New York's largest legal dispensary has a story to tell you..
It starts with Rodney Jr. and Brandon Carter, and their father – they’re the owners and founding partners of Trends, a first-of-its-kind cannabis store and event space nestled in the heart of Long Island City, Queens.
This story goes deeper than just starting a family business, though. The Carters each took their own unique path to get here. For instance, if you talk to Rodney – who serves as Trends’ CEO – you’ll learn that he’s an entrepreneur who’s worked in the health and wellness industry for more than 15 years.
Rodney will tell you his family has long shared a love for cannabis. He’ll tell you how he, his brother, and his father each were arrested at different points in life on marijuana-related charges. He’ll tell you why their vision for Trends goes far beyond being just another dispensary. And as he speaks, you’ll start to understand why these men are so passionate about what they’re doing.
It’s right there in the name, too. Trends is an acronym that stands for “the real experience needs different stories” – an acknowledgement not only of the Carters’ unique cannabis journeys, but of their desire to amplify other people’s stories and show how cannabis has eased pain and enhanced life in countless ways.
Redefining Cannabis Retail
Trends is much more than a retail space. Along with a first-class offering of cannabis staples like pre-rolls, gummies, and concentrates, the store also boasts a massive 2,000 square-foot event center.
“We like to call our store a community hub,” Rodney explained. “We literally live here, in this community. So, just like this is a family business, our community is also a part of our family.”
The multi-purpose space hosts a range of immersive, educational, and interactive events, offering customers much more than the typical retail experience.
“Cannabis is a plant for healing, but there’s still so much taboo and stigma associated with it,” Rodney continued. “It’s a big problem and something we hope to help change.”
Picking a Cannabis Technology Partner
In order to execute their vision of educating and uplifting their community, the Carters needed to find a technology partner that could keep them compliant with New York’s cannabis regulations with minimal disruption to operations. Rodney explained they’d known of certain cannabis POS providers notorious for technical issues and downtime, particularly on 4/20.
“That was not an option for us,” he said. Their concerns over historical system outages on high-volume days were reinforced by another major POS crash on 4/20 this year.
In addition to reliability, data privacy was a major concern for the Carters. “We wanted to ensure that we maintain all our data,” Rodney continued.
After vetting multiple technology providers and speaking to other operators, the Carters made their decision. “No one we talked to had anything negative to say about Cova,” Rodney said.
Cova stood out for its reputation and track record for reliability, particularly when it comes to 4/20 performance. It also ensured the level of customer data ownership and security essential to fostering a true community hub.
“We’ve been using Cova for a few months now with no downtime, and no issues. If I had to describe them in three words, I would say simple, efficient, and affordable.”
Celebrating New York's Largest Dispensary
Trends opened for a soft launch in early April, and will host a grand opening event as big as its physical footprint starting Wednesday, July 10, with special deals and events running all the way through Sunday.
Rodney says the best part of launching Trends has been the opportunity to work alongside his brother and father, as well as their wives and sisters.
“Owning my own business for several years before this, I often had to work alone,” he explained. “So for me, the best part is that I get to build this business with my loved ones… whether it works out or not, we are doing it together.”
Want an up-close and personal look at New York’s best cannabis POS solution? Click the button below to book a free demo today.