WeGrow Store
weGrow, branded as the "first honest hydro store" and called the "Wal-Mart of Weed" by CNN, is a national hydroponics franchise that sells products and services to help patients cultivate medicinal marijuana. It is the first hydroponics store in the US that openly talks about cultivating cannabis for medical use.
History
weGrow was founded in January 2010 by CEO Dhar Mann, a medical marijuana entrepreneur. He began franchising the brand in October of that year. weGrow currently has franchises in Sacramento, California and Phoenix, Arizona, with a non-retail distribution hub in Oakland, California.
weGrow stores do not sell marijuana. They sell the supplies and services that cultivators need to grow marijuana. They also provide education and advice on all aspects of medical marijuana cultivation. Stores give indoor grow demonstrations using real (non-marijuana) plants and offer classes on how medical marijuana can be safely and responsibly cultivated. On-site medical doctors perform patient evaluations, and expert technicians advise customers on building professional grow rooms.
Locations
Oakland, California – This store opened January 28, 2010, initially under the brand “iGrow.” It reopened as weGrow on October 3, 2010. The 15,000-square-foot (1,400 m2) store, located at 70 Hegenberger Loop, Oakland, CA 94621, was originally a hydroponics superstore, but the successful franchising of the weGrow brand has turned this store into a non-retail distribution hub. Sacramento, California – The first weGrow franchisee, Michael Garcia, opened this 10,000-square-foot (930 m2) store, located at 1537 Fulton Ave, Sacrament, CA 95825, on February 26, 2011. Phoenix, Arizona – Franchisee Sunny Singh opened this store on June 1, 2011. The Phoenix store is the largest weGrow store to date, at 21,000 square feet (2,000 m2). It is located at 2937 W. Thomas Road, Phoenix, AZ 85009.
Washington D.C. – Franchisee Alex Wong opened this store on March 30, 2012. The D.C. store is 2,500 square feet. It is located at 1522 Rhode Island Avenue Northeast, Washington, DC 20018. Locations in Sacramento and Washington D.C. have since closed.
Future Growth
weGrow has immediate plans to open stores in New Jersey, Oregon, Colorado, Delaware, and Michigan, as well as two more stores in Arizona (Tucson and Flagstaff).
In the media
In February 2011, Geraldo Rivera talked about the first marijuana superstore to hit California. The store was also featured in Time Magazine in February 2011. The grand opening of the Phoenix weGrow store was featured on numerous national media outlets: CNN[10] aired a segment about the opening of the "Walmart of Weed" on May 31, 2011 and Reuters reporter David Schwartz wrote a story that was picked up by hundreds of online media outlets about the first medical marijuana superstore in Arizona on June 2, 2011. The Arizona grand opening event was also covered internationally by The Guardian on June 2, 2011).
A fourth weGrow store opened in Washington D.C. on March 30, 2012, the same day that the six approved medical marijuana cultivators were announced in D.C. The weGrow D.C. store is owned and operated by Franchisee Alex Wong. The store is 2,500 square feet and is located at 1522 Rhode Island Avenue NE. The weGrow D.C. location grand opening was attended and covered by numerous media outlets, including Huffington Post, USA Today, the Washington Post and many others.
weGrow has also been covered in multiple franchise publications including The Franchise Hound as well as The Franchise Times.
In 2011, National Geographic aired a documentary called "Marijuana Gold Rush" featuring the weGrow Store and owner Dhar Mann.
