I live above this business. It embarrasses me that people frequently think I own it. There is so much wrong with this place I couldn't possibly convey it in a review. TLDR: If you have a marginalized identity in any way, I suggest you try literally any other shop downtown. This is NOT a safe space for POC, women, gender diverse folks, disabled folks, or those with low incomes. Don't let the token women and the one POC on staff fool you. This is a business tactic they only took on after multiple complaints of being noninclusive for customers. The business is owned and run by cis het white men who are completely out of touch with the realities of economic stratification and racism, classism, etc.
This is all, of course, only my personal opinion. However, it's based on the many concerning experiences I've had with the business owners and managers, as well as some of their "prized customers," over the past two years. These have been experiences of harassment and bigotry, as well as marginalizing behavior, and illegal and harmful business practices. Most of this I've experienced myself as either a neighbor on the shared property, or as a customer, back when I was trying to support their business in order to build a bridge of kindness. I've also witnessed them do problematic things to other marginalized people. And, besides bigoted actions towards people with protected statuses, they are harmful in their practices for the general population, as well. For a few examples:
The bud tenders lie about safety info to make sales, since bud tenders, like car salespeople, work on commission as an industry standard. They sold me a bunch of expensive vape stuff (battery and carts) claiming Oregon laws had changed and that no additives were allowed. Completely false. I looked it up afterwards. They also have no knowledge of how terpenes work. They laughed at me once when I attempted to explain how indica and sativa doesn't mean much anymore and it's more about terp profiles. They are totally unqualified staff who offer pseudo medical advice. Also one lady, now the manager, once scoffed at me when I said I was thinking of quitting joints, since smoking increases inflammation and makes it harder to heal infections. That's just science. But she mockingly scoffed at me. This type of ignorance and ableism is typical in their shop.
They also condoned a customer assaulting me in the driveway due to transphobia and ableism, and justified it because that was "one of their best customers". The owner harassed me so much I had to block not one but TWO of his numbers. He then left an inappropriate note on my door.
The list of examples could go on for a long time so I'll stop now. I have emails and texts to prove a lot of this. But I have no interest improving anything. Plus, I think the proof I'm not lying is the fact that, as a marginalized person, who is myself trapped by a slumlord in an (apparently) not legally habitable unit, I'm literally advertising my residence to the internet which is obviously stupid. At this point I'm considering that risk less than the risks I feel living in this building and above this specific business. read more
