REIGN MAN GETS GREEN

NEWS & BUSINESS Shawn Kemp brings Sonics nostalgia to store opening

Seattle cannabis shop plans to help social equity

By John Nelson EVERCANNABIS CORRESPONDENT

The grand opening of Shawn Kemp’s Cannabis in late October in Seattle had a distinct ’90s-era Seattle SuperSonics vibe.

Live and in person, you had the Reign Man himself, along with former teammate Gary Payton, a.k.a., The Glove, joined by hundreds of weed-smoking Sonics fans, who had come to celebrate the new business not far from where the two former NBA stars once played.

The budtenders wore No. 40 Kemp Sonics jerseys amid artwork and photos of Reign Man and The Glove hanging on the handsome brick walls of the showroom, a 4,000-square-foot space that immediately makes it one of the biggest retail stores in the state.

The location, near First Avenue and Denny Way, is near Seattle Center, something that isn’t lost on Kemp.

“I hope the Sonics come back here,” Kemp said to the assembled media during the grand opening, noting that Climate Pledge Arena (home of the new NHL franchise Seattle Kraken) is being refurbished and could one day host another NBA team. “We’re going to be right down the street. That makes me smile,” Kemp added.

Shortly after those remarks, The Glove made his entrance, embracing Kemp and spending a few moments talking with his former teammate as they walked around the store. The two are still clearly close friends.

“I came out here to support my boy,” Payton said as he and Kemp cut the green ribbon officially opening the store. Over the next few weeks, Payton joined Kemp for several additional personal appearances to help promote the shop.

Kemp is returning the favor, stocking the high-end strain “Gary Payton Cookies,” an indica-heavy flower that Payton started marketing last year.

“Of course, I’m going to help my friend promote his product,” Kemp said.

Kemp’s new shop is just the start of what could be several stores in the Puget Sound area, said Ramsey Hamide, one of his partners in the endeavor. Hamide and others involved in Shawn Kemp’s Cannabis are also owners of Main Street Marijuana in Vancouver, the state’s top-selling cannabis retailer.

“The branding we’re going to have with Shawn is going to be huge,” said Hamide, noting that Main Street Marijuana’s retail know-how would help make the Kemp partnership a success.

“We are going to have the best selection and lowest prices, hands-down,” Hamide said. And coming soon, Hamide said, is a new product specific to the store.

“He’s going to have his own Reign Man strain,” Hamide said.

During his opening remarks, Kemp said his cannabis store can offer a needed service for the community by promoting responsible medical and recreational use. His involvement makes the store the first Black-owned dispensary in Washington, and he’s proud that his store is offering good wages to people of all ethnic backgrounds.

“If you go into any of these

PHOTOS BY JOHN NELSON/FOR EVERCANNABIS

Owner Shawn Kemp addresses media at the grand opening of his cannabis retailer in Seattle’s Lower Queen Anne neighborhood on Oct. 30.

pot shops around town, you very rarely see any of us Blacks working in those shops,” he said. “You come to my shop and you’ll see a mixed ratio of people.”

On the shelves, you’ll see a variety of Western Washington producers, and a few notable products from the eastside. Spokane’s Phat Panda, grown by GrowOp Farms, for instance, is well represented.

If you check out Shawn Kemp’s Cannabis, located at 3035 1st Ave., don’t miss the building’s 30-by-80-foot mural, painted by artist Jeff Jacobson (known as Weirdo), featuring Kemp, Payton and even Michael Jordan, back in their prime.

Shawn Kemp greets former teammate Gary Payton at the opening event.

Dec. 4

MJBizCon. Traditionally in Las Vegas, this year, the world’s largest annual cannabis conference is now virtual. Event includes sessions, online vendors, networking opportunities and more. mjbizconference.com

Dec. 10

The Cannabis Alliance, Seattle. Monthly meeting of growers, retailers and other supporters of Washington’s cannabis system. The Alliance is also

UPCOMING EVENTS

scheduling virtual happy hours for social interaction for members each Tuesday at 5 p.m., and occasional virtual “Office Hours” to meet the staff. thecannabisalliance.us

Dec. 15-17

Winter Emerge Virtual Cannabis Confer-

ence. This online event brings together more than 30 speakers. Event includes the ability to create a digital avatar to attend a virtual job fair, discuss current trends and get to know representatives from more

BRANDO’S

Continued from 7 pricey.

Welk will also ask glass collectors he knows to donate, because he serves 200 to 300 kids every Christmas.

He has a warm way about him which comes naturally. Some of the kids he gets gifts for have lived through horrendous circumstances, he said, and he feels that if there is a need, and he can do something about it, he will.

“I have debilitating empathy for people,” he said. “I’m a magnet for people in need.”

He said some developmentally disabled people just come to him and start talking to him. Maybe he got this empathy from than 50 businesses and other cannabis influencers. emergecanna.com

If you know of any cannabis industry related events that you would like to see listed in upcoming issues, please email the information to evercannabis@spokesman.com.

Due to health concerns, some events may be canceled, postponed or moved online. Please check with

event organizers to verify prior to attending. one of his grandmothers, who had an adult family home at her own residence.

He lived with her for a while, and calls her his “first best friend.” In fact, he said he was a pretty lucky in the grandma department because at one time, due to divorce, new marriages, etc., he had eight grandmothers.

Once he gets his list of families in need together, he goes shopping. The toys are brought back to his glass studio where everything is sorted out and put into bags.

Welk said if someone requests something super expensive, for example a gaming system, he puts out his feelers for a gently used one or someone who is willing to buy one and donate it.

Putting all the bags together is when he needs the most help, but along with the other glassblowers, they usually have things under control.

One story that stands out was a request from a family in Sandpoint, Idaho, on Christmas Eve. Welk personally drove there in a snowstorm to deliver a bike.

Is he Santa Claus? No! But he’s OK being called Brando Claus, and has even created a glass Brando Claus ornament. If you buy one, you will be entered into future drawings for glass.

LINDA BALL/FOR EVERCANNABIS

The limited-edition Brando Claus Christmas ornament.

As much as Welk enjoys putting on the toy drive, it is time consuming; plus, he has a family of his own, and a business to run. He said he’d like to do the drive for two more years after this year, reaching a total of 10 years. Then he’d love to pass it on to someone else.

But if no one else steps forward, he will most likely keep going.

Fellow glassblowers Royal Stumph and Steve Beer also get involved each year by hosting a holiday movie night/toy drive at the Garland Theater, where a donation or toy is the entrance fee. Unfortunately, the Garland remains closed out of precaution amid rising COVID-19 cases this fall. As of now, Stumph said they plan to have drop boxes for toys at various locations, such as glass studios and The Smoke Shop downtown.

If you would like to contribute to Brando’s Toy Drive, you can send financial donations to his PayPal account at brandonwelk@gmail.com, or drop new toys off at his studio at 5324 E. Desmet Ave., in Spokane.