WeGrow

Medical marijuana company

For the school, see WeWork.

weGrowCompany type| Private

|

Industry| Medical Marijuana & Retailing
Founded| 2010 (2010)
Founder| Dhar Mann
Derek Peterson

Number of locations

| 4 (closed): Oakland, California, Sacramento, California, Phoenix, Arizona, Washington D.C., United States

Area served

| Nationwide

Number of employees

| More than 30 people (2011)
Website| www.wegrowstore.com (defunct)

weGrow was a national hydroponics franchise that sold products and services to help patients cultivate medicinal marijuana.[1][2] It was the first hydroponics store in the US that openly talked about cultivating cannabis for medical use. It was branded as the "first honest hydro store" and called the "Wal-Mart of Weed" by CNN.[3]

## History[4]

[edit]

weGrow was founded in January 2010 by Dhar Mann and Derek Peterson.[5] They began franchising the brand in October of that year. weGrow currently has franchises in Sacramento, California, and Phoenix, Arizona, with a non-retail distribution hub in Oakland, California.

weGrow stores did not sell marijuana, but sold the supplies and services that cultivators need to grow marijuana. They also provided education and advice on all aspects of medical marijuana cultivation. Stores gave indoor grow demonstrations using real (non-marijuana) plants and offer classes on how medical marijuana can be safely and responsibly cultivated. On-site medical doctors performed patient evaluations, and expert technicians advise customers on building professional grow rooms.[6]

A fourth weGrow store opened in Washington, D.C., on March 30, 2012, the same day that the six approved medical marijuana cultivators were announced in D.C.[7] The weGrow D.C. store is owned and operated by franchisee Alex Wong.[8] The store is 2,500 square feet and is located at 1522 Rhode Island Avenue NE.[9] The weGrow D.C. location grand opening was attended and covered by numerous media outlets, including Huffington Post,[10] USA Today,[11] the Washington Post [12] and many others.

In early 2011, the weGrow store was closed and Peterson filed lawsuits against the company, citing unpaid debts.[13] He accused Mann of running a "hydroponzi scheme" in a Mother Jones interview.[14] A spokesman for Mann said that Peterson fabricated the allegations in retaliation for Mann's decision to downsize their partnership;[14] Mann successfully countersued Peterson for a cash settlement and stocks in Peterson's own company.[13]

## Past closed locations

[edit]

weGrow had four retail spaces.

* Oakland, California – This store opened January 28, 2010, initially under the brand “iGrow.” It reopened as weGrow on October 3, 2010. The 15,000-square-foot (1,400 m2) store was originally a hydroponics superstore, but the franchising of the weGrow brand turned this store into a non-retail distribution hub.[15]
* Sacramento, California – The first weGrow franchise opened this 10,000-square-foot (930 m2) store on February 26, 2011.[16]
* Phoenix, Arizona – A franchisee opened this store on June 1, 2011. The Phoenix store was the largest weGrow store, at 21,000 square feet (2,000 m2).[17]
* Washington D.C. – A franchisee opened this store on March 30, 2012.[18]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ KDelGrande (June 1, 2011). "Marijuana Superstore Opening as Franchise in Arizona". Franchise Hound. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
2. ^ Sean Kelly (August 2011). "Growing Franchises". Franchise Times. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
3. ^ Michael Martinez (May 31, 2011). "Walmart of Weed to open in Arizona, promote growing your own". CNN. Retrieved July 27, 2011.
4. ^ Tian, Ye (2011-04-06). "Former partners in weGrow marijuana supply store embroiled in legal battle". Oakland North. Retrieved 2023-01-21.
5. ^ Harkinson, Josh. "Weedmart: Marijuana Superstores. IPOs. Reality TV". Mother Jones. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
6. ^ Ye Tian (June 2, 2011). "WalMart of Weed: A National Enterprise". OaklandNorth.net. Retrieved July 27, 2011.
7. ^ Martin Austermuhle (March 30, 2012). "Scaled-Back and Toned-Down 'Walmart of Weed' Opens in Northeast". DCIst.com. Archived from the original on May 4, 2012. Retrieved April 6, 2012.
8. ^ Mike Conneen (January 24, 2012). "weGrow coming to D.C." ABC News. Retrieved February 13, 2012.
9. ^ Barton Eckert (January 23, 2012). "weGrow set to open marijuana-growing supply store in D.C." Washington Business Journal. Retrieved February 13, 2012.
10. ^ Michael Felberbaum (March 29, 2012). "WeGrow Medical Marijuana Store Sets Up Shop In D.C. As Nation's Capital Implements Cannabis Law". Huffington Post. Retrieved April 6, 2012.
11. ^ Michael Felberbaum (March 29, 2012). "'Walmart of Weed' opening store in Washington D.C." USA Today. Retrieved April 6, 2012.
12. ^ Rachel S. Karas (March 30, 2012). "D.C. hydroponics store caters to those who wish to grow medical marijuana". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 6, 2012.
13. ^ a b Marcus, Ezra (August 19, 2021). "The Moral Philosopher of YouTube". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 22, 2022. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
14. ^ a b Harkinson, Josh (March 1, 2011). "WeGrow's "Joint Venture" Goes Up in Smoke". Mother Jones. Archived from the original on September 3, 2021. Retrieved September 4, 2021.
15. ^ David Schwartz (October 6, 2010). "Medical Marijuana Superstore Opens in Arizona". Reuters. Retrieved July 27, 2011.
16. ^ Schwartz, Carly (February 25, 2011). "weGrow, Walmart of Weed, Set to Open in Sacramento". Huffington Post. Retrieved July 27, 2011.
17. ^ Michael Martinez (May 31, 2011). "'Walmart of Weed' to open in Arizona, promote growing your own". CNN. Retrieved July 27, 2011.
18. ^ Michael Felberbaum (March 29, 2012). "WeGrow Medical Marijuana Store Sets Up Shop In D.C. As Nation's Capital Implements Cannabis Law". Huffington Post. Retrieved April 6, 2012.