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Business has been booming at Long Island dispensary Strain Stars since it opened last July.
The shop is serving about 1,500 customers per day during the week, and about 2,000 per day on weekends, said Jasmine Kaur, co-owner of the family-run business. Strain Stars is pulling in between $6 and $7 million per month, Kaur said.
Additionally, the store has recently teamed up with nonprofit organization New Hour to create a scholarship fund for the children of formerly incarcerated women.
In a Q&A with NY Cannabis Insider, Kaur answered questions about how the business is faring, and the new scholarship fund.
This Q&A has been edited for length and clarity
About how many customers are you seeing on weekdays and weekends?
During the weekdays, we see anywhere from 1,400 to 1,500 customers, and we see about 2,000 customers on weekends.
How much revenue is Strains Stars earning?
It’s about $6 million to $7 million a month.
How many people does Strain Stars employ?
Currently about 45.
What kinds of products are selling the most?
In our dispensary, the most sold products are flower and vapes – which is not the normal in other markets. Vapes make up about 40% of our sales, and flower is upwards of 50%.
Can you tell me about the scholarship program Strain Stars is involved with, and how the store became part of it?
Basically, education is a really big deal in my family. We believe it’s the foundation of success and when an opportunity like this – where we got to help students fulfill their higher education needs – was presented to my family and Strain Stars, there was no question about it.
This scholarship is basically in partnership with New Hour. New Hour is a nonprofit organization on Long Island. That organization is dedicated to helping formerly incarcerated women build their careers. This collaboration is like a small step that we’ve taken towards rectifying the past, offering formerly incarcerated women a chance to a better future through specialized employment programs within our industry – like offering them jobs at Strain Stars.
How did Strain Stars become involved with this program?
We had met the executive director of New Hour, Serena Martin-Liguori. We had an initial meeting with her regarding jobs and employment, and then we came up with the scholarship fund for the children of families that have been impacted by incarceration, and really just pay it forward. Again, education is a really big thing in my family – it’s something we truly believe in.
How many people will be awarded scholarships from the fund each year?
That will depend on the number of applications we get, and we’re still in the process of setting the criteria for the application process.
What benefits does Strain Stars derive from participating in this scholarship fund?
Strain Stars is a part of the CAURD program, which was technically founded on the principles of offering people a second chance – a second chance for people who were impacted by cannabis prohibition. At Strain Stars, we truly want to embrace those values wholeheartedly in our business model by providing the same employment opportunities to the residents of Long Island and New York regardless of their past. We want to foster community growth within Long Island and also support our family. This is a family run business.
A lot of cannabis retail licensees have had a hard time finding real estate on Long Island, largely because of restrictive zoning, and what some have described as anti-cannabis attitudes. Do you think participating in programs like this could help win hearts and minds?
I think giving back to the community is just an important part of a business. Fostering community growth, I think, is important for any industry.
Does Strain Stars plan to participate in other community building projects in the future?
Of course, as much as we can do, and we would like to grow this scholarship fund as much as we can. Giving back to the community is a major part that I think my dad has instilled in all of us.