Prairie & Luna Cannabis Co.

Welcome to IRCC's Retailer Spotlight, where we shine a light on the incredible independent cannabis retailers shaping the industry. 🌿✨ Each week, we celebrate the passion, dedication, and unique stories behind our valued partners. These retailers not only provide exceptional customer experiences but also contribute to the growth and innovation of the cannabis community. 💚

This week, we’re thrilled to feature Jenna + Quinn from Prairie & Luna Cannabis Co. in Scarborough and Petawawa, Ontario 🙌

1️⃣ What inspired you to open a cannabis retail store? 🌿✨

We founded Prairie & Luna in 2019 as a cannabis accessory boutique 🏺💨, where we curated a collection of the most functional and aesthetically-pleasing smokeware we could find. At that point, finding anything that appealed to us as grown women was a wild goose chase 🦢, and we wanted to fill the giant woman-shaped hole we saw in the accessory market.

We focused on ceramic smokeware 🎨 after trying it for the first time – the smoking experience was leaps and bounds better than any other material we’d ever tried, plus the artistry was incredible 💖. It also meant we got to directly support mostly women artists who were hand-making these gorgeous pieces.

We are so grateful 🙏 to have the opportunity to be in this industry, to work to uphold our values as we grow, and to serve our local community 🏡 with the best bud we can get our hands on 🍃. Holding space for people to have conversations about weed, about stigma, about shame; holding folks’ hands as they discover, re-discover, or deepentheir relationship with cannabis… It’s all just a dream 🌟, and we couldn’t feel more honored to have the chance to do it every day.

The story behind the name of the store is something we often get asked about. We can vividly remember sitting on the couch at Jenna’s house, trying to come up with a name for our business idea (after smoking together, obviously 💨😂). We were trying to land on something that was warm and welcoming, and represented us as individuals. Jenna grew up in the prairies 🌾 (Manitoba) from age 16 to when she met her husband, whose military career then brought them to Petawawa. It was in the prairies where Jenna first discovered her love of cannabis and dreamt of somehow integrating it into her work as a Registered Nurse 👩‍⚕️💚 or at least helping kill the stigma that made her feel like she had to hide her consumption as a healthcare provider. Quinn was working as a birth doula 🤰 before our foray into cannabis, and Luna 🌙 comes from her focus on women’s wellness, especially as it comes to fertility, menstruation, menopause, and the natural rhythms of women’s bodies.

2️⃣ How does being an independent cannabis retailer shape your approach to business compared to corporate chains? 💼🌿

Being independent shapes our business in so many ways. Because we are not a chain, we’re able to personalize the customer experience from the first hello 👋😊. They are greeted warmly, and customers feel a sense of comfort when they come into our space. We really like to focus on creating an inviting and un-intimidating environment. It feels like you are just hanging out in your friend's super sweet living room 🏡🛋️ rather than feeling corporate or sterile.

Aside from aesthetics, we have a small team 🤝 with whom we have had the pleasure of growing in these last four years. It is very collaborative, and we use the strengths of our budtenders to really give the Prairie and Luna experience 🌙✨. We focus less on advertising in-store for LPs and like to feature more education about products📖💡 and what we have tried and loved.

We have really honed in on curating a menu that is inclusive 🎯 and not necessarily looking to follow industry trends—though we still carry some tried-and-true staples 🔥. We feature small craft companies 🏆, BIPOC-owned brands✊🏽, women-owned brands 👩🏽‍🌾, and provide education about the difference craft cultivation practices can make 🌱.

Being independent also allows us to prioritize our customers’ tastes 👌. We bring products in on customer recommendation 🛍️💬 all the time and try to make sure no one ever has to leave because we don’t have what they’re looking for (or a great alternative we can vouch for!).

3️⃣ Can you describe your store’s vibe or atmosphere? 🏡✨

The store vibe and atmosphere is chill, boho, a little eclectic, and overall a pressure-free atmosphere 🌿💫 that invites folks to share with us to best support them on their cannabis journey.

When customers walk in, we want them to feel safe knowing that our budtenders are educated and ready to help in any way they can 💚💡.

4️⃣ How has being a member of the IRCC helped add value to your business? 💼🌱

Being a member of IRCC has added value to our business in a few different ways. The first one that comes to mind is showcasing brands that may not have been on our radar 👀. We often find hidden gems 💎 that we may not have noticed on OCS.

Being a member of IRCC has also helped us continue to keep our prices competitive 💰 while taking care of our team👩‍💼👨‍💼 with extended benefits and living wages.

5️⃣ What are the biggest challenges you’ve faced as an independent cannabis retailer in your province? ⚖️🌿

One of the challenges we face as an independent retailer is maintaining healthy margins 📊 while being surrounded by chain stores that advertise budget products 💲 or claim to have the lowest prices. Our goal is to be fair and ensure that the price reflects quality, without engaging in a race to the bottom 🚦.

Often, we look at the OCS and match the prices reflected there, while making our own decisions based on quality 🌿💎 and our customer base. We are passionate about continuing to pay our staff a living wage 💵 and providing extended health benefits 🏥💚—all of which gets sacrificed if a business model is based on paper-thin margins trying to outcompete large chains 🏢.

Luckily, our customers are incredibly gracious ❤️ and understand that supporting a local, independently-owned business means that our prices will be based on sustainability, not an attempt to undercut others. We ensure that we keep plenty of value products 🛍️ in stock because we believe there should be something for every single person who walks through our doors, no matter how much they have to spend on cannabis. 🌿💰

6️⃣ Who is your favorite IRCC member benefit partner? How have they elevated your business? 🤝✨

The member benefit partner that we currently work with is Merrco 💳. We haven’t yet taken advantage of the other benefit partners, but I can see us utilizing the insurance company 🏢🛡️ when our next renewal is due—insurance can be so pricey in this industry! 💸😩

7️⃣ What brands in the market currently excite you and why? 🌟🔥

The brands that have us excited these days include but are not limited to Purple Hills, Hazy Camper, Woody Nelson, Lofi, Carmel, Kronic, and Red Market Brand. These brands stand out to us on quality ✅ but also because we will always support small-scale growers 🌱.

An LP being women-owned 👩‍🌾, Indigenous-owned 🪶, or Black-owned ✊🏽 is absolutely factored into our procurement decisions. It is important to us and our values to highlight smaller businesses and use our buying power💰 to promote more diversity in the industry.

There are so many small brands growing great weed 🌿🔥 or making awesome edibles and oils 🍬💧, and it’s important that we showcase them alongside some of the more well-known corporate brands 🏢 that customers may be in search of when they need to stretch their dollar.

8️⃣ What is the most rewarding aspect of running an independent cannabis retail store? 🏡🌿

The most rewarding aspect of operating an independent cannabis retail store is that we get to connect folks with the power of cannabis 🌿✨—a plant we are deeply passionate about—in a safe and educational environment 🧠💚.

We didn’t have safe access to cannabis as young adults, so this is huge for us. We had to not only put ourselves in unsafe environments 🚫 but also had no idea what we were actually smoking 🤷‍♀️💨 or where it came from.

Being independent means we can make purchasing decisions 🛍️ that align with our values, resulting in a curated menu where we can stand behind every product we offer 🔥💯.

9️⃣ How do you stay informed and ahead in this rapidly evolving industry? 📚🌱

We try our best to stay informed and ahead in this rapidly evolving industry by educating ourselves 📖 about cannabis as much as possible, as well as staying closely connected with industry reps 🤝, including offering in-store pop-upsthroughout the year 🎪 for our customers to connect directly with the growers they love.

We also offer an education fund 🎓💵 that our staff can access each year for cannabis-related courses 📖🌿 they want to take. We are so proud of our Store Manager, Tiffany, who has been working on a university degree in Horticulture 🎓🌱 with a special focus on cannabis.

Having reps visit the store also helps us stay on top of industry changes 🔄 and new products 🔥. Our customers benefit from the in-store pop-ups, giving them an opportunity to personally connect with the brand and learn about their growing practices, product offerings, etc. 🌱💡.

🔟 How do you envision your store and the independent cannabis retail landscape evolving over the next five years? 🚀🌿

In the next five years, we envision our store continuing to grow 📈 with the industry. We look forward to hosting more events 🎉 to connect with our community, creating opportunities for our team, and serving our customers with even more knowledge 📚💚.

We hope the industry continues to prioritize fairness and equality, discouraging big chains 🏢 from monopolizing and creating more opportunities for independents to flourish 🌿✨.

This year, we are also leaning into our medical and wellness roots 🏥🌱, inspired largely by how many folks come into the shop seeking medical cannabis advice 💊—which we are, of course, precluded from discussing as a recreational shop 🚫.

We see that our community—with its significant aging population 👵 and many, many veterans 🎖️—is not getting the hand-holding they deserve as they attempt to use cannabis medically.

We are aiming to provide full-service medical guidance 💊💡 through our next endeavor—separate from Prairie & Luna rec—allowing us to ensure people are getting the most therapeutic effect possible from their medical cannabis prescriptions.

When folks are accessing recreational cannabis 🍃 despite having a prescription because the selection is better, the prices are more affordable, and they’ve been given next to no guidance from their care providers, it’s a big problem🚨.

With this next venture, we are seeking to solve that problem 🏥✨ in our community and beyond.

Website: www.prairieandluna.ca

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/prairieandlunaco/