Starting a business is never easy, but given my experience in cannabis thus far, it is safe to say that being in this industry has led me to spaces and places that I could have never imagined.
Since Massachusetts legalized in 2016, the industry has experienced a pandemic, civil unrest, and most recently prices continuing to plummet in the Massachusetts market. Add in the closing of The Source in Northampton, after only being open eight months and it is enough to make anyone pause and wonder how anyone survives and thrives in this industry.
6 Brick’s was always a dream of mine, acknowledging that there are many things an individual can’t change about themselves, including their hometown, which means I will always be Payton Shubrick, of Springfield, Massachusetts. What I did not realize is that 6 Brick’s would become a calling card to showcase a locally owned dispensary and an opportunity to highlight diversity in an industry that desperately needs it, with the bonus of being led by a Black woman.
This venture took three years to create, as 6 Brick’s opened doors in September 2022, and, while it should be celebrated, it did create a moment of pause and reflection.
Adult-use marijuana establishments in Massachusetts have surpassed $4 billion in gross sales since the advent of recreational sales in 2018, the state’s Cannabis Control Commission announced on Feb.1. However, women and people of color at all levels in this industry are still severely underrepresented facing the challenges of access to capital, legal and accounting guidance, networks, and the reality of a market that is now saturated in parts of the state.
However, I still clearly recall the talks of social equity and opportunities in communities deemed “disproportionately impacted” as a method to right the wrongs seen when cannabis was illegal. And yet, we have not seen this take shape holistically, although most recently, we have had the moments of joy with companies like the Heritage Club in Charlestown or Apex Noire in Boston, both independently-owned operations opened by people of color in the communities they care about.
But how do we survive and thrive in this industry, when multistate operators are compressing the market maxing out on their allotment of three retail licenses in the state and lowering overhead to squeeze dollars and cents out of communities.
For owners like myself grouped in the non-white and non-big corporation categories, it is simple, we stay focused on what we can control which is our menu, customer service, and how we show up for our community every day.
Cannabis is still in its infancy with customers having questions about products. Our tagline of “People. Plant. Purpose” makes it simple for customers to understand what we are about. With more options in the market the golden rule of “treat others how you would want to be treated” stays at the forefront of my mind. The market maturing means that you can no longer rest on the build it and they will come model, and that is what provides an avenue for independent operators.
Small retailers can’t compete with the budgets of large corporations, it is simple mathematics, add up the cost of billboards, digital ads, etc. and it quickly totals the same amount of money needed for payroll. However, with each Google review that outlines top tier customer service, negotiating to have the best products on my shelves, and a few dollars devoted to marketing it is my hope that customers will notice 6 Brick’s enough to venture inside and see for themselves why having a local dispensary is not only needed but preferred. I can’t guarantee it will work but I can’t control the market either.
As the saying goes tough times don’t last but tough people do, so I will take the wins as they come big and small. So, for the customers that finally find the right edibles to help them sleep, to the woman who buys her first pre-roll only to come back to 6 Brick’s to buy another I thrive in knowing that my and many other independent operators’ existence resist the notion of what you should look like to participate in this industry.
It is my ask of everyone reading this that you consider who you are supporting when buying your legal cannabis because no one thrives alone.
Payton Shubrick is the CEO and founder of 6 Brick’s, a cannabis dispensary at 1860 Main St., Springfield. She is also chief of staff for The Block, a collective of business professionals, focused on creating a fair and equitable industry to support the overall success of Black- and brown-owned cannabis businesses. She was the first Black woman to own a marijuana business in Western Massachusetts and only the third to do so statewide.
Editor’s note: 6 Brick’s is located on the same property as The Republican.
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