artists. My money is given to the artists around me. I really try to support the people around me.”

Glass from Emmett Hollander.

That includes glass artists such as Brad Ross, Adam Simms, Matt Burton, Brian and Rebecca Peterson of Wicked Water Works, Jonathan Casto and Jillian Jiggz. Beyond that, Cali Culture is special because he has fun ideas to get people through the doors. He does the typical smoke-shop parties, like live glass blowing and bands. But he had a pancake breakfast one day. He did a tie-dye cupcake jamboree. “I don’t really do formal marketing,” Josh says. “I just do parties.” For a guy who quit his job and spent the next five years chasing his dream, that’s not a bad way to live. And this adventure, it’s been everything Josh could have hoped for. “That’s really what it’s all about,” he says. And he’s not wrong.

Inside the shop EXCEPTIONAL RETAIL BUYERS MAGAZINE - ERBMAGAZINE.COM

VENDOR SPOTLIGHT Written by ERB Caen

How Choice Botanicals went from one man’s journey of self-healing to one of the major players in the kratom market. Now, Choice fights government regulations to keep its products available to customers. When Billy Cosgrove’s eyes extract. “It’s good for pain opened that morning, it was relief,” she told him. quite literally an awakening. Cosgrove knew about pain. The previous day, he’d been in Just ask all the hardware in a smoke shop in the Pacific his leg. He’d fractured a femur Northwest and someone and tore a quad, so after that, offered him a shot of kratom all he knew was chronic pain. 32

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Did he want to try this thing that would supposedly help relieve his pain? Of course he did.

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Choice Botanicals

Choice Botanicals founder Billy Cosgrove (left) and COO Chris Durbin.

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VENDOR SPOTLIGHT That night he slept 14 hours. He woke up the next morning and he felt great. His eyes were now open — both literally and figuratively. “That’s how I was introduced to it,” Cosgrove says. “Then I realized, hey, I could probably start a business with this. It was an epiphany. I knew there was a market for consumable products in the smoke-shop industry.” That was six years ago. And not only did Cosgrove start that business, it’s flourishing today. Choice Botanicals — that’s his company — sells kratom, CBD and other such 100 percent natural products. He brought in his best friend, Chris Durbin, to be COO in 2014 and ever since, things keep soaring to new heights. Kratom is from the same family as coffee and its green leaves grow in Southeast Asia. From there, it’s either turned into a green powder that goes in capsules or a liquid that’s drunk like a tea. “I realized a long time ago,” Cosgrove says, “You gotta have something different. We knew our products were good.

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“I didn’t go to school to build a business,” Cosgrove continues. “I went to cooking school and kratom just kinda found me.” He originally started the business in his apartment in Austin, Tx., but eventually moved to Houston. The first couple years weren’t easy. He thought he had a quality product, but he had trouble finding any traction for it. “They have that expression paying your dues,” Cosgrove says. “Well I really paid my dues.” That all changed in 2013, when he attended a trade show at the same time the FDA had just cracked down on another kratom company he knew well. Right then and there, he had a choice. How much did he believe in kratom? Enough to take the risk of attending a trade show and putting his business in the crosshairs? “There were 10 other kratom companies,” Cosgrove said. “Everyone flaked out.” But not him. That’s when he changed his company’s name from Choice Kratom to Choice Botanicals — by hand, right before the show — and went to work. “Every show that I had done at that point, I’d always been overshadowed,” he said. “There were feelings of fear, but I figured that was my time to shine.”

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VENDOR SPOTLIGHT

The gamble worked. Choice The gamble worked. Choice grabbed grabbed plenty plenty of of new new clients. clients. Soon after, the company Soon after, the company rerelocated locatedtoto Houston Houston with with Durbin Durbin coming coming aboard aboard to to oversee oversee operations. Both and operations. Both he he and Cosgrove are hands-on, Cosgrove are hands-on, not-afraid-to-get-dirty not-afraid-to-get-dirty type type of of bosses. bosses. “He’s “He’s way way smarter smarter than than me,” me,” Cosgrove says. Cosgrove says. They They started started to to completely completely overhaul overhaul the the business. business. They They focused on adding more SKUs, focused on adding more SKUs, on on getting complete control getting complete control their production production and ofof their and manufacturing, that that way way their their manufacturing, costs would would be be lower lower and and their their costs quality would would be be higher. higher. They They quality expanded their their product product line line expanded and eventually purchased and eventually purchased aa supplement company, company, Choice Choice supplement Nutrition, to expand their reach. Nutrition, to expand their reach. “We just just run run at at aa different different “We level,” Cosgrove Cosgrove says. says. “Some “Some level,” companies are in it for the quick companies are in it for the quick buck. We’re We’re in in itit for for the the long long buck. term.” term.” That’snot notjust justlip lipservice. service.Choice Choice That’s pays nearly nearly $200 $200 monthly monthly for for pays every employee’s health care. every employee’s health care. The company offers 401Ks too. The company offers 401Ks too. “We’ve doubled down,” Cosgrove “We’ve doubled down,” Cosgrove says. “We’ve poured all our says. “We’ve poured all our money back into our products, money back into our products, the machines to make our the machines make our products and ourto people.” products and our people.” 38

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The biggest thing getting in the way of Choice is the law. Kratom has been demonized in some American states. In some places, kratom bans were sought. The DEA tried to have kratom listed as a Schedule-1 drug, the same as LSD and heroin. The kratom battle has gotten both large and expensive. “We’re involved in the fight,” Cosgrove says. “We’re spending thousands for lobbying. We’re actively involved in the longevity of keeping things the way they were. We want industry oversight but not regulation.” He said the DEA wasn’t ready for the uprising from the public that happened when kratom was under attack. They showed up in person and online, standing up for themselves. “Three million people take kratom,” Cosgrove says. “They rallied. They marched on Washington. The industry banded together in its darkest time and we were able to buy some more time.” The kratom fight goes on, as another example of people advocating for their own medicine against government regulation. Cosgrove and Choice will continue the fight, because he believes in the power of kratom that much. He also believes in the potential for his business. “Our goal is to be in Whole Foods and be on the shelf in major retailers,” Cosgrove says. “But we have a long way to go because of the politics of it. It comes down to politics and money.” FOR MORE INFO: Choice Botanicals, Inc. 888.437.7779 choicekratom.com EXCEPTIONAL RETAIL BUYERS MAGAZINE - ERBMAGAZINE.COM

COVE Written by ERB Caen

Marijuana-themed hip-hop group Los Marijuanos are a viral sensation, social-media stars and the type of group that thrives in 2017 — they’ve got a strong voice and big plans for the future. Since their origins in Chicago in 1998, Los Marijuanos has been one of the top acts — and, in turn, one of the top brands — on the pro-marijuana music circuit. The group is a revolving trio that’s And Los Marijuanos have centered on Pony Boy, who proven it. is both the lead performer Pony Boy didn’t set out to start an empire. But when you’re smart, talented, dedicated to your hustle and know how to leverage social media, that’s very much possible.

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in Los Marijuanos, but also the man with all the vision about the Los Marijuanos brand. The group has released songs such as “Time to Get High,” “Slangin’ Trees” and

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ER STORY Interview by Dustin Amato / Words by ERB Caen / Photos by Bigg E

Thejust Waldos Pony Boy is the central character in Los Marijuanos, but he's also building a brand that's bigger than music. today. EXCEPTIONAL RETAIL BUYERS MAGAZINE - ERBMAGAZINE.COM

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Everywhere he goes, Pony Boy is speaking the gospel too. He wants marijuana to be legalized and decriminalized. That shows up whether he’s doing a concert or doing an interview. “Mr. Weed Man.” The titles alone are proof that Los Marijuanos knows its lane and won’t apologize for it. The vision is bigger than music, as Pony Boy’s recent adventures prove. These days, he’s working on creating a new line of edibles, a new Los Marijuanos album and his brand new parody band called Weed Al. Pretty obvious what to expect there, isn’t it? The engine that makes all this go is Pony Boy. He’s a marketing machine, a spokesperson and the perfect kind of person to thrive in 2017. That’s why the Los Marijuanos Facebook page has more than a one million followers at this point. It’s obvious the message resonates with fans. Pony Boy’s hustle takes him all over the place, especially on the marijuana circuit. Los Marijuanos are a fixture at smoke-shop trade shows. They’re often in Las Vegas, either for trade shows or other business. Los Marijuanos is also a regular at Hempfests up and down country. The Waldos manythe years ago.

Los Marijuanos says its music is “for the patients, the growers, the caregivers, hemp believers, smokers and the tokers as well as the weed sellers all over the world.” That’s a noble plight to be sure. To learn more about what Pony Boy, Los Marijuanos and Weed Al have coming up in the near future, we talked to Pony Boy. Enjoy our Q & A below:

What’s going down right now? Catch us up.

I've been working with Purple Haze properties. They are leading the industry for celebrity branding and marijuana products, dropping some products with him in California. I've been helping host at his trade show booths, and broadcast live to my all my friends and fans on Facebook Live. Been real busy from performing with my new group WEED AL at Las Vegas Hempfest.

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So you got a new album coming out. Tell us about it.

“Dank Defenders” album is finally ready to drop this year featuring Space Hog, Chucky Chuck DGAF, Romero from Clicka One and a few others, I can’t remember right now because I’m high.

I noticed you got all types of new merchandise out, what’s up with that?

The new merch line is finally available, we got nuglaces, ear nugs, a new line of Marijuanos t-shirts, caps and more at www.ponyboystuff.com. Big thanks to Freedom Leaf for putting the shop together for me.

Seems like you’re always performing hosting some type of event. What’s coming up?

I'm hosting the 34th annual Bong-A-Thon in Colorado, and headlining the annual Hempstalk festival in Portland. Lots of stuff coming through!

You have had lots of signature medibles in dispensaries in California for over 10 years, any Marijuanos Medibles coming out in Las Vegas?

I'm searching for the right partners right now. We don’t want to work with just anyone. We want to make sure we have the best genetics and high quality medicine going into our products, and we haven’t found the right person yet. Our Marijuanos Mint, Nice Dreams Ice Cream, was a No. 1 seller for years and our Marijuanos Medibles sold out consistently in Cali. We want to bring that to Vegas, just need to find the right partners. But in California it is on and poppin’, my nugs. You can get Los Marijuanos PreRolls, Medicated Mexican Candy and much more via our partners at Purple Haze Properties. They work out deals for a lot of the Rockstars, like Motorhead Kush, Anthrax Kush, Baby Bash OG, and many others.

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What have you been smoking on lately?

Mostly been sampling the latest and greatest strains I have been coming across at the Cannabis Cups and events I host. Got to find the right strains to go in these pre-rolls, ya feel me? Lemon Tree, Golden State Banana, Zkittlez and Zprite have been some of my new favs. But I’ve really been digging the the genetics HumboldtAF has been growing! Look for the Los Marijuanos pre-rolls coming to a Dispensary near you soon!

What new songs you have coming out? We have some great pot parodies coming out, covering new songs and classics alike, catch us live with the new band WEED AL.

Where can people follow you?

ON THE WEB

• For more info, go to wickedenter tainment.net/ los-marijuanos • Follow @losmarijuanos on Instagram and Twitter. • Check out the Los Marijuanos Facebook page can be found at facebook.com/ losmarijuanos/ 52

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MOVIES “Death Note”

Netflix brings us an film adaption of the popular Japanese comic series “Death Note” in which a high-school student is given a death book that allows him to kill anyone he’s seen. Our protagonist, Light, uses the book to kill criminals while a detective named L tries to stop him. The film is adapted by horror director Adam Wingard, whose credits include “Blair Witch” and “The Guest.” (Premieres Aug. 25 on Netflix)

TV “Manhunt: Unabomber”

The Discovery Channel has yet another interesting true-life series on its hands, this one packing some serious Hollywood star power and a topic ripe for exploration. “Manhunt: Unabomber” is an anthology series that tells the story of the FBI’s pursuit of Ted Kaczynski. It stars Sam Worthington as FBI profiler Jim Fitzgerald and Paul Bettany as Kaczynski, plus big-screen vets Jane Lynch and Chris Noth. It’s an eight-episode series. (Premieres Aug. 1 on Discovery Channel)

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MUSIC

der R y Alexan Photo b

ichter

Queens of the Stone Age — “Villains”

If Queens of the Stone Age drop new music, we’re there for it. As we will be for “Villains,” the band’s seventh studio album and first since 2013’s “... Like Clockwork.” You might expect something new from “Villains” as QOTSA’s Josh Homme has said he tried to make something a little more uptempo. The band worked with Mark Ronson — you know, the produce who made “Uptown Funk with Bruno Mars — so don’t be surprised if this latest work from Queens of the Stone Age has a little more dancefloor appeal. (In stores Aug. 25)

ETC 10-pound Toblerone candy bar

Let’s be real here: When you have the munchies sometimes you feel like you can eat anything. So if you’ve ever thought you could eat a 10-pound candy bar, we’ve got good news for you. You can buy that now. Toblerone, the delicious Swiss chocolatier, is selling a 10-pound candy bar that is 2.6 feet long. That’s some kinda munchie challenge. Becuase you’re wondering, it costs $124. (Available on Amazon.com)

MES VIDEO GA “Sonic Mania”

Remember when we first saw Sonic The Hedgehog on the Sega Genesis? He was running through levels like an Olympic sprinter and collecting rings. Mario was the man back then, but Sonic gave us a different style of play. Now, a whole new generation of gamers are about to get introduced to Sonic as he returns to consoles. “Sonic Mania” brings platform-style, 2D gaming back with Sonic as the star. He’ll be back on every system — Nintendo Switch, PS4 and Xbox One. (In stores Aug. 15)

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MUSIC

Vic Mensa

Vic Mensa dresses like a rock star and sounds like a new-age emcee. He’s not what hip-hop used to be. He’s what hip-hop might be in the future. With that thought in mind, a lot rests on “The Autobiography,” the proper debut album from Mensa — a 24-year-old phenom from Chicago who has already been nominated for a Grammy for working with Kanye West. Mensa has been bubbling for a few years, kicking socially conscious and in-your-face raps on EPs and mixtapes. His album features an interesting mixture of collaborators, ranging from Pharrell to Pusha T to Weezer. (In stores now)

TV “Comrade Detective”

This might be the most ridiculous thing you see this summer, but it sounds like it could also be spectacular. “Comrade Detective” is an odd series executive produced by Channing Tatum that is created to look like an 1980s police show in Romania. But here’s the twist: It’s dubbed over with English voice actors and the list of talent is crazy. Tatum and Joseph Gordon-Levitt do the voices of the main characters. The cast also includes Jenny Slate, Jake Johnson, Chloë Sevigny, Jerrod Carmichael, Nick Offerman, Fred Armisen, Kim Basinger and others. (Premieres Aug. 4 on Amazon)

MOVIES “The Dark Tower”

In “The Dark Tower” Idris Elba plays Roland Deschain, a gunslinger living in a parallel universe that is dying. With the help of a young boy from our universe, Roland tries to keep both universes from crumbling by finding “The Dark Tower” and defeating The Man In Black. If it sounds trippy, that’s because it came from the mind of Stephen King, whose series of novels the film is based on. The novel series stretches back to 1982 with eight installments, so if this film adaption is successful, you’ll see more. (In theaters Aug. 4)

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Every issue we ask readers a question and collect the responses. For our August issue, we asked: What’s the best movie you’ve seen this summer? Here’s what people had to say.

Panel

BEST MOVIES

“Wonder Woman. So amazing.”

“Baywatch! Just kidding. Dunkirk was really good.”

“Straight up, the Fate of the Furious was siiiiiick.”

Janae Irving, Tx.

Stephen Kissimmee, Fl.

Jon San Bernadino, Calif.

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erbmagazine.com

“I only see kids movies these days, but Captain Underpants was pretty entertaining.” Rick Southaven, Miss.

For our September issue, we want to know: What’s the hottest item in your shop right now? If you’re a smoke-shop employee interested in joining our Tastemaker Panel, e-mail us at editor@erbmagazine.com.

“Guardians of the Galaxy 2 — now hurry up with the third one.”

“I loved loved loved loved The Big Sick”

Ivan Gillette, Wy.

Sandra Wooster, Ohio

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