Today we’d like to introduce you to Mitch Rosenfield.
Mitch, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Twenty Years ago, we opened The Hempest on Newbury St. in Boston’s Back Bay. The area is well known in Boston, especially then, for its eclectic mix of boutiques, as well as high end fashion and retail. This seemed like as good a place as any to make our mark. The idea was to show people that Hemp and Organic fabric could be showcased on the same block as Nike, or Armani, (who ironically came out with their own Hemp line 2 years after we opened). This was a time when there were no Whole Foods yet in Boston, just 1 Bread and Circus market by Symphony. The idea of organic food was pretty new and organic fabric was practically non-existent and we had to do a lot of educating in those days. However, the fact that our clothes were made from Cannabis was a very interesting hook to locals and tourists alike, and the local media was interested enough to give us a lot of press. We always tried to maintain a shop that anyone would be comfortable to come into. We brought glass pipes in to Boston, about a year after we opened, which quickly became a big part of our business. Suddenly our store was packed and there were lines at the register for both Hemp clothing, and Glass Art. After 3 years, we expanded and franchised to Burlington, VT, Northampton, Ma, and then Santa Barbara CA, and Bellingham, WA. We launched our own clothing line which I sourced in China around 2002, and launched our website in about 2004. We also started a glass blowing studio up near our Burlington, VT location which produced some legendary artists in the industry. It was great to be part of this pro-cannabis, pro-organics, pro-local artist movement and be so well supported in the process. Most pipe shops have a strange bad-boy vibe to them, (tobacco, knives, etc) but ours has always been meant to be positive. I think it’s important to showcase how positive cannabis can be in all its forms. It’s kind of funny now to see so many people following our lead now that Cannabis is legal in MA. Pipe shops are now a dime a dozen in the city, but luckily, the industry is changing so fast that new products are constantly popping up., and our main staple of Hemp clothing is, true to its nature. Stronger than ever. We have lots of plans in the works for the legal Cannabis marketplace in the coming years, so please stay tuned.
Has it been a smooth road?
We were often asked if we got hassled for our shop. It was smoother than many people think, but not without its obstacles. We were one of the first pipe shops in MA and managed to be open during a long legal grey period. We managed this by keeping our shop welcoming, having less than 10% of inventory devoted to pipes, and only showcasing handmade works of art. The bottom line is we always tried to be a positive part of our community. The struggles now are that everyone and their brother seem to be trying to jump on the Cannabis express and open up smoke shops, but hey, it’s a free market. I think that ship has sailed, honestly, but more opportunities than ever are opening up with the legal Cannabis market. It’s been our experience that we are better off leading than following anyway.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the The Hempest story. Tell us more about the business.
We specialize in Hemp and organic clothing and all things Cannabis related. I am most proud of the fact that we are one of the few companies that can say consumption of our product is positive, has a positive impact on the environment, on health etc. What sets us apart is our devotion to our cause, our customers that can see the difference in our products, but really it is all in our name. We are The Hempest. No one has more Hemp than us.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
The big shifts in this business are going to be pretty damn big. We are on the cusp of possibly the fastest growing industry in the World. I do however think that people may be mistaken about its future. While there is obviously going to be huge fortunes made in recreational Cannabis, perhaps a 25-40 Billion dollar increase over the next 5-10 years, I think the bottom may fall out on prices so fast, it will crush a lot of people. The industrial Hemp movement, on the other hand will be a few years behind but there is some significant innovative potential when it takes off. Hemp plastics, Hemp Medicines, Hemp building supplies, Hemp paper, Hemp Foods, Hemp Bio-remediation are all going to take off. It has long been our gospel that this is the most beneficial plant ever created on God’s Green Earth. It’s been a 20 year process, but the world is catching on.
Pricing:
- Pricing on clothing from $5-$500
- Pricing on Pipes from $5-$5000
Contact Info:
- Address: The Hempest
301 Newbury St
Boston, MA 02115The Hempest
36 JFK St
Cambridge, MA 02138 - Website: www.hempest.com
- Phone: 617-421-9944
- Email: sales@hempest.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehempest/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hempest/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/hempest?lang=en
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-hempest-boston
Image Credit:
Anna Rosenfield
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