Reviews | Company Highlight | Grass Supply

HOTTEST NEW DISPENSARY IN EDMOND

This month, Chronic spoke with Jonathan Pollard of Grass Supply. Grass Supply is a dispensary located in a suburb of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It is one of a kind, and if you’re in the Edmond neighborhood, check it out!

Chronic: Let’s jump right in. What is your position at Grass Supply? How long have you worked there?

<Jonathan Pollard> I am one of seven owners, and it’s a real family affair. My sister, Lexi, my brother, Josh, my brother-in-law, Nick, my cousin, Brandon, my best friend, Kevin, and my wife, Amanda are the other owners, and while it can be tricky to mix family and business, we have made this work remarkably well for us. As far as my position goes, I am coach, cheerleader, bus driver, shoulder to cry on and ear to listen. I like to think of myself as the leader of this rugged bunch!

Chronic: Did you expect cannabis to make such a splash in Oklahoma?

<Jonathan Pollard> I didn’t! I did not. Oklahoma, being part of the Bible Belt, being strongly conservative, and what I know about the undercurrent of the state, I did not expect the bill to pass. The number of years ago when it did was pretty surprising. At that time, I was not ready to act on this passage of the bill as I did not have the same wherewithal or the life experience and knowledge that I have now. Waiting until the time was right was the right thing, even though the market has been saturated. And that’s something crazy too! When you think about the strict conservative viewpoints around cannabis, and how many of us were raised to think this was a gateway drug, when in my experience and the experience of many others shows that that is not the case. Cannabis can give someone a new outlook on life. They may not have been able to get out of bed before trying cannabis, and when it can give someone a new lease on life, it’s not something that needs to be frowned upon.

Chronic: What is your favorite aspect of your job?

<Jonathan Pollard> Retail can be tricky. Most of us have seen videos of people shouting at and demeaning employees. In those moments of frustration, sometimes people forget that it is not okay to conflate your anger at, let’s say, some cold fries, with the employee you handed them to you. Complaining about the product is fine but to devalue someone's worth due to a faulty product is wrong in and of itself. My favorite part of this job is to really be able to care for the people who trusted me to care for them. Not only the patients that come in the door, but all the employees as well.

For me, people are always first. It’s important to care for people so they can care about what is important to you as well. It’s all about granting grace to the people who need it and giving the care that you want to receive. Everything is all about respect and genuine appreciation for each person. Since this is a family affair, we want to treat the people around us like family, too.

Chronic: What's the best part about the store itself?

<Jonathan Pollard> The store itself is an art piece and a heart piece! We built the store with our bare hands, literally. We laid the flooring, we bricked a wall, and we installed a fireplace just to name a few. We actually put in our blood, sweat, and tears... seriously! I’ve got the scars to prove it! We took real care to build this the way that reflected a representation of the care and the love that we are trying to show the community. We wanted a store that would be open, where people would feel less intimidated. We put so much love and care into it. It was all of our ideas combined. The store is like a precious jewel that we wanted to share with others. Going to a dispensary doesn’t have to be dark or intimidating, especially when you’re new to the concept as a whole. While it is all over the state, cannabis truly feels like an open secret. Due to this, we are trying to open the door to destigmatization and start a real conversation around cannabis, the ways it can be used, and the people it helps.

Chronic: Tell me about your employee culture?

<Jonathan Pollard> Having a knowledgeable and caring staff genuinely makes a huge difference within the store. The small moments with patients can change someone’s whole perspective on cannabis or even their lives. Our employee culture is so important and vital to the business, but it is the one unique thing I don’t have control over. It’s a product of picking the right people with the same motivations as the us and fostering them to be the best versions of themselves. If I tried to control it, I would sound like, “Be nice! Be nice! Be nice to people!! (or else…)” But when you treat people like that, they cannot grow and be themselves within the space. Although it is important to hire correctly, I still must lead by example. When a patient comes in, I try to be the first out of my chair to help them. After my team sees this a couple of times, they start racing me to the front to help the customer first, and they want to beat me. In fact, I had brought in a person from the snow cone place next door to do a quick tour as they had their medical card and had not visited before, two of my employees showed great initiative by getting stickers, a hat, and a shirt for the visitor. It was great, and I was so proud of them for that! By setting the right example, they were able to use critical thinking to find an innovative way to care for someone else.

Chronic: Why is it so important to "be a mirror and not a sponge"?

<Jonathan Pollard> Well... it’s because each of us have our own shortcomings, each of us have our own failings, and nobody is perfect. Each of us has our own path to walk and our feet don’t hurt less because more people wear the same shoes and they don’t hurt more because fewer people wear them. All of our lives and experiences are unique. We all exist and that should be enough. The value that we have as people is intrinsic. I cannot devalue you or grow your value, only you can do that. But what I can do is recognize that value. I can recognize that you are valuable just for being here. Too often we see that people’s value is often conflated with their work. Some people take pride in devaluing others and try to drag them down and it’s just not right.

In moments of failure, it is necessary to give people grace and respect because that is how you should treat people. Our goal is to continually mirror the grace and flexibility that we are given to those around us. Be a mirror and not a sponge, it takes forethought and it takes mindfulness. This is an intentional process and we must be conscious of the care we received and the care we can give to others. It doesn’t cost anything to be nice

Chronic: What about Mom's Like Me? How did that come to be? Who is the founder?

<Jonathan Pollard> Mom’s Like Me is all from Lexi, my little sister and our marketing director. She and her husband, who was in the Air Force, moved around a lot and when they were stationed in Colorado, she was unintentionally isolated. Being far away from family and friends unfortunately, started her down a path of mental health struggles. I believe it began with anxiety and over time, depression reared its ugly head as well. During this time, she found that cannabis could do some real good in her fight for mental health. This was after going to multiple doctors and being prescribed medication after medication after medication. Lexi still has a gallon baggie filled with all the different things she had to take just to feel normal again, some were even to combat the side effects of the other prescriptions. She hopes that we can provide others the same care that she needed. >>

>> While we were all talking one night she said, “I really would like to create a space where mom’s like me can come together and discuss this open secret.We need a place where we can be ourselves.” I was like, “That’s it! That’s perfect! Mom’s Like Me.” Since cannabis is everywhere within Oklahoma, everyone knows about it but nobody really talks about it. Mom’s Like Me is something like a support group for women to talk openly without judgment, retribution, or to be seen in some sort of weird light. She has three kids at home, and they are the joy of her heart and the light of her life. She is an amazing mother and the fact that someone would assume she is a bad mother because she uses cannabis is just not true. My wife, Amanda, has a similar story as well and they are the core that keeps Mom’s Like Me alive. They love with their whole heart and they share that love with anyone they meet.

Chronic: What do y'all have lined up for the future?

<Jonathan Pollard> We have a Mom’s Like Me event on December 4th. It’s a brunch get-together, not just for mom’s, but all women who want a place to be open and honest about cannabis and share their stories. The burden of a secret can get heavy and it helps to share that weight with others. It will be hosted at Grass Supply and will just be a come and go event for anyone who wants to be there. We have plans for Mom’s Like Me events monthly, so if you can’t make it to this upcoming one, keep an eye out for the next date.

We always want to be a part of the community and during the month of November we teamed up with country music station 99.7 HANK FM as their Veteran’s Mental Health Awareness partner. One of our employees has shared her passion for helping veterans and we’re working to do our part to help serve the people that served America. Also, we have a food drive coming up in December. We're always open to suggestions for helping those who need it. We ultimately want to be a positive influence within our community, with our neighbors, and with the people we interact with daily.

Grass Supply is more than just another dispensary, they actually care about what they put out into the world. They measure success, not in dollars and cents, but in lives impacted. Their purpose is to help get people comfortable with using cannabis and talking openly about it too. As a whole, if you are new to the cannabis scene check out Grass Supply, you’ll be treated like family there.

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