In the pharmacy: Josephine & Billie’s from LA is officially open
Josephine & Billie’s has officially opened its doors.
Stepping into Josephine & Billies at 1535 W Martin Luther King Jr Blvd in LA is like stepping into a time capsule that takes you back in time when Josephine Baker and Billie Holiday serenaded people everywhere.
Josephine & Billie’s in South Los Angeles, formerly known as South Central, aims to be an educational space and community where women of color and their allies feel safe and welcome amid a unique speakeasy-style cannabis retail concept feel.
The Josephine & Billie Experience
We don’t just write industrial history; we are changing cannabis culture! We have shown that women are brilliant, innovative and powerful in cannabis.
Ebony Andersen
Josephine & Billie’s concept is inspired by tea pods that existed in black communities in the 1920s and 30s. And if Josephine and Billie could see what Whitney Beatty and Ebony Andersen have created, they would be proud.
The female minority-run cannabis dispensary allows consumers to walk in, pick up a shopping cart, and browse products from other black, brown, and LGBTQ + cannabis brands founded and operated while focusing on education and wellbeing.
Instead of focusing on strain names and potency, much of the discussion at Josephine & Billie revolves around individual needs and desired effects.
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The space has a terpene bar with terpene education, sniff samples, and products sourced from and speaking to the communities that Josephine & Billie’s serves for. Lines of products like Monogram, Cann, Tical, and Ball Family Farms line the shelves, and there’s no shortage of books to browse or buy and learn about herbal medicine.
One phone call changed everything
During the grand opening of Josephine & Billie’s, Leafly chatted with the owners about their journey and what it felt like to be there in the moment and witness their long-awaited opening.
With tears in his eyes, Whitney Beatty described the moment as “the arrival”.
She explained that it means everything to her to have a place where colored women and allies in the industry can showcase their products, and a place where colored consumers and allies can find brands that appeal to them.
Co-founder Ebony Andersen explains when they heard they were getting investments from The Parent Company.
“I was in traffic (as always) when we got the news. Whitney called me ecstatic. I remember thinking, ‘OMG, is this really going to happen?’ I’m by far the more stoic and cynical of the two of us, so I went straight to the internet to do whatever I could find about TPCO and the people involved, ”she says.
“I had the pleasure of meeting some of the Roc Nation / Monogram executives prior to founding TPCO, but knew very little about the investment group. Given the predatory practices of many investors in social equity licenses, I was skeptical of everyone’s motives. To my delight, TPCO was the real deal! “
Whitney follows with her own answer.
“I started crying. I could not believe it. I almost slipped down the wall in shock. It was a crucial moment in my career. My hands were shaking so much that it was hard to call my team to let them know. “
Open doors for customers and equity
Before we parted, Whitney explained what it was like to bring Josephine & Billie’s to fruition.
“It’s both amazing and powerful. Women of color deserve a safe space for cannabis education, use, and healing. We look forward to climbing this mountain. We are building more than a pharmacy. We’re building an equity model that the cannabis industry can follow, ”she says.
Women of color in (and visiting) Los Angeles now have the option of getting their flowers from a cannabis dispensary made by and for them.
Just don’t forget to tell them Billie sent you.
Veronica Castillo
Veronica Castillo is a Miami-based writer with a pre-cannabis background in insurance and human resources. She is currently a resident of the street researching everything related to cannabis and hemp in the United States.
You can follow her journey on IG @vee_traveling_veg_canna_writer.
View article by Veronica Castillo
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