Grower Stories #158: Mary Jae

Tia Moskalenko, author of the AskGrowers blog, brings a unique blend of content to her readers. She is known for conducting insightful interviews with key figures in the cannabis industry, including brand representatives, manufacturers, and experts. In addition to her interview skills, Tia has a keen focus on CBD. She expertly curates product selections and reviews, offering her readers detailed insights into the various effects and benefits of CBD. Tia's ability to combine in-depth interviews with comprehensive CBD analysis makes her a valuable asset to the cannabis community, offering a well-rounded perspective on the industry.

Published

Aug 29 2022

Updated

Nov 16 2023

Interviews

466

13 min

We chat with Jae from MARYJAE to talk about cannabis products

The AskGrowers team sits with Jae to chat about her cannabis store, MARYJAE. Jae talks about her father’s story who inspired her to share cannabis with the world. She talks about all the various struggles the brand goes through on a regular basis, how she and her team ensure the quality of each product they sell by careful testing, and how she has created a safe space in the form of her store for anyone and everyone who wants to learn more about cannabis and try it.

In 2000, Jae’s father Larry Graham was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver and prostate cancer. As he suffered from unbearable pain, Jae was able to share cannabis with her father, creating an eternal and irreplaceable bond.
In 2014, shortly before her father’s death, Jae met Francisca. Before Larry’s passing in 2015, he asked Jae to share cannabis with everyone she knew, especially the elderly.
In 2017, Jae and Francisca fulfilled Larry’s wish and opened MARYJAE®, an LGBTQ+, BIPOC, and women-owned inclusive cannabis dispensary in Austin, Texas.

Tia: How did you start your company?

Jae: I started the company as an homage to my father, who passed from cancer and cirrhosis of the liver. Towards the end of his life, I asked if I could share cannabis with him to help with his pain and eating because he was withering away. My brother and I loaded his first bong, and we taught him how to hit it. Afterward, he told us he didn't feel well. We were afraid we made him feel worse. Thirty minutes later, he said, "Can we get some sonic slushies and chili dogs and some breakfast tacos?" I mean, the things coming out of his mouth! We smoked a little bit more, and I will never forget him munching on the damn chili cheese dog and just laughing. It was the most beautiful thing ever. A month or so later, he had a full day of doctor's appointments, and every doctor commented on how he had gained weight. We told them we shared cannabis with him, and they agreed it improved the quality of his life. Before he passed, I remember him grabbing my arm and telling me, "Honey, you promise you'll share cannabis with people like me, people that are old, that might not have a daughter like you or kids like you that can show them how to use it." I told him, “OK, I promise to share weed with older adults and other people”. I was in the industry behind the scenes as a buyer for 16 stores at the time. After he passed, my fiance said, "I think you should sell your house and help people like him." I told her, "No, the American dream is to have a home." But we started our adventure. We sold our home. And that's how it began.

Tia: What was your initial capital for opening your business?

Jae: I like to tell people it cost me a house, an entire home. We sold our house and everything in it in hopes of starting MARYJAE®.

Tia: How do you think your brand differs from others in the industry?

Jae: Number one, we created a safe space. When you walk into our shop, it's a whole vibe. People say they feel like they’re at home. We are very forward-thinking, and the displays in our store are like you would see at a dispensary. We do it all legally, but it's about creating a safe space where people can come in and get educated and ask questions and not feel stupid. That's the one thing people will always say - “I have a stupid question”. No, there are no stupid questions. And if I can't find it, we'll find it together. So creating that safe space where people can call home, that's what makes us different.

Tia: How is it opening a cannabis brand in Texas?

Jae: It has been hard. We were probably the first business here with this kind of concept. We opened our doors in 2017. Every day is a challenge because we are in the cannabis space in a state where it is not legal. We have lost our credit card processor more times than I can count. We have lost our social media more times than I can count, and as a small business, we depend on those platforms. Honestly, every day is a challenge.

Tia: What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses?

Jae: I think our greatest strength is our purpose. Knowing that we opened the store to help people like my father. We want a safe space for men and women of color, the queer community, the elderly. I want everybody to come in.

Our weakness is getting our name out there. We're literally two people. We own the shop. Our brothers work for us. We just got another employee. We're building from the bottom up.

Tia: How did your relatives react to you opening MARYJAE®?

Jae: My mother and father have passed away. I am adopted. My birth mother and father were all for it. We were nervous to tell my partner's family because they're Hispanic, and we were afraid of their reaction to opening the business. And they came up here and helped us open the shop. It was huge because it was very scary to tell them. One, we sold our house. And number two, we were going to open this business in Austin. They were so supportive. I still get overwhelmed when women, especially Hispanic women, come in and are excited to tell me they never thought they would see a woman like me doing this.

Tia: In your Instagram, you mentioned Larry J Graham as your inspiration.

Jae: Yes, that is my adopted father, Larry. He was not only my father but he was also my best friend. He was there through it all. When I was younger, I got in trouble for using cannabis but as I got older, he just noticed that it helped with my pain. He is a total inspiration, and he lives in MARYJAE®. You can feel his energy, his presence. People know when they come in, especially older adults who have come into the shop to ask for help and advice.

Tia: What has your journey been like since starting the shop?

Jae: In the beginning, we grew so fast that we didn't know what to do. We hired employees right away, and then it all came to a halt with COVID-19. We had to shut our doors. We were not open to the public and we had to figure out and recruit another way. And what we did is we opened up a delivery service throughout Austin and then curbside pickup. We would make sales online. I would do videos on Instagram. We would have people pull up to the back of the store, and I would bring out a cart of multiple products to show people how to use them.

Tia: How do you foster sustainability?

Jae: We're proud of our product line. It's been years in the making but everything is recyclable. Everything is reusable. That's super important to us. And a lot of people don't even know this but many of our display cases are made from recyclable materials. We try to recycle and upcycle as much as possible.

Tia: What are the challenges you face representing your brand?

Jae: It's not an overnight process. That is probably one of the biggest challenges. The other one is staying relevant in a sea full of shops and making sure we stay true to who we are. It's easy to get sidetracked with everything going on, all these new shops, new policies, and new laws. So staying true to ourselves and staying in our lane and doing us honestly.

Tia: How can we improve social equity in the industry?

Jae: Support and uplift our people - we can start there. We can support more brown and black-owned businesses. A lot of the products we carry are owned by women of color. We can start by getting our people out of jail, giving everyone a fair chance. I feel our people are unrepresented in the cannabis industry. When we do get representation, it is by being locked up.

Tia: Have you encountered negative attitudes towards you because of your use of cannabis or your work?

Jae: I have created a safe space for our community and I'm not ashamed of who I am or what I do. My father said, "I'm so proud of you. Be proud of who you are, what you do." I am so proud I put my name on the outside of the building.

We have created a place where people have come out of the closet. People come in and tell us we are showing them it's OK to be queer and use cannabis. And then you're seeing people of color appreciate that we are so open about our cannabis use because they hide it from people, including family.

Tia: What's your personal cannabis experience?

Jae: I've been using cannabis recreationally since I was young. But when I was opening the shop, I developed some nerve damage - pretty hardcore to where I had to leave and almost have surgery. I found a physical therapist who works with me twice a week. We incorporate cannabis with it. When I don't use cannabis, I'm in so much pain I cannot function. So she's been a part of my life for a very, very long time. But now, she is part of my medical life, and I am so thankful to have her.

Tia: What are things a person should pay attention to when choosing a brand or a product?

Jae: Make sure it has a QR code and the packaging is up to standard. But number one, look for a QR code. And what that does is scan the product and show you the certificate of analysis, what's in it, solvents, residuals, how much THC and CBD. A lot of people don't know that that information is available. That's the one thing I tell people when they come into the shop, even if they don't buy from us. Where was it grown? Who is the farmer? Do you have a certificate of analysis? There are many factors. But if they can tell you where the farm is and tell you who the people are, you're in a good place.

Tia: And how does your cultural heritage affect your work in the cannabis industry and what you bring to it?

Jae: Being a woman of color, we definitely get looked over. We don't get the same specials and treatments as other people. Some of our products have to come from certain distributors. And I know that white men usually get treated better because that's who I used to work for. And now, as the owner and the CEO of MARYJAE®, I see the difference in how I am treated. It is disheartening. That's why we choose to go with women, women of color, the queer community, and people like us. We're supporting those people.

Being a woman of color is also a plus because there are so many of us out there. The shop is home for women like me. They come from all over, not just Texas. When people visit, they come in because they follow us on Instagram and can't believe they are in MARYJAE®. And I'm like, welcome home.

Tia: How do you test your products?

Jae: Our R&D will last anywhere from six months to a year per product. Once we find the partner that we want to go with, we research them, follow them on Instagram, visit the facility, and find out who the owners are. We must see if we are on the same page and have the same goals for the community and the world. And then, once we choose a product, it'll go into the R&D phase where we test it out, give it to our parents, give it to our siblings, and give it to the employees. Some of our top customers will even try it for us. We get collective feedback from people of all ages and races because everybody's different. And cannabis is not one-size-fits-all. Then it goes on to packaging. We have a design team working on it. That's why it usually takes quite a while for products to come out. We were just not a company that sees something, picks it, and buys it. We physically try everything before we purchase it and put it on our shelves.

Tia: Top strains to smoke and why?

Jae: I love Bruce Banner, one of my favorites from Colorado. I was there and in so much pain. We landed and went to a dispensary and got it. I went through the entire trade show without having any pain. Lamb's Breath is another one and Blue Cheese that I tried in Amsterdam. I love Hawaiian Haze and CBD Flower on the CBD side because when I have those really bad pain days - I will mix them, you know, like a salad.

Tia: If you could have a chance to smoke with anyone on the planet, who would it be and why?

Jae: That's a good one because there's a lot of people I think I'd want to smoke with. I would say Berner because he's someone of color I look up to and he is doing huge things, so I would love to pick his brain.

Tia: Do you advertise your products?

Jae: We do it through email and then we do a little bit through social media. Our social media accounts have been shut down. So we're very picky about what we choose to post. But we do a little advertising, a lot of it through my personal Instagram, through Stories.

Tia: Did you ever invest in cannabis stocks?

Jae: I have not. I've only invested in myself, to be quite honest.

Tia: Are there any trends that you're seeing in 2021?

Jae: I see more unique pieces on the lifestyle side. And then on the CBD side, we're seeing more products coming out in different forms. I'm curious to know where the laws go with it. I'm a merchandiser at heart and that's what I do. I love looking on Instagram trying to find the coolest and latest stuff.

Tia: How can the industry help support minority-owned businesses?

Jae: Product research. The products you are buying are probably pharmaceutical-owned, white male-owned. And if you are going to shops that are not minority-owned, look for products that are. Look where these products are coming from. Follow them on Instagram or other social platforms and give them love. Supporting a small business of color is huge. All we can do is stick together and lift each other up.

BLITZ:

Tia: Will weed ever be federally legal?

Jae: I believe so.

Tia: Does it help with cramps?

Jae: Yes.

Tia: Does weed help with pain? Headaches?

Jae: Definitely.

Tia: Does weed get old?

Jae: It definitely can.

Tia: Why should weed be legal?

Jae: So every person has a choice to choose plant medicine if they want to.

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