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Support Your Local Grow Stores
Happy Rock Farms Closes Its Doors .
In a world where convenience is often chosen over community , we must consider our local grow stores . Many of them opened for business during the infancy of the medical legalization primary to serve Missouri ’ s home growers . We asked Darren Matheson , one of the owners of Happy Rock Farms in Kansas City , MO , which has struggled to keep its doors open , to tell readers why local grow supply stores are important to the communities and home growers they serve . Here ’ s what Matheson had to say .
We have seen our share of changes in not only our store but also in the world . We opened Happy Rock Farms in September of 2019 to be a hub where craft growers , new growers , Co-Ops , and beyond had a place that they could go to find grow supplies , plus a community full of experienced and knowledgeable help . Throughout the past almost five years , we ’ ve tripped over ourselves , we ’ ve created new products , we ’ ve made good and bad business decisions , but most importantly , we ’ ve met a lot of people , made a lot of friends –– many that we now consider family . Some of you have come along for the entire ride and witnessed the highs and lows . With that said , I hope to provide some encouragement and enthusiasm for the future of your local grow stores around the state .
Over the last few years , we ’ ve seen large suppliers moving to marginalize the local grow store . They are finding ways to sell directly to customers at lower prices , whether through online campaigns or even using the grow store partnership to gain direct contact information for the customer . They are eliminating smaller stores by creating new tier systems that make it harder to compete with the convenience of online / direct buying . This can be seen clearly in some of the moves that companies like Hawthorne ( Monsanto / Miracle Grow ) have made and even some nutrient companies . While the smaller stores lose profit margins , the online and direct-to-consumer pricing has consistently gone down . I do understand that everyone watches dollars spent these days , but the result is the local grow store is merely becoming a free source of knowledge for the online consumer .
Happy Rock Farms and other local grow stores ’ aim to help people grow plants . Our mission has always been to help people grow any type of plant they desire , whether that ’ s medical , nourishment , or beauty . However , while sales decrease so does the opportunity to continue operating as a small independent grow store . I have talked to many of my counterparts , and we all see similar patterns . I realize there is a lot of talk about “ patients over profit ,” but I ’ d take it a step further and say , “ community over corporations .” The local independent grow store owner is your neighbor , a mentor , and a parent who lives in your local community .
Supporting local independently owned businesses is crucial for every community for quite a few reasons . First , money spent at a local business typically stays close to that community . Most local businesses will reinvest in their community . At Happy Rock Farms , you may find local products such as Biochar from Third Eye Organix or Worm Castings from Worm Poupon , which are all local to Missouri . In contrast , spending money online often vanishes into distant corporations , which likely will not reinvest in the local community . Second , local businesses create an identity in the community and provide character and employment opportunities . Without local businesses , we would see more national or global brands — “ box stores ” — resulting in everything looking and feeling the same , which ultimately loses the character that local businesses offer .
Locally owned grow stores have an identity and soul within the community . The things I have learned from everyone who has walked in our door are immeasurable . I ’ ve also learned something in almost every other grow store I ’ ve had the pleasure of visiting . I imagine that most customers share the same perspective . With that said , I hope everyone will take a minute to understand that for grow stores to survive , they must sell inventory . Please consider shopping and supporting your local grow store for your grow supplies –– you might even learn something new while helping a local grow ( or any ) store owner continue to remain open .
Unfortunately , for Happy Rock Farms , it will be closing at the end of July . The time we have spent building the store and creating relationships has been a fantastic ride . We will be closing knowing that we have helped a lot of folks , and hopefully , our customers have felt our passion for helping people grow plants . We are closing the store for quite a few reasons ; our main driving reason is the less-than-optimal outlook for brick-and-mortar retail stores , plus significant opportunities arising for us ( more information to come on this — think “ Soil .” With this news , I felt it important to discuss what is happening with local grow stores and why it behooves everyone to think long and hard about where we choose to do business ( local grow stores versus online versus box stores ). Nothing I have to say here will be new to anyone ; however , I hope I ’ ve shed some light on why it is always important to think “ buy local ” before exploring other options .
Meanwhile , Happy Rock Farms would like to thank anyone and everyone who has ever visited our store . We truly appreciated your support . For those “ buying local ” supplies at any grow store and seeking knowledge , we salute you !
We look forward to continuing to be a part of the community , whether that ’ s seeing you at a festival or visiting some of our favorite grow stores in the state , like Sleepy Trees in Neosho , Grozarks in Forsythe , or Sprouthouse Supply in Independence . As we close our doors , we want to announce that our soils , “ The Dank ” and “ One One ,” along with our dry amendments , including “ Dank Dust ,” will continue to be premier grow mediums and dry amendments available through a company called Bella ’ s Blends at www . bellasoilblends . com . We are excited about this new chapter , and we hope to continue growing along with all of you .
Everything must go sale in July ! Swing by Happy Rock Farms at 3816 Main St , Kansas City , MO 64111 . We will be reducing the price of the soils to celebrate that our soils and amendments will carry on . The Dank soil will be on sale for $ 27.99 a bag until we are out . We will be posting sale updates at www . facebook . com / happyrockfarmskc and Instagram throughout the final month .
30 July 2024