Michael Pires and Marcus Johnson-Smith of Kush Groove/KG Collective are gearing up to open their first retail cannabis stores in Cambridge and Brockton, with plans to open a location at 1589 Columbus Ave. by late summer/early fall of this year.
“We’re finalizing the design concept at the moment,” Pires said, and have plans to begin demolition in the coming weeks, with the buildout set to be completed by the end of the summer.
Pires and Johnson-Smith, who grew up in the community and are excited to be business partners, have already launched their first cannabis product that is being sold in more than 45 stores across Massachusetts—Slow and Steady edibles. Pires and Johnson-Smith are able to bring these edibles to the market through a partnership with Revolutionary Clinics, which manufactures the product.
Johnson-Smith of Kush Groove/KG Collective. Photo courtesy of Kush Groove
“We’re inspired by a slow and steady lifestyle,” Johnson-Smith told the Gazette from the Caribbean, where he and Pires were visiting. He said that the two wanted to come up with a brand that helps take people away from the busy lifestyle of living in the city and “removing you to the Caribbean. We do that with the flavors on the menu,” which include fruits such as papaya and passionfruit.
“All have different cannabis CBD ratios,” he said, and all of the edibles feature vegan ingredients.
The edibles were launched just a little over three months ago. “The community is really enjoying it,” Johnson-Smith said. The products are one of the top selling products at the SEED dispensary on Centre St., Johnson-Smith said. “We’re just really happy about the product itself.”
KG Collective has another store in Cambridge under construction right now, which is set to open in June, as well as its Brockton location, which is getting ready to start construction.
Pires said that the Columbus Ave. location will be “unique in the sense” that it will feature a Kush Groove shop inside, where the duo will sell their branded merchandise and apparel. He said it will be a “smaller version of what we had on Mission Hill,” where they sold similar merchandise and accessories to those 21 and older.
“The best way to describe it,” Johnson-Smith said, is a “dispensary gift shop.”
He added that since the two have been part of the community for so long and “have had a presence in the community,” they don’t anticipate having any issues with their Columbus Ave. store, but should there be any, “the line of communication has been there and always will be there,” he said.
Pires added that “integrity and safety” are at the top of their minds, and they already have experience running “adult-only establishments” and have experience dealing with minors and “running a smooth operation.”
Though the duo does not cultivate their own marijuana, “that’s our goal,” Pires said. “When we open, we’re going to be sourcing products from local cultivators.”
Pires and Johnson-Smith said that they wanted to locate their Jamaica Plain store at 1598 Columbus Ave. because Pires used to drive by it going to the Kush Groove shop in Mission Hill and it’s in a community that is familiar to him.
“There are constraints to having a cannabis shop,” Johnson-Smith added, such as not being permitted to have one within a half mile of a school or another dispensary and the property has to be a commercial property.
“There’s a lot to be excited for,” Pires said, adding that he’s “most excited to know” that Johnson-Smith will be by his side as his business partner.
“I can attest to that,” Johnson-Smith said. “I’m excited…to really focus on building the brand and take it internationally. Kush Groove is about peace, love, and freedom.”