groundbreaker
you tell us
Company Name
‘LIL’ SHOP OF GROWERS
Owners
PAUL FULLERTON, MARICEL FULLERTON,
AND ERIK MAIDEN
Location: 40 N. East St., Suite F, Woodland, CA 95776
Phone: 530-668-4420
Web: lilshopofgrowers.com
Email: [email protected]
Motto: “ Green is life”
go into sensory overload when I walk into the store.
‘Lil’ Shop of Growers is a beautiful chaos of products,
I graffiti,
animals, Bob Marley, incense, and people. I
am overwhelmed by the options: Should I dive into the
product selection, pet the bird, look at all the fish, view
the pirate ship, or have a seat on the vintage theater
seats? I keep staring at the sand that surrounded the
cabana-style cash register. Customers from all walks
of life come in, each one greeted like family. I feel like
I am at a secret hangout. Then, I have the chance to
chat with one of the owners, Paul Fullerton.
Kickin’ It
OLD SCHOOL
by Jamie Olhiser
‘Lil’ Shop of Growers is fueled by an
old-school idea: a business should
focus on people and relationships
rather than profits. Here, writer Jamie
Olhiser sits down with co-owner Paul
Fullerton to talk about that vision—
and the shop’s badass décor.
152
groundbreakers
Jamie Olhiser (JO): What did you do before
opening this store?
Paul Fullerton (PF): I was a firefighter for 25 years.
I was a captain at the UC Davis
Fire Department in Davis, CA.
JO: How did you get into this industry?
PF: I was hurt on the job; I have 12 screws and three
plates holding my cervical spine together. The
injury was so severe that I could no longer do
my duties as a firefighter and I was retired out.
Following the injury, I had several surgeries
and then the doctors began to pump me full
of pharmaceuticals. I knew I couldn’t live like
that, so that’s when I began to try cannabis…
Now, I use cannabis as my go-to and I am off all
prescription medications. It was at that point
that I began to dive into the business; I wanted
to help others. Early on, I recognized that my
background as a firefighter could help bring
legitimacy to the industry.