Rebelle: A Cannabis Dispensary With A Cause
The Berkshires. Stunning landscapes, world-class cultural arts, birthplace of the farm-to-table movement. And now, legal cannabis dispensary mecca in Massachusetts, open to anyone willing to travel for weed. New dispensaries are popping up all over Berkshire County faster than you can use ingest a pack of watermelon gummies. And each dispensary brings to the marketplace its own mission and style.
Rebelle, which opened at 783 South Main Street in Great Barrington last fall, puts its calling right out front with its slightly cheeky name and tagline of Aim Higher. Elevation might be the objective for cannabis users, but it’s Rebelle’s core principle in a different arena: social justice.
Founder and CEO Charlotte Hanna, who has worked in real estate, finance, philanthropy and design, has set up a “conscientious capitalist” business model dedicated to empowering communities disproportionately impacted by cannabis criminalization.
To that end, through its parent company, Community Growth Partners, Rebelle has partnered with Roca, a nonprofit organization in Holyoke, Mass. that helps young adults who may have had some illegal encounter by directing them towards a career and a positive future. When hiring, Rebelle looks to fill positions first by Roca participants, creating a pipeline of talent from communities that have been hurt by the criminalizing of cannabis. (In case you were wondering, some of these candidates may or may not be able to get a dispensary agent card. According to Penelope Nam-Stephen, the company’s chief commercial officer, they don’t need an agent card if in a non-transacting position.)
Rebelle offers a selection of cannabis flower, and the sniffer jars allow customers to inspect and smell the varieties.
A woman and minority-owned company, Rebelle takes its social justice mission a step further by donating 3% of its sales to an expungement fund, which clears nonviolent offenses (those with low-level cannabis convictions in Massachsuetts, for example) from his or her record.
“All of us are committed to balancing things out,” said Nam-Stephen. “We think it’s important to normalize cannabis. It’s been exiled into its own place of not being socially acceptable. We’re here to break that stigma.”
With Hanna’s background in design and Nam-Stephen’s in fashion and branding, it’s not surprising that Aim Higher refers also to the ambience of the shopping experience. Rebelle is located in a bright and sunny renovated farmhouse. The feeling upon walking in is one that you’d have entering any small retailer on any of the quaint main streets in the Berkshires. And that’s the point.
“That was important to us,” said Nam-Stephen. “Generally, a dispensary offers a nonceremonious retail experience. Usually there’s a vestibule where you check in your i.d. behind a closed door. So we turned the model upside down. There’s no security vestibule. The i.d. check is done inside. It’s a warm, open environment where you can pick up packaging and touch things.”
The displays are sophisticated and inviting, and while the packages on them are empty, you can get pretty close to the actual flower: Along the length of a windowsill, a row of transparent jars with a magnifier on the top allow the customer to smell and examine the many varieties of weed. A tableau devoted to 1906, a line of edibles “with delicious, fast-acting experiences” looks more like a cosmetics display than anything else (complete with chic marble and brass rolling trays for sale).
And then there’s Made By Rebelle, a line of branded apparel that includes a leather goods line. Nam-Stephen enthused about the April launch of the Jerry, a limited-edition, odor-blocking pouch — a fashion-forward, discreet solution for cannabis on the go.
CEO Charlotte Hanna designed the interior, including the wall murals
Also in the works: Rebelle’s own cultivation and manufacturing facility.
“A space in Northamption is under construction now,” said Nam-Stephen. “We’re looking to be able to have harvestable product by the end of 2021. Ironically, the building used to manufacture guns. A place that was set to destroy lives is being turned into a place for growing something new.”
Despite opening during the pandemic, she’s pleased with the growth trajectory, and with the customer mix from both inside and outside the community. “We love that the locals are shopping with us,” Nam-Stephen said.
Having found early success in Massachusetts, Rebelle’s leadership has its eyes on cannabis legislation happening in New York State.
“It would be meaningful to enter that market and bring about some positive change,” said Nam-Stephen. “New York would reap benefits from what we do.”
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