West Little Rock Joins ‘Hempire’ With Berner Dispensary

Berner stood underneath his identify in robin-egg blue at a newly branded Little Rock medical hashish dispensary April 15, his crisp, pressed shirt giving the impression of a relaxed company retailer, not the streetwise San Francisco hip-hop and weed mogul he has been for 15 years.

Nonetheless, Berner was a strolling commercial for his model, Cookies, a big-name marijuana pressure and the model Berner gave to his Haight Road clothes and way of life retailer.

“Cookies” is tattooed in cursive on the underside fringe of his proper hand, and when Berner isn’t sporting a gold-plated marijuana leaf round his neck, he’s usually sporting a trademark curliequed “C” encrusted with gems. A smaller Cookies pendant in strong gold is out there on-line for $5,999.

“We’re bringing a style of California to Arkansas,” mentioned Berner, born Gilbert Anthony Milam Jr., who was the principle attraction as tons of crowded a grand opening at Berner’s by Good Day Farm in west Little Rock. “It’s an actual milestone to be working within the South. I by no means thought I might see it occur.”

After all Chenal is a rising space of Little Rock, not a suburb as described in a Cookies firm information launch. However the retail collaboration at 11600 Chenal Parkway would be the first in Arkansas to supply Cookies’ “distinctive cultivars and one-of-a-kind attire,” it mentioned.

“The final time I used to be in Little Rock, I used to be on a tour with Snoop and we had a blast,” Berner informed Arkansas Enterprise, talking over the thump of a reside DJ and a din of Cookies prospects grabbing complimentary burgers and chips from the Purple Cow’s desk within the car parking zone.

The spacious lot, it seems, was a promoting level for the brand new location. Good Day’s outdated dispensary at 900 S. Rodney Parham Highway in Little Rock had solely about 10 parking spots, in accordance with Ryan Herget, the dispensary supervisor.

Herget is the Little Rock entrepreneur who developed the meals supply app Chef Squad earlier than promoting it to DoorDash in 2017. He’s now with Good Day Farm Retail administration; a Pine Bluff cultivation heart, Good Day Farm Arkansas LLC, can be affiliated.

“The Rodney Parham retailer was in style however simply too small,” Herget mentioned. “So having this superb constructing on this nice a part of city — with a number of extra parking spots — it simply permits us to supply a greater expertise.”

The dispensary, which modified possession final month (see under), is way roomier at 4,043 SF. Ironic or not, the earlier tenant was a Lifeway Christian Retailer.

Berner, who lists swimming an hour a day as a key to success, revels in his historical past as a former hashish membership operator and developer of the “Lady Scout Cookies” pressure with the cultivator Jai, often known as Jigga. Associated Cookies manufacturers embody Gary Payton, Cereal Milk, The Fly, Georgia Pie, Laughing Fuel and Peach Cobbler. Together with marijuana and hashish merchandise, the retailers additionally promote Berner’s clothes and skateboards.

“Everybody right here is dedicated to giving individuals an excellent journey,” Berner mentioned. “That is the way in which that California medical hashish was after I began: extra private interplay. We’re glad to have the ability to deliver that to Arkansas with a wonderful accomplice, Good Day Farm.”

The hashish dispensary has a brand new possession group authorized final month by the state, and a capital infusion final 12 months set the stage for the transfer. Dispensary licensee and Little Rock lawyer Alex T. Grey was among the many earlier house owners and new traders who raised $6.2 million within the 2021 securities providing. A number of the proceeds went to repay the dispensary license, which was purchased in November 2020 from Pure State Wellness Dispensary for an undisclosed value. Pure State was licensed in January 2019 and operated on Rodney Parham as Harvest Home of Hashish and Little Rock Home of Hashish.