Chilkat Valley News - Serving Haines and Klukwan, Alaska since 1966

New marijuana shop hits the street

 

May 18, 2023

Madeline Perreard

Jordan and Austin Badger stand at the counter of their new marijuana dispensary.

A second marijuana dispensary has launched in town, and it's offering locally-grown THC products.

Dandelion, owned by Haines local Jordan Badger, offers marijuana flower, concentrates, edibles, cartridges, and smoking pipes and papers. Badger plans to offer CBD products, a THC-free alternative to marijuana, after he acquires a USDA hemp license.

"Definitely one of the things we've talked about is wanting to have variety," Dandelion employee - and brother - Austin Badger said. "We rely on what other people ask for. A ton of people were asking for edibles."

Dandelion sources marijuana from Flower Mountain Farms, a local operation owned by Carol Waldo, and Happy Valley, a Chilkat Valley business owned by Tim Thomas that produces edible THC products.

"So far, we're almost all local," Austin Badger said. "It's been kind of neat to sell Flower Mountain stuff. Most people are like 'Flower Mountain all the way,' even over Juneau brands."

The shop is open on Haines Highway next to the Eagles Nest Motel. Dandelion is currently open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Friday from 11am to 8pm, but its hours are subject to change.

Jordan Badger said naming the business "Dandelion" was a "rush decision."

"The lawyer called and said, 'What's your name?' And I hadn't even thought about it. I had some ideas, but nothing I was sold on. The only thing I was thinking is it would be cool if it was a flower. And I do like dandelions. They're cool, and they're all over the place. Every ditch and street and whatever. So, free advertising," he said.

Jordan Badger started building the company in 2020 as a way to make a living in Haines, he said. The brothers say they "barely" smoke marijuana themselves, but have begun to sample products to better inform their customers.

"We're kind of new to it," Austin Badger said. "If people are well informed, they should come in and tell us what they want to see and how things affect them. If they're new to it, they can come in, and we will learn with them. It's definitely been a lot of learning."

 
 

Powered by ROAR Online Publication Software from Lions Light Corporation
© Copyright 2023