4/20 Women & Weed Featured Interview: Vashon Velvet Photos by Amber Fouts (originally photographed for Seattle Met) Interview by Meg Wachter & Jen Levy (of Greyhorse BK)
“‘How would I feel about starting a pot farm?’ The last words I was expecting from my mom.” — IVY GRESS Can you introduce yourselves? How did Vashon Velvet start, and what is your favorite part about being in the cannabis industry? Susie Gress: A few years ago I guess
you’d describe me as a typical soccer mom. Then my husband passed away suddenly and my daughter went off to college. I had to rethink my life. There were a few false starts––I found I don’t want to live in Florida for example. While exploring how to reset my future I started reading about cannabis as medicine. I have a science background so it intrigued me. I found some seeds and started a little indoor grow, but I was still thinking of it as just a hobby. Then Washington announced their rules for getting a license to grow cannabis and click––that little little light bulb you see in cartoons went on over my head. There was a 30 day window to apply for a license, and if you missed it there would probably never be another chance. The application
