When the Canadian Cannabis Act of June, 2018 paved the way for the legalization of cannabis in Canada, it opened up a whole new industry for industrious entrepreneurs looking to invest. While many upstart dispensaries came and went, one local chain – Star Buds Cannabis Company – has recently hit a milestone that reflects the ongoing success of their operation.
According to managing partner Stew Garner, the eight area locations of Star Buds have recently surpassed the one million transaction mark, a significant number considering the relatively short history of the company. With seven stores in Simcoe County and one in Amherstview, Star Buds has emerged as one of the top area cannabis retailers.
“There are a lot of (cannabis) stores open in this area, a lot of great stores,” said Garner. “We opened the first location in Barrie on Livingston Street in June 2020. Since then, we’ve opened a total of eight locations and hitting that milestone is definitely a measure of our success.”
According to Garner, there are two primary reasons why Star Buds has emerged as an industry leader.
“I think our success has a lot to do with location and the scale of our business. We’re more of a boutique store, a smaller operation. And I have to attribute the majority of our success to our staff. We had excellent employee retention, with some with us since day one who have moved up to management positions. We promote from within.”
Garner said he’s witnessed the quality of customer interactions with staff first hand.
“It’s interesting when I go to a store and see a customer come in and say, ‘Hi Noah,’ and see the employee say ‘Hi Jim’ back. It’s crazy to hear the rapport they have. Customer service and our employees are a big part of our success.”
Another key element to the ongoing success at Star Buds is product selection. Like many of the more successful cannabis retailers, Star Buds is catering to a customer base with an increasingly greater knowledge about the various types of available cannabis products and their applications.
“The biggest increase in our business over the last one or two years is the health and wellness side of the cannabis industry,” said Garner. “Specifically, the CBD side of it is for concerns like sleep, relaxation, or muscle pain relief. Whether it is topicals, capsules, oil or gummies, there are many options for people who want to explore these benefits.”
With the stigma around cannabis consumption lessening thanks to both legalization and greater education, Garner says there’s a whole new norm out there. While the government has been slow to react to the emerging needs of cannabis retailers given that it’s a new industry, Garner believes a lot of changes will be coming as the industry continues to evolve.
““The government has been great to work with. That said, when it comes to medical claims, we still have to be very careful with what we can say. We can’t recommend what products to take for medical reasons, but we can point people in the right direction.”
Garner said he sees a lot of customers educating themselves about the associated benefits of the products at Star Buds.
“For example, I play hockey, and many guys in the dressing room are using CBD creams for back pain etc.. Many of our new customers are coming in because they have heard about the benefits from someone they know on the health and wellness side.”
With the one millionth transaction behind them, Star Buds is looking to the future with customer appreciation in mind. In fact, September 21st and 22nd, Star Buds will be hosting a customer appreciation event and offering a variety of giveaways and specials.
For the location nearest you, visit Start Buds Cannabis Company online here.