Every year, April 20th is the biggest day of the year in cannabis culture and Thursday morning, hundreds were out visiting Lompoc’s many retailers in the industry.
“We just finally turned the corner on March 25th, had our soft opening and we are gearing up for our grand opening this month,” said Drayten Howell, owner of one of Lompoc’s newest cannabis storefronts, In Da Cut Premium Cannabis Outlet. “It is a blessing to be able to serve my community, my local community, and my hometown on this 4/20.”
And as 4/20 is a coveted yearly tradition for the industry, just steps away from Howell’s business, nearly 100 people were in line at the fellow dispensary, Elevate Lompoc for their annual discounts.
“Today though, we are running 50% off the entire store, basically selling everything it costs. What we do today is give back. It is not about the shop making money, it is about getting everyone smoked out and giving back to the town that gave us the chance to literally live our dream,” said purchasing manager, Tory Dapello.
Meanwhile, according to Lompoc city officials, in the past two years, an average of $1.7 million in cannabis taxes have been collected annually, which City public information officer, Samantha Scroggin says helps fund services like the local police and fire departments, as well as parks and recreation.
“There are 28 retail businesses currently open in Lompoc. There are 15 distribution businesses, 11 manufacturing, 5 cultivations, 8 processing, 2 laboratory, and 2 microbusinesses. So, we really have the full spectrum of cannabis business here in the city,” Scroggin explained.
However, due to the growing cannabis industry in Lompoc, both established and new storefronts in town say the competition for clientele has heated up.
“Lompoc has been really nice with their 'free market' cannabis. They let open permitting like a lot of towns don’t. So, you get a lot of people up here trying to live that cannabis dream. It is not easy; it is really competitive,” admitted Dapello.
“There is definitely competition heightened, but we wanted to come and bring something different within our outlet experience, our outlet model, have affordable pricing, and bring something different to the wonderful community that we call home,” Howell added.
Samantha Scroggin adds that a number of other aspiring cannabis entrepreneurs in Lompoc are still pending approval. She says in the past two years, some cannabis retailers have even closed shortly after opening due to various factors including oversaturation of businesses or failure to meet city requirements.
You can find more details on the City of Lompoc’s application process for cannabis businesses by clicking here: https://www.cityoflompoc.com/government/departments/city-clerk/commercial-cannabis-business-in-lompoc
