ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — Every year, Asheville Media Group asks the community what the best of Asheville is: the best restaurants, the best spots to shop, the best schools, services and salons. Our poll encompasses 200+ categories that celebrate what makes Asheville the best.
In this series, “Behind ‘Best of Asheville’,” 828newsNOW will profile a few of the 2024 Best of Asheville winners.
Skyland Cannabis Co. — Gold medal winner for Boutique Shop, silver medal winner for Best CBD Store, Best Specialty Store, Best Smoke Shop
If you ask Skyland Cannabis Co. co-owner Nick Strauss, he’ll tell you the wins are because of customer loyalty. And the customers will tell you they’re loyal because of the people who work in the store.
“I like that they don’t use fake stuff,” said Samantha Incardona, who has been a customer since the business opened. “This is the only place I would recommend. They’re knowledgable, and they’re not going to sell you something you don’t need.”
Strauss said the key to that is research and development.
“Most of this is formulated by us with other local manufacturers,” he said.
Employee Mason Rollins said the store has products for everyone, including the elderly That includes vegan products as well as organic and gluten-free. And they have products for pets, too.
“If they have any questions about this stuff, that’s why I send them here,” Incardona said of her friends.
Strauss said he and co-owner William Morris think of it as mutual respect and taking care of customers.
“I think cannabis culture is all about mutual respect. And I think that gets lost in the world of business in a lot of cases,” Strauss said. “So, it’s really easy for me to just try and not make that mistake. It’s more just like making the right decisions for them and not forgetting to fight for their experience and the quality of the product.”
And the product is legal.
“We’re a cannabis dispensary in North Carolina. I mean, we’re pushing on the envelope that is 100 years of prohibition,” Strauss said. “We have the compliance paperwork type of stuff. What makes us different from other stores is that we don’t sell synthetics. Everything here comes from a plant.”
Skyland Cannabis Co., known for bringing a boutique atmosphere to the cannabis buying experience, is at 2 Eagle St. in downtown Asheville.
“We don’t want something clinical. We want there to be high energy. We want there to be, like, an atmosphere and aesthetic to the area that you’re sort of looking around and buying your products in,” Strauss said.