Christie and William Ashabranner: Creating a Cannabis Retail Space Where Everyone Feels Welcome
In this episode of The Ganjapreneur Podcast, host TG Branfalt sits down with Christie and William Ashabranner, the husband-and-wife duo behind The Herb Cave, a licensed cannabis dispensary in Plattsburgh, New York. Built on values of inclusivity, kindness, and education, The Herb Cave stands out not only for its product selection and interior design, but for its genuine community connection and emphasis on customer experience.
In this interview, Christie and William share the trials of opening a cannabis shop in a hesitant real estate market, how word-of-mouth and staff culture fueled their early success, and why they’re building a space that goes beyond retail with events, metaphysical offerings, and plans for an eventual on-site consumption lounge. They also reflect on legacy roots, regulatory frustrations, and what it takes to earn a customer’s trust in a legal market.
Editor’s note: this transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.
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TG Branfalt:
Hey there, I’m your host, TG Branfalt, and this is the Ganjapreneur.com podcast where we try to bring you actionable information and normalized cannabis through the stories of ganjapreneurs, activists and industry stakeholders. Today I’m joined by Christie and William Ashabranner. They’re owners of Plattsburgh, New York based dispensary, the Herb Cave. Christie, the founder of the Herb Cave, built the space with inclusivity at its core with a mission rooted in healing, connection and community. William started in the cannabis space in 2018 as a cannabis advocate and educator passionate about plant medicine, entrepreneurship, and creating spaces that blend education, wellness, and culture. Christie, William, how are you doing this afternoon?
Christie Ashabranner:
We’re doing good.
TG Branfalt:
I am really excited to have one of my local haunts on the podcast. It’s very rare and quite the pleasure. When I get to do this, tell my listeners about yourselves, how you ended up in the cannabis space.
Christie Ashabranner:
Well, you can start, William, because you have more than I do.
William Ashabranner:
So I started in 2018. I was kind of scouted by Cure eaf and they found me and I helped them open their four medical stores throughout the state. I was their outreach rep, so I educated and opened their stores throughout the state, and that was pretty eyeopening and helped us do this.
TG Branfalt:
So how did you guys come up with the idea to do this, to take the plunge into a full on retail dispensary?
Christie Ashabranner:
Well, it wasn’t about the idea. I mean, when cannabis was legalized in 2021, William and I, we sat and thought about it and I was kind of the person that pushed him like, Hey, we can do this. And he’s like, I don’t know. And I was like, yes, we totally can do this. So we started reading the regs and everything that was rolling out as it rolled out, and we just kind of rolled with the punches.
William Ashabranner:
The regs came out and a few months later we were looking for a place to rent.
TG Branfalt:
And so tell me about that process. You guys obviously had to start from the ground up. What was that like? In New York, we started with that conditional retail adult use sort of model, which we’re still kind of working under. So could you just explain what the process was like for you two?
Christie Ashabranner:
Oh my God, it was hell. I mean, it was total utter hell. We had to just do everything on a wing and a prayer and just follow the model, build it, and it will come. So I guess will could explain how we leased our place and how we found it.
William Ashabranner:
So we found our place. We saw for rent sign in the building placard, and we called up the shop and they said, hell no. And so we looked at every single place for rent in Plattsburgh and I mean every place that was available for rent at that time, that was crazy. And the landlords either wanted nothing to do with cannabis at the time. They were just freaked out about it. It was so new or they weren’t answering us. The space just wasn’t going to work. So that took a few months. We got strung along by a few landlords, and then eventually we looped back around to the very first place that we saw, which is our location now. And we called them back up and we said, well, what about now? Because everybody else said no,
Christie Ashabranner:
Would you reconsider your position?
William Ashabranner:
And they said, yeah, we actually tried to get ahold of you a few weeks ago to let you know that we changed our minds. And we were like, wow, what a blessing, because this is the only spot, the only spot we want. Because one, it’s right off the highway. Two, it has a drive-through, and three, it had the possibility of building out our lounge, which is really important to us. Yeah.
TG Branfalt:
Do you have a timeframe for that? Is that still something that state regs are dealing with state regs on the lounge,
William Ashabranner:
Yes, on the state regs, but we are going to be opening it in the next few months for community events.
TG Branfalt:
Yep. That’s very, very exciting. Did you have any issues with the town with regard to zoning or anything like that?
Christie Ashabranner:
No, we didn’t have any issues with the town. We have the most awesomest town clerk ever shout out to Katie Lucci. She is amazing. She was very supportive and very kind to us.
TG Branfalt:
So one of the things that I’ve talked to a lot of business owners in New York throughout the state about is the state of advertising. It’s one of the sort of strictest regulations in the state. It’s basically uncowed banned. So what did you do to advertise or spread the word in the face of this strict advertising?
Christie Ashabranner:
So we really haven’t been able to advertise at all. We’re waiting for more stuff to roll out so we can do that. But basically it’s been people come in, they have an experience, they have that experience, they come back in and they’re like, whoa, we loved your stuff. We love your vibe. We love how everything goes here, how we’re treated as a customer. And we just tell all your friends, tell all your friends.
TG Branfalt:
And they do
Christie Ashabranner:
And they do.
TG Branfalt:
So word of mouth has proven to be the most kind of important part for you at this
William Ashabranner:
Point? Yeah, I mean if you get trash weed, you’re going to tell all your friends. But if you get good weed, you’re also going to tell all your friends.
Christie Ashabranner:
And if you get treated like shit, you’re going to tell all your friends. And if you get treated with respect and kindness, you’re also going to tell all your friends.
William Ashabranner:
It’s been good for us.
TG Branfalt:
And I mean, I can speak sort of personally to your staff and just to the space. I mean there’s a lot of feng shui, the way that it sort of flows, the place flows and the staff is always very knowledgeable, very, very kind people
William Ashabranner:
Really on November 24th
Christie Ashabranner:
And opened the herb cave December 27th.
TG Branfalt:
Unbelievable. So I really wanted to circle back to your staff because again, I’ve been there a lot. I’ve been to a lot of the dispensaries throughout the state and even up going up to Messina, the reservation. And it is one of the things that does stand out about the Herb cave is the staff. What qualities do you look for in your staff and how do you determine who fits that sort of mold?
Christie Ashabranner:
So the Herb Cave has a motto and it’s called your vibe attracts your Tribe. So we kind of go through a preliminary interview. So there’s a two interview process and either Will and I or just myself will sit with a candidate and basically just feel out who they are as a person rather than their credentials, what kind of education or background they have. To us it’s more about kindness, being teachable and just generally having a good outlook on life. So that’s what matters the most to us. It doesn’t matter to us. A lot of people will apply and have a lot of education in cannabis or know a lot about it, and they assume that they’re going to get a job and that’s not the way it works with us. You generally have to be a good human being for us to want to work with you.
TG Branfalt:
Do you get a lot of college kids coming in thinking that it’ll just be like a quick sort of stay quick job while they’re in college?
William Ashabranner:
We do get applicants, I would say we get a lot of applicants, but we’re looking for more permanent
Christie Ashabranner:
Staff. Yeah, definitely.
TG Branfalt:
Because Plattsburgh is a college town. So what are the most popular products in your shop in the first sort of few months? Six months
William Ashabranner:
Rolls? A hundred percent. Yeah,
Christie Ashabranner:
We sell a ton.
William Ashabranner:
Anything like 99% of the people coming in, they’re coming in for our pre-roll.
TG Branfalt:
Any specific brands or
William Ashabranner:
For the pre-rolls? We sell a lot of Leos. We sell a lot of rolling Green, golden Garden.
TG Branfalt:
Do you find that people are choosing the products based on the brand, the price? Is it a combination of both?
William Ashabranner:
I think it’s whatever our bud tenders are telling them is a good product
Christie Ashabranner:
Really.
William Ashabranner:
They really trust our bud tenders to tell them what’s good right now.
Christie Ashabranner:
And that’s right alongside with our bud tenders trying the products and being educated on the products as well as how they treat the customer. They grow that respect and connection with them.
William Ashabranner:
We do monthly smoke parties with our staff so they can try everything and I think that really helps sell the products.
TG Branfalt:
Yeah. Do you take a lot of the recommendations on the brands that you stock from your staff or how do you figure out which brands are going to fit the herb cave?
William Ashabranner:
That’s all Will. I’ll take full responsibility for that. I don’t really give any wiggle room for who makes decisions there. It’s all me. I’m very big into the market and I follow it very closely so I know what’s new, what just dropped. And our customers are really looking for new products consistently. So we are consistently stocking those new drops
Christie Ashabranner:
And he’s always following and researching the popularity as well as the quality of the brand and reputation as well.
William Ashabranner:
Yeah, reputation for the brands is important to me. I am not going to throw shade at any brands, but if I read something bad, they’re not paying their vendors or something like that. A distributor isn’t paying their vendors, I’m not going to keep buying your stuff because I don’t believe in business like that. So I keep a close eye on what people are doing too and how they treat people.
Christie Ashabranner:
So the same things that we expect from our bartenders, we hold ourself to those same expectations towards our vendors and stuff.
TG Branfalt:
Have the products, you say pre-rolls are the most popular. Has that shifted since you opened or has that been the case from the jump?
William Ashabranner:
That’s pretty much been consistent. Definitely.
TG Branfalt:
So how much has educating customers played so far in your day to day at the urban?
William Ashabranner:
Oh, it’s every day. We spend all day educating our customers. That was a big thing with training our staff. We took a lot of time, days and days to train them before we opened. In everything I knew from my whole medical career for cannabis, I taught them. So I feel very confident that they know how to help customers that come in looking for medical needs. We teach customers about the cannabinoids, the terpenes, whatever they want to know.
Christie Ashabranner:
And some of them don’t want to know anything. They just want to buy something that has the highest THC, right?
William Ashabranner:
Yep. We only offer that knowledge really, if they seem like they want it, we don’t overshare or
Christie Ashabranner:
We just leave it open for questions. And if they have questions, our bud tenderers are educated enough to answer them. And they’re also educated enough to say, if I don’t know the answer to that, let me find somebody else who does.
TG Branfalt:
I mean, that’s very important, right? If you don’t know, say you don’t know. I mean, that’s the honest way to do business typically. I know that a lot of places I talk to, they say our customer base is a lot of boomers, a lot of people who are in their fifties and olders. Are you seeing a lot of that? Or because it’s a college town, are you seeing more college kids?
William Ashabranner:
I think it’s like the perfect mix.
Christie Ashabranner:
Yeah, it’s a big mix. And we carry products to get people who whatever they want. You know what I mean? So I can’t even think of my word that I wouldn’t say. We have
William Ashabranner:
A large range of customer
Christie Ashabranner:
Base to,
William Ashabranner:
We have a bunch of older population that’ll come in just for topicals or their tinctures. There was a time where CAF had stopped selling higher CBD products, so we got an influx of customers that just want CBD products,
Christie Ashabranner:
Something for everyone. Definitely.
TG Branfalt:
And you do see is THC that driving sort of factor for what percentage of your products do you think are your customer bases coming in and saying, just give me the most potent stuff that you have.
Christie Ashabranner:
So that’s where the education comes in. So most of the time they do come in and ask that, but our bud tenders are trained sometimes that high THC isn’t a factor when it comes to the quality of the bud. And I’ll let Will take that over. I know he has something to add to that.
William Ashabranner:
Yeah, well, we have one specific bud tender who will always, even from across the room, be yelling to a customer if they’re like, what’s the highest THC? She’s telling you your nose, nose. It’s the terpenes that matter. So we’ve really tried to educate about that, that THC percentage is not everything. And we try and steer customers towards a lower THC percent just to try it once, try it once and come back and tell us if you didn’t like it and we won’t suggest it again, but at least try it once.
Christie Ashabranner:
And that’s how we build that trust with them because usually they come back and say, that was fucking awesome. Thank you.
TG Branfalt:
Now I’ve always, my one big knock on legalization throughout my time hosting this podcast and personally is the fear that the more potent the product, the more likelihood of an adverse effect. If somebody who shouldn’t be doing dabs starts doing dabs and then they start calling 9 1 1 because they get the sort of side effects. Is that something that you as business owners think about when ordering products? Maybe not to for sure. Yeah.
William Ashabranner:
Yeah. Well at least when selling them too. For an example, if I had maybe what I thought was a cannabis naive person, maybe for example, an older lady who’s buying a thing of dabs, this literally happened the other day and our bud tender said, are you sure this is a product for you? Is it going to be too potent? Have you ever tried this before? We didn’t just send her out the door with this baller jar of dabs. We asked, is this something? Are you sure that you want this?
Christie Ashabranner:
Yeah. For us, it’s not about the sale, it’s about the experience, right? We don’t want to push things on people just because we want the money. We want to make sure that they’re happy and have a good experience so they come back.
TG Branfalt:
And how has the will, this is I guess sort of for you, how has the sort of industry changed in your opinion in the eight years or so that you’ve been a part of it?
William Ashabranner:
The products of course, have changed significantly. When I left the industry, we were selling tinctures, capsules and vapes and ground flower pods and that was it. So it’s changed a lot. The amount of customers that are more open to coming in the shop has changed. I mean, we still have a lot of people parking in the back parking lot, but I feel like the amount of people who are more open to coming in has definitely changed. More open-minded people for sure.
TG Branfalt:
And Christie, you, what’s been the most eyeopening part about getting involved in this industry?
Christie Ashabranner:
Well, I mean, I’ve been in business for myself since 2007, but being in the cannabis industry, it really has surprised me. I didn’t expect to enjoy a working so much. So we seven days a week, but it’s really amazing to just be there and just vibe with your employees. We have dance parties and we really have a good time together. And then having the customers just come in over and over again and just see the smiles on their faces. I’ve worked in a lot of different industries and this one by far has been the best, the best. It’s so much fun.
TG Branfalt:
Do you think that, I mean, you guys are young people younger than me, I assume. How much of a role do you think that that plays in your relationship with your staff and your customer?
Christie Ashabranner:
Well, I’ll have to correct you on that one, sir. I’m 47 years old.
TG Branfalt:
You are older than me. You are older than me.
Christie Ashabranner:
So I think Will and I are married, he’s younger than me, but I think we have a nice range covered between the two of us.
William Ashabranner:
I do think having a past history in our community, not to throw us under the bus, but we have a legacy history that we of course stopped when we apply to protect our license. But having that legacy history and just I guess the age that I am and just the people that I know has really grown our business because we’re just well-known people in the community. I dunno how else to say it
Christie Ashabranner:
And trusted.
William Ashabranner:
We are well-known and trusted and that’s really helped.
TG Branfalt:
I do actually want to touch on the legacy thing a little bit because I have found that people who did operate sort of outside the letter of the law prior to legalization are kind of more successful in this industry when they decide
William Ashabranner:
A hundred percent.
TG Branfalt:
So I mean, it may seem like a kind of obtuse question, but what do you bring from that previous experience into a sort of regulated market?
William Ashabranner:
We knew exactly what our customers wanted already,
Christie Ashabranner:
And I can tell you that the number one thing is how you treat your customer.
William Ashabranner:
Yep. We learned that early on that it didn’t matter if you had the lowest prices. If you were treating your customers badly, they’re going to go to somebody else. So customer service is huge. We learned everything even down to don’t have too many sales. It taught us everything that we know now.
Christie Ashabranner:
Sorry, actually, I think that’s how some people that are in legacy fail too, because they feel like they’re sometimes entitled to the sales no matter how they treat people. And I think that makes just a big difference.
TG Branfalt:
How important is it to be one of, I mean just there’s what, three total licensees in Plattsburgh? There’s one corporate cannabis shop. How important is it to you to be fulfilling this role in this town?
Christie Ashabranner:
Well, speaking for myself, when we built this, we had a dream of creating a place where people felt safe and wanted to come to. And we have visited many dispensaries, not just the ones in town. We traveled all over New York state. We’ve been to Maine, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and we saw what they were doing and what they were doing wrong, and that’s what we brought here to Plattsburgh. So it’s very important to us to provide something wonderful for our community
William Ashabranner:
All day long. We hear we love this place so much, we will never go anywhere else. And that’s just like, we know we did it right when we hear
Christie Ashabranner:
That. Yeah, for sure.
TG Branfalt:
Can you tell me something that you brought maybe or one of those dispensers that you walked into that you just said, this is the vibe that we’re looking for. Is there one that sort of sticks out to
William Ashabranner:
You? Yes. If you Google the greenery spot in Bingington, we totally jacked our colors. I’m not going to lie. And they know it. We’re friends,
Christie Ashabranner:
We told
William Ashabranner:
Them, but the green and the black, when we walked into that dispensary and some of their graffiti on the wall, we were like, this is it a hundred percent. This is our vibe. We need to recreate this in our space in our own way. And funny enough, they own Meyer security and they did our whole security install. So when they walked into our space, they were like, this looks a little familiar. And we were like,
William Ashabranner:
Yeah, we stole from you.
Christie Ashabranner:
Thank you.
TG Branfalt:
What else went into the design? You’ve had businesses in the past, Chris was designing for this different compared to other businesses?
Christie Ashabranner:
Well, I mean, I’ve had a hair salon, I’ve had a gas station, I’ve had a restaurant. I’ve had lots of things, but I’m disabled, so I have muscular dystrophy, and it was really important for me to have a facility that was accessible to people that had different bodily functions, I guess I would say. And we spent a lot of time, will and I arguing about the flow. I ultimately won of course. But yeah, we have a wheelchair ramp. We have a very circular flow to make it easy to people get in and out, and I just love it. We spent a of time and energy and thought into it.
TG Branfalt:
Is there something in the state sort of regulations that you think is most, what’s the word I’m looking for, most prevents something that you’d want to see that the state is preventing or something in the regs that is not common sense that you think should be changed?
Christie Ashabranner:
Well, advertising for one.
William Ashabranner:
Yeah, definitely the advertising. I do believe they’re working on that, but it’s taking some time with the public comment
Christie Ashabranner:
Period, how long it takes to roll out the regulations for things that we’re already licensed for
William Ashabranner:
The ventilation, if they could move along on the lounge, just anything to do with the lounges. We’ve been waiting,
Christie Ashabranner:
But I know that they’ve been going through a lot of stuff like the Ooc M is really struggling, so totally get that. But it is just hard always having to wait. Right? Anticipation. It sucks.
TG Branfalt:
You might be the only person that I’ve ever met who actually said, it’s okay, regulators, I will be patient.
Christie Ashabranner:
That’s, well, it goes along with that belief system. We know it’s going to happen. Whether or not they say it’s going to happen. We find a way to somehow always come out on top, and that’s just the way it is for us. We we’re very, very fortunate.
TG Branfalt:
So you’re planning community events for the lounge before it becomes a lounge. What type of stuff are you planning on doing in the interim?
William Ashabranner:
We’ll have an event every single night. We’re still working on what that looks like, but live music trivia, comedy poetry, slams,
Christie Ashabranner:
Fun stuff.
William Ashabranner:
We’re going to mix in her spiritual stuff. We’ll do card readings eventually. Aura photography, everything you can think of for weed and metaphysical. We’re going to mix it together.
TG Branfalt:
Yep. I’ve never heard of another place that does anything like that. So where can people find out more about you and more about the Herb Cave?
William Ashabranner:
The herb cave.com and they can find me on the Herb cave on Instagram. That’s me.
Christie Ashabranner:
If they want to know more about me, it’s christie asher brander.com.
TG Branfalt:
I want to thank you guys so much for taking the time to come on the show. I know that you are manning the shop as it were, and I know that it’s a labor of love, so I thank you for taking the time. I really do appreciate it.
William Ashabranner:
Of course. Thank you for having us.
TG Branfalt:
It’s Christie and William Asher Braner, owners of Plattsburgh, New York based dispensary at the Herb Cave.