July 10, 2025 • 36 mins
Ever wonder who makes March and Ash look so darn good? Well, buckle up, folks — Dr. Leroy sits down with Jessica “JQ” Quesada, the dynamo behind the stunning visuals and stylish apparel at March and Ash. JQ spills the tea on everything from designing hats that fly off the shelves to creating shirts subtle enough to wear to church (true story!). She’s been there since Day One, transforming spaces, picking color palettes, and dreaming up local-themed designs that turn each store into a neighborhood vibe. From staying up till sunrise perfecting new store layouts to juggling ten locations and a calendar that’s always three seasons ahead, JQ’s world is equal parts creativity, strategy, and a whole lot of hustle. Step inside the world where merchandising becomes magic — and learn why March and Ash is so much more than just a store.
Don’t forget to follow and subscribe at OlasMedia.com . Visit MarchandAsh.com to see the latest deals and discounts.
Some highlights from the episode include:
00:00:00 – Show intro; March and Ash focus
00:03:02 – JQ intro and role
00:04:09 – First concierge hire
00:05:34 – Restaurant-to-cannabis journey
00:06:24 – Merch vs. apparel explained
00:07:08 – Employee apparel perks
00:08:18 – Custom hat and shirt designs
00:12:31 – Merch as brand marketing
00:14:26 – Local store themes
00:29:34 – Overnight store setup story
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
S1 (00:29):
Hey, everybody. Welcome again. This is Doctor Leroy, and I
am here with another episode of Cannabis Enlightened. Welcome, everybody. Um,
this program is sponsored as all my episodes are by
March and ash and broadcast over the oldest media network
(00:52):
and in the oldest media studio here in Mission Valley.
And the people that make me sound like $1 million
all the time. And I have to say thank you,
thank you, thank you. To them, it's JC and Lena. Um,
we have a interesting program. I always say special, so
(01:12):
I'm trying to get away from that. We have an
interesting program today because we're looking inside of March and Ash.
You all have heard me talk about March and Ash
a lot of times. And I tell I tell you
that the program is sponsored by Martin Ashe. But today,
and maybe as we go forward, we're going to be
(01:35):
looking at how March in Ashe is put together and
who are the people that make the company work? Um,
my guest today is someone who really gives energy to
that engine of Martin Ashe by what she does. Um,
(01:56):
Jessica Quesada is head of visual merchandising and apparel. And
before I go to her and ask her to, um,
you know, tell us a little bit about her self,
I want to remind everybody that, you know, before I started, um, this, um,
(02:17):
you know, cannabis enlightened, the podcast. I was a teacher at, um, professor,
college professor. And for the last five years of my
time there, I taught the business of cannabis and within,
you know, teaching that class, which was very, very interesting.
And a lot of people were really helped and gained
(02:38):
valuable knowledge about cannabis. Um, people would always ask, well,
what is cannabis? And what does the company and the
business of cannabis do? So this is one of the
things that I really wanted to drill down on is
the people that are in March and Ash, what they
(02:59):
do and how they do it. And surprising to me,
as it should be to you, I would hope, um,
a lot of the facets, a lot of the departments,
a lot of the things that go on inside of
March and Ash are just like any other business. And
having said that, I'm going to bring on and she's
(03:19):
in the office here, she's called JQ. So JQ would
you come on, Jessica, and tell us a little bit
about yourself and what you do?
S2 (03:31):
Hi. Thanks for having me today.
S1 (03:33):
Welcome. Thank you for coming. Thank you for being here.
S2 (03:36):
Um, so yeah, my name is Jessica Quesada, or what?
Almost everybody calls me JQ. Um, so I do visual
merchandising and apparel for March and Ashe. I have been
with March Nash since the very beginning, um, 2018. And, um,
I just really emphasize the fact that I like to
(03:56):
make our stores look beautiful. Um, I help the team
decide where they want to put product, how we want
to make the product look on our sales floor. Um,
I have a really integral part of our openings. And
then on top of that, I help with all of
(04:16):
our merchandising, um, apparel wise. So designs, hats, shirts, hoodies. Um,
That's where I start.
S1 (04:26):
So are you telling me the store. This store opened
and we're in Mission Valley, everyone. Um, this Mission Valley store,
which is the headquarters, I think, um, opened in 2018. Yes.
And you were the first.
S2 (04:38):
I was the first concierge hire.
S1 (04:40):
Get out of town. Yeah. First one hired.
S2 (04:43):
First one hired.
S1 (04:44):
Okay. So your your employee number is number one.
S2 (04:48):
Um. It's not, but it doesn't go in order of
employee number. Okay.
S1 (04:53):
Okay.
S2 (04:54):
Okay.
S1 (04:54):
So now that also brings up another point. You were
a concierge. You you worked, you know, in the store?
S2 (05:01):
Yes.
S1 (05:02):
Prior to your management position that you have now? Yes.
S2 (05:06):
So when I first started, um, I just started because
I had a small interest in the cannabis industry. I
went to another dispensary when I first moved to San
Diego because I'm not from here. I'm from Boston originally. Um,
so I went to a dispensary and I saw what
it could be. And I was really amazed by it.
And then I saw that Martin Ashe was opening and hiring,
(05:28):
and I saw a picture of what the dispensary looked like,
and I said, wow, that's beautiful. I could see myself
working there. So I decided to apply. First concierge hire.
And I was here part time for two years until
Covid happened. And then, um, once Covid happened, I left
the restaurant industry and I decided that I was going
(05:50):
to just take the hit and just be in cannabis
full time. And then I kind of just ended up
where I am now.
S1 (05:58):
So you were in the restaurant business before coming over
to March and Ash? Yes. Okay.
S2 (06:03):
For 15 years.
S1 (06:04):
Wow. 15 years.
S2 (06:06):
Yeah. So, uh, so that's that's a part of why
I got hired. It was a lot of hospitality forward. Um,
I said to John, I enjoy cannabis. I might not
know everything about cannabis, but I can learn. What I
can give you is hospitality and customer service okay. And
that was what they were like. Yes. Like we can
(06:27):
teach you everything else. So yeah.
S1 (06:30):
And did you in fact learn everything else about cannabis.
So you're an authority now, right?
S2 (06:33):
I mean, I've learned a lot. It's the needles never
not moving, right? Like, the extent of cannabis is forever
right now.
S1 (06:44):
So your head of merchandising and apparel. Yes. Now, I
almost thought those were the same things. What? How would
you explain them?
S2 (06:53):
So, um, merchandising is the way I separate. It is.
Merchandising is the visuals of the store. It's how the
store physically looks. It's how we decide where everything goes
in the store. It's touch points. Um, and then apparel
are your things that you can sell to customers. And
what we and what we give our employees to wear.
(07:15):
So it's your hats, your shirts, your hoodies, um, and
then you have accessories which are going to be like
your lighters, your keychains, your batteries. So those are just
three different categories under the same umbrella.
S1 (07:29):
So do employees have to purchase? Um, no items. How
do they get them?
S2 (07:37):
So when you first start as a march and ash employee, um,
depending if you're full time or part time, you're provided with, um,
if you're part time, three shirts and a hat, or
if you're full time, five shirts and a hat. And
then every anniversary we that you're with the company, we
re-up you with some clothes. Um, all employees do get 30%
(07:57):
off all of our merchandising. I mean, all of our apparel. Um,
and then on top of that, throughout their time with
March and Ash, they'll receive a bunch of collaborative, uh,
shirts because a lot of brands like to collab with us.
So we'll do like, takeover days. And that's another way
for employees to get items to wear to work.
S1 (08:19):
So speaking of that, I see that you brought with you, um,
some items. Are these items that we sell here at
Martin Ashe or or that you give to employees?
S2 (08:31):
Yeah. So I have, um, a hat and a shirt, um,
just to show you that these are the two newest
items that we have right now that are, um, on
our shelves that you can purchase, but they're also a
possibility that one of the employees will will get them
when they start here.
S1 (08:47):
I can't see the front of the hat. So is
the insignia. Is that a Martin Ashe?
S2 (08:52):
Yeah.
S1 (08:53):
Okay.
S2 (08:54):
So it's like a patch. So this one was custom made,
fully designed. Um, and we made it with the company
that I work with, which is Codis. Um, and so
they made we designed together, like the patch, the patchwork
and the stripes on the side and the five, six
panel hat.
S1 (09:10):
Um, is there any significance to the patch or the color, um,
strips on the side?
S2 (09:17):
So the gold has always been part of March and
Ash's logo. Black and gold was where we kind of started.
So every now and again we like to incorporate it
just so as a reminder as to where we came from.
S1 (09:33):
Okay.
S2 (09:33):
Yeah. Those are very like our classic colors.
S1 (09:36):
Oh, classic. She says. Okay. So I see you have
a shirt too. Is this like a shirt that you
would give to an employee? Yes.
S2 (09:43):
So this one, all of our shirts. Oh, nice. And
all of our hats. Um, you can purchase, but yeah,
our employees will purchase this as well. Or receive it
at orientation. Um, and this was something that I also
worked with. Curtis. I'm not personally like a designer, but
what I'll do is like a rough sketch, something the
idea that I have in my head. And then I'll
send it to the company that I work with and
(10:05):
they'll mock it up for me.
S1 (10:07):
You know, it looks it almost looks like a crown
on the. Is that was that intentional?
S2 (10:12):
Um, so the Martin Ash logo.
S1 (10:15):
The M and an A. Yeah. Okay.
S2 (10:18):
Um, they designed it as a crown. I will say
that John and Blake had this decided before I was
even hired. Um, so. But, yeah, it's a it's a crown. Okay.
That's what we like to call it.
S1 (10:29):
And the back of that shirt has. It's so San Diego.
S2 (10:33):
Yes. It's a very San Diego.
S1 (10:35):
Yeah. Martin. Ash.
S2 (10:36):
At the smoke cloud, you get the skyline and. Yeah,
you know, San Diego living beautiful.
S1 (10:43):
It's beautiful. Now, you mentioned that you work with, uh,
the vendors. Yes. Um, do you work with the vendors
in terms of just them supplying, you know, x number
of shirts and hats, or do they help design? Um,
how does that happen?
S2 (11:01):
Yeah. So usually the way what we do is like
a takeover day. Um, we'll do all of our stores.
If the brand can, they'll do an activation at a
store or two, and then they'll provide a shirt for
the employees. I give them an employee count list, and
pretty much they'll make the design because it's their brand
(11:22):
that they're promoting. And I might make a couple of
edits just so it also can incorporate March and Ash. Um,
a couple things about the March Ash apparel is that
even though we are cannabis, we like our shirts or
our apparel to not be cannabis forward. So it's not
very heady. It's more just like everyday wear. Um, March
(11:42):
and Ash is one of those brands that it's like
if you know, you know. So our designs are like that. Um,
there will be a little nod to cannabis within the design,
but it's not super weed forward.
S1 (11:54):
Okay. So that that I'm guessing now that's so that
people that maybe aren't in support of cannabis or don't
know about cannabis can still buy the apparel because of
the quality and because of the colors and design?
S2 (12:09):
Yeah. Okay. Um, and it's also just like if you
are into cannabis, but you don't necessarily want to rep
a weed leaf super hard. It's just another way of
going around it. It's, you know, um, I once had
Blake say, I want someone to be able to wear
that shirt in church and it feel like it's okay.
S1 (12:30):
Okay.
S2 (12:31):
Yeah. And so that's where our mindset, like, you know,
to be able to wear it around their kids and
it not be a question like that just looks like
a pretty sunset in San Diego. You know what I mean? So, um,
that's just kind of where we go with our designs.
S1 (12:45):
Okay. Uh, how important is the merchandising and apparel aspect
of what you do? How important is that for? I
think it's March and Ash.
S2 (13:00):
I think it's super important. It goes hand in hand
with marketing. Um, when someone represents your brand, they are
kind of like a walking billboard, and that goes with
any brand. Um, it's a way to represent yourself outside
of the establishment. And I think that it's brand recognition.
So it's super important in my opinion.
S1 (13:25):
So JQ, what does a typical day or week look
like for you? I mean, what are you doing? You
come in and you look at, look at a whole
bunch of hats and shirts.
S2 (13:35):
Um, so my weeks are ebbs and flows. There's no
straight line as to what I do. Um, some weeks
are way busier than others. It just really depends. But
a lot of it is not glamorous. A lot of
it's sitting by the computer looking at inventory stocks for
all ten shops. Make sure that they're fulfilled, um, with
(13:55):
what they need. Then when I have a little bit
more downtime, I definitely start thinking about ideas of like,
what's next? Um, and start sketching things out and putting
mood boards together to decide where we're going to go
with the next style of hat or shirt that we
make and what season we're falling into. Um, because there's
also a calendar that you have to order by. You know,
(14:17):
if I want something for October, I have to have
it ordered by July. So you're always thinking forward. It's
not actually in present time. Um, and then I do
a lot of store visits. I go to every single
one of our stores at least once a month. Um,
with exceptions of the deserts.
S1 (14:33):
You go to all ten stores once a month.
S2 (14:36):
At least once a month.
S1 (14:37):
Wow.
S2 (14:38):
Yeah. Um, just to, you know, touch base, make sure
everything looks nice. Um, see if the managers need anything. Sometimes,
you know, it just takes an extra eye for from
somebody else that's not there all the time to just
move something a little bit to the left to make
it look better. So.
S1 (14:55):
And are there different? Is the apparel different at at
the various stores?
S3 (14:59):
Yes.
S2 (15:00):
So um, for instance, like Imperial Beach is very beach
ocean um forward while at Imperial Valley or Palm Desert.
There's like a desert theme to their shirts. Okay. Um,
we also try to focus around, like, the community. Uh,
for Telegraph, we took over a bar. So one of
(15:24):
our first shirts that we made, it was like a
little ode to that bar. It was, uh, we did
two bears playing pool. Um, because a lot of people
that were local to there that when we first opened,
they would come in and they'd be like, oh my God,
this was that bar. And we'd be like, yeah. And so, um,
we like to incorporate a lot of that stuff. Uh,
City Heights used to be a garage, like a car
(15:44):
maintenance garage. So we have a lot of, um, like,
tools on the shirts for them, so stuff like that.
S1 (15:51):
So people would have to know the history to to
be able to figure out why those different things.
S2 (15:58):
Yeah. To appreciate like the little the little Easter eggs
that we do. Yeah.
S1 (16:05):
So now when we create new stores. Are you part
of the team that goes in and helps design it?
S2 (16:14):
Um, I do not design the stores, but what I
do do is I definitely give feedback as to like
where specific things should be. If we need more shelving
in a certain place, um, where we could use more
storage because I also, I think what benefits from them
having me on the team is that I was a concierge.
And I do know since we're a shoppable store, we're
(16:35):
not like every other store where a lot of stuff
is kept. Just one item is kept on the floor
and everything's kept on the back. People can come in
and shop, so we need a lot of space to
be able to restock. Um, and storage is, I think,
something that people forget about a lot when they're designing
a really pretty store. Um, so as we've come across
(16:56):
and built more shops, I definitely have more input as
to like, can we make this bigger or put more
shelves here or think about the back stock? Um, you know,
speaking up for the concierge and their needs on the floor. Um, so. Yeah,
but then once the store is built, I'll go in,
(17:17):
and that's when I decide, like, cartridges will go on
this wall. Edibles will go in this room, CBD section
will be here. And I'll even put my hand in everything.
And I will be there for at least a week.
Just touching everything, moving all the items around, making sure
it looks perfect until it is.
S1 (17:35):
Is that a new store you're talking about? You'd be
there for a week or when you go out to
the stores.
S2 (17:40):
New stores? No new stores when we're opening them. Yeah,
when we're first doing a store open, once we get
the formula of like how we like the store to run,
it's pretty efficient from there on.
S1 (17:50):
So how did you learn this? I mean, what do
you have? Did you go to college or go to
a specialized.
S2 (17:57):
So I went to UMass Amherst, but I did not complete,
I didn't graduate, I've lived a lot of lives and
I've done a lot of different things. I went to
cosmetology school. I've been, um, a leasing agent for apartments,
but mainly restaurants. Um, honestly, I have to say, it's
just aesthetics for me. Um, I for me, it is
(18:18):
easy to look at something and say, I don't like
the way that this looks. I need to move this
to the left or to the right or to another room. Um.
S1 (18:26):
So you have that I.
S3 (18:27):
I think it's just.
S2 (18:28):
Yeah, it's I intuition trusting my gut and obviously, um,
that's something that you can say. Well, it's subjective and
it is, but it's worked out for me so far
for March and Ash because I've, I've known from the
beginning and I've seen the vision of what is wanted
for March and Ash. So. Yeah.
S1 (18:48):
Yeah. I would imagine it helps to have been with
March and Ash since the beginning. So, so that you,
you build on the different themes. Yeah. And the times.
S2 (19:00):
Yeah. And you have to listen to what the owners want,
but also you have to listen to the employees that
really spend all their time on the floor, what works,
what doesn't work, and the customer experience. Those are all
the things. If you listen to what people are wanting
and trying to stay true to a brand, I think
you can find a great solution.
S1 (19:21):
So now you said something that that I want to
go back on, um, that you get ideas from employees.
Do you get ideas from customers?
S2 (19:33):
I do, I guess I do. I think it's mainly
as a consumer myself, I think is like almost where
it comes from is like, what would make shopping easier
for me or what would make it easier for our customers.
So I think, um, the flow of our shop, how
we have things separated is to make the customer experience
(19:55):
a lot easier. So if you're wanting to look for
a cartridge, you know exactly where to go. It is
going to be at the wall on the left, like
every time you come to Mission Valley.
S1 (20:07):
So, you know, it almost feels like you're doing the
same thing that happens at a grocery store when they
position different products on the shelves. Yeah. Um, you know,
the vegetables and the canned goods and so forth and
the packaged products. You you're making it easier for the customer.
S2 (20:26):
Yeah. It's a we're trying to just create a flow,
a flow of ease so you can come in, um,
a flow of ease and a flow of consistency. It
is kind of hard because we do have to move
things around due to inventory. But at the end of
the day, for the most part, a customer can come
in and know that the edible that they're looking for
is always to the right. In Mission.
S1 (20:48):
Valley. Wow.
S2 (20:49):
Yeah.
S1 (20:50):
So do you also take into consideration special needs individuals, um,
how they get around in the store?
S2 (20:57):
Um, yeah we do. I think that we also do
have a lot of employees that are super courteous and
pay mind to that so anyone can help, um, depending
on what the situation calls for. Um, but everything is
meant to be able to touch, hold, grab, read, um,
since we're a shoppable store and then all of our
(21:20):
concierge are educated enough to be able to help a
customer if they have any questions. Um, but, you know,
we have the shelves that can go up only so
high and they do go down low. And so, you know,
it just depends, I guess, on what the need of
the customer is.
S1 (21:38):
And the concierge are there to, to help. Always people.
S2 (21:41):
Always.
S1 (21:42):
Okay, okay. Um, the apparel that that you that you
design and, you know, like the apparel that you have here, um,
how do employees feel about the apparel? Do they normally say, okay,
this is great, I can wear this or are they like, ah,
(22:05):
I don't know about that one.
S2 (22:06):
For the most part, I think, um, people really do
like it and they enjoy it. I do have some
employees that are really creative and do take a hand
of altering their clothes just a little bit, so it
feels more like them. And we're very much open to that.
And by that I mean some of them, like if
the shirt's white, they'll tie dye it. Um, which, you know, um.
S1 (22:28):
They can do that and that's okay.
S2 (22:30):
They can do it.
S1 (22:32):
But I'm looking at just look at your face. It's
not okay.
S2 (22:35):
No, it's not that. It's not okay. Just, um, some
some people like it. Some people don't. But I think
that it's. If you're going to be here 40 hours
a week, I think it's okay to be able to
express yourself within the guidelines that we have. And if
throwing a little tie dye on your shirt is going
to make you happy, then I'm okay with it.
S1 (22:56):
Okay, but but the final judge of all of this
is you.
S2 (23:02):
Yeah.
S1 (23:03):
Okay. So, so have store employees or managers called you
and said, hey, I, I'm thinking of this or doing
that with some apparel. How do you feel about that?
S2 (23:14):
Yeah. Um, I have employees reach out to me all
the time saying, hey, GQ, I was thinking about altering
my shirt like this. Is that okay? Uh, here at
Mission Valley, actually, we have an employee that is really awesome.
And he took, uh, two shirts of the same design,
but different colors, cut them in half and sewed them together.
So it's like a two toned. And it was really cool.
S1 (23:35):
You're kidding.
S2 (23:36):
Yeah.
S1 (23:36):
Okay.
S2 (23:37):
So, um. And it's this. It's the same design. It's
just he did his own twist on it, and, you know, I'm.
I'm very open to that. Um, I also have employees
that send me artwork and ask if, you know, we
can put it on a shirt, and we've definitely done
that in the past. Um, so that's really cool. And
(23:59):
we don't do it for free. Like we'll give them
store credit and stuff like that. Um, we also had
this one employee that was an amazing designer that I
actually ended up connecting him with another brand. Um, and
he created all of their art for their cartridges. So
it was like a really nice way to connect someone
that was really artistic and awesome at what they do,
(24:21):
and be able to connect them with somebody that could
give them a larger platform for their art.
S1 (24:26):
Is it always new that you're looking for, or do
you go back and recycle something? Oh, yeah. Style?
S2 (24:34):
Yeah, yeah. Um, we'll definitely take an oldie and give
it new life and put it on a different colored shirt.
Or just change, um, a couple of details. But it's
a mixture of both, because I definitely like to stay current.
I like fresh, so a little bit of both, we'll
take the things that definitely worked in the past and
(24:54):
continue to bring them forward, but then we'll be innovative
and change it up.
S1 (24:59):
So are you looking at the time of the year
to like. I mean, I know we're getting into summer now, so.
S2 (25:06):
So for summer, I was thinking about that like in
January right now. Wow. Yeah. Now that we're hitting summer,
I have to start thinking about October, November, December. So
hoodie season? Uh, beanie season. So, like, by mid-July, if
we're going to do any beanies this year, I have
to already order them, because those are custom. They take
a lot longer to get here. It's, um. Yeah. So
(25:27):
you're always thinking about the next season, not the current season.
S1 (25:31):
Well, I've never seen any beanies.
S2 (25:33):
Yeah, we have some, um, I mean, they sell out
really fast, but we do have them. Yeah, we've had
March and Beanies.
S1 (25:39):
Because people like the look of the beanie or they
just like to cover their. Maybe they're a.
S2 (25:44):
Mixture of both.
S1 (25:45):
Like me, when they have a bad hair day. Beanie
is the go to.
S2 (25:48):
Yeah. Yeah. Mixture of both.
S1 (25:50):
Okay.
S2 (25:51):
Yeah.
S1 (25:51):
Okay. Strategies. Merchandising strategies. In addition to following, like, um. Uh,
the different, you know, vendors or maybe sports, you know, clubs. Um,
are there any strategies that you employ to, you know,
you sit down and maybe calendar wise or map out,
(26:15):
here's what we're going to do.
S2 (26:17):
So, um, a couple of things. We have these display
cases in certain shops and we'll, um, lend we'll rotate
those with different brands every single month to keep that fresh.
So that's definitely a visual strategy that we do. Um,
we also coordinate with brands to see if they'd like
to do larger scale displays. Um, Carvana is one that
(26:41):
has done one in the past. At Vista, they did
a huge arc, uh, that you could walk into and
had all of their items on display and then most
recently turn did one at Vista as well. Same thing.
A large display within the shop that you could walk
into and look at all of their stuff. Um, so
(27:01):
when a brand honors and and commits to doing something
like that, that will stay within our store for about
three months. Um, because it's so large scale and such
a large project to do that, you know, to say
thank you for actually doing that will let them be
in the store for three months. Um, same thing with like, wraps,
(27:23):
like large scale wraps. So there's a lot of trying
to communicate and get with brands to create something new
and fresh that is visually stimulating and will change the
way that a store looks. Um, but the hardest part
about doing that is actually having follow through. A lot
of brands love to say yes, but like the amount
(27:44):
that actually commit to it is a different story.
S1 (27:47):
So the amount of money or the amount of just.
S2 (27:52):
Follow through in general? Yeah, money, like every brand, has
a different budget, which I totally respect. But, um, what
I have noticed is like, you know, a lot of
people love to say yes. They want to get on
the books, they want to get on the calendar, but
then to execute it is a completely different story. So
that's where, you know.
S1 (28:09):
Do you find you're having to hunt people down or
call them up 2 or 3 times and say, hey,
remember we talked about doing.
S2 (28:16):
I personally don't work like that.
S1 (28:19):
Okay.
S2 (28:20):
Um, I yeah, I personally don't work like that. I
kind of feel as though if we've had the meeting,
if I tell you my expectations, if you say that
you're on board with it and we're on the same page,
besides maybe 1 or 2 follow ups of like, hey,
just following up to make sure that this is going
to be completed on this day, you know, um, that's
(28:41):
that's how much chasing I do.
S1 (28:43):
Okay.
S2 (28:44):
Um, I feel like it's equally beneficial for anybody that
puts their brand into Martin Ashe, as it is for
Martin Ashe to have an installation like that, it is
showcasing something new and fresh for your brand and attracting
new customers, and it's giving our store a little pizzazz.
But at the end of the day, um, I I'm
(29:07):
not gonna chase someone for something that's going to benefit them. So.
S1 (29:11):
So in terms of apparel. Yeah. Um, in the March
and Ashe stores, only the march on Ashe apparel is
in our stores or.
S2 (29:21):
Yes.
S1 (29:21):
Only not not another brand.
S2 (29:24):
No. Um, unless the brand is doing a collaboration which
will also have, like the March Ashe name and logo
on their design. Um, the employees will wear that and
on the takeover day and then incorporate it in their
future wardrobe. Um, but just march and Ashe. Yeah.
S1 (29:46):
So is there a is there a apparel Haro or
merchandising story that sticks with you, that that comes to
light when you're or something very funny, or you say
to yourself, man, that was really an interesting experience.
S2 (30:03):
Um, I would have to say. The reward of just
opening up a new store, like when I was in
this position. Being in this position, new store openings are
always a different experience. Um, the timing is always a
little bit off, or then you go from 0 to
(30:23):
100 and then you're just, like, rushing to get things. Um,
on the shelves and open to the masses. So that's
always just a crazy experience within itself. Um, there's one time,
you know, doing a store opening because I was helping
set up the whole entire shop that I was there
until six in the morning, you know, and.
S1 (30:43):
Oh, wait a minute, from what time did you come in?
S2 (30:47):
Like 9:00 10:00 pm the night before.
S1 (30:50):
Yeah. 9:00 pm. Yeah. And you were there until 6 a.m..
S2 (30:53):
6 or 7 in the morning? Yeah.
S1 (30:54):
Oh my God.
S2 (30:55):
Um, but that's only because, like, I wanted it to
look perfect. Oh, okay. I should say.
S1 (31:01):
You're one of those.
S2 (31:02):
Yeah. For sure. If we're gonna do it right, if
we're gonna open it, I. I personally just want it
to be really, really great. And so. Yeah.
S1 (31:12):
Well, and that's why you're in the position that you're
in right now. I would think that if you were
there until 6:00, you you might as well hang around
and see what people think when they come in. But
chances are you're dead tired and you're headed home.
S2 (31:28):
I end up, you know. Yeah, I'll go home. I'll
come back. I'll get the first day and see what
people have to say. And yeah, I like to experience it.
It's nice.
S1 (31:36):
Okay. All right. So in the years that you've been
doing this, um. Are there any employees with respect to, uh,
wearing the apparel? I know you talked about the gentleman that, um,
you know, took two shirts and put them together. Um,
(31:59):
is there any other employee that, you know when they
see you coming, maybe with that you're doing the apparel.
They're like, oh, man, I'm excited. You know, GQ is
coming in and we're going to have something new.
S2 (32:10):
I mean, every time I go visit a store, they're
always like, hey, GQ, anything new? Anything new coming up?
I will say, like, I find that our employees are
some of our biggest supporters. They really do purchase every
hat that comes out, every every shirt, every, you know,
because they they do genuinely enjoy the brand. Um, our
(32:32):
hats within our employees and outside of our employees, our
hats are by far like our biggest sellers.
S4 (32:40):
Mhm. Yeah.
S1 (32:41):
So but do employees have to. You said earlier that
employees get a 30% discount. Yes. On apparel. Yeah. Okay.
So after the initial the hat and the 3 to
5 shirts. Mhm. Um, nothing else is given. Um, just,
you know, your order shirts and. Okay. Everybody's going to
(33:04):
get one.
S2 (33:05):
Um, yeah. I mean, the co-branding really we have about
ten brands a year. So that's a lot. And then um,
throughout the holidays, we tend to give all of the
employees either like a hoodie or crewneck sweater or something
to keep them warm in the, in the stores. So, um, yeah,
they have a lot, I promise.
S1 (33:28):
They have a lot of apparel at home.
S2 (33:29):
Yeah they do.
S1 (33:31):
Well, GQ, this has been great. I mean, wow, I
never knew this much goes into merchandising and apparel. You know,
so I really appreciate the time that you spent with us. Um,
I know people listening to you would would probably like
to get in touch with you to say, hey, I
heard you on Doctor Leroy's cannabis enlightened. Gosh, you were great. Um.
(33:54):
Is there how would they get in touch with you?
S2 (33:57):
Um, probably the easiest way is just via email jq at. Com.
Super simple.
S1 (34:03):
Super simple. Okay. Any closing comments you might have for us?
You know about apparel, about merchandising that you would like
to share?
S2 (34:14):
Maybe not about apparel and merchandising per se, but just
overall I would say because this is cannabis enlightenment. And
you know, um, this job has truly, actually changed my life.
And I would say that the people that are skeptical
about cannabis should come check out one of our shops,
(34:34):
because I think it's a true experience and it definitely
changes some people's minds. So March and ash, um, we
have ten locations. You should come check us out.
S1 (34:46):
Wow. That's a that's a huge endorsement of March and
Ash and all the stores and coming out. So. GQ
I appreciate you being here. Thank you very much.
S2 (34:55):
Thank you for having me.
S1 (34:56):
Well, you're certainly welcome. And to the listening audience, remember,
you can hear this episode and all the cannabis episodes
on the Olas Media Network, um, and Spotify. And remember
that if you want to contact me with a note,
a letter. How you doing? What's going on? I can
(35:17):
be reached at Doctor Leroy at Cannabis Enlightened. Com that's doctor.
And remember, the only way to combat ignorance and stupidity
is through knowledge. Because as we always say, knowledge is power.
Hey, everybody. Welcome again. This is Doctor Leroy, and I
am here with another episode of Cannabis Enlightened. Welcome, everybody. Um,
this program is sponsored as all my episodes are by
March and ash and broadcast over the oldest media network
(00:52):
and in the oldest media studio here in Mission Valley.
And the people that make me sound like $1 million
all the time. And I have to say thank you,
thank you, thank you. To them, it's JC and Lena. Um,
we have a interesting program. I always say special, so
(01:12):
I'm trying to get away from that. We have an
interesting program today because we're looking inside of March and Ash.
You all have heard me talk about March and Ash
a lot of times. And I tell I tell you
that the program is sponsored by Martin Ashe. But today,
and maybe as we go forward, we're going to be
(01:35):
looking at how March in Ashe is put together and
who are the people that make the company work? Um,
my guest today is someone who really gives energy to
that engine of Martin Ashe by what she does. Um,
(01:56):
Jessica Quesada is head of visual merchandising and apparel. And
before I go to her and ask her to, um,
you know, tell us a little bit about her self,
I want to remind everybody that, you know, before I started, um, this, um,
(02:17):
you know, cannabis enlightened, the podcast. I was a teacher at, um, professor,
college professor. And for the last five years of my
time there, I taught the business of cannabis and within,
you know, teaching that class, which was very, very interesting.
And a lot of people were really helped and gained
(02:38):
valuable knowledge about cannabis. Um, people would always ask, well,
what is cannabis? And what does the company and the
business of cannabis do? So this is one of the
things that I really wanted to drill down on is
the people that are in March and Ash, what they
(02:59):
do and how they do it. And surprising to me,
as it should be to you, I would hope, um,
a lot of the facets, a lot of the departments,
a lot of the things that go on inside of
March and Ash are just like any other business. And
having said that, I'm going to bring on and she's
(03:19):
in the office here, she's called JQ. So JQ would
you come on, Jessica, and tell us a little bit
about yourself and what you do?
S2 (03:31):
Hi. Thanks for having me today.
S1 (03:33):
Welcome. Thank you for coming. Thank you for being here.
S2 (03:36):
Um, so yeah, my name is Jessica Quesada, or what?
Almost everybody calls me JQ. Um, so I do visual
merchandising and apparel for March and Ashe. I have been
with March Nash since the very beginning, um, 2018. And, um,
I just really emphasize the fact that I like to
(03:56):
make our stores look beautiful. Um, I help the team
decide where they want to put product, how we want
to make the product look on our sales floor. Um,
I have a really integral part of our openings. And
then on top of that, I help with all of
(04:16):
our merchandising, um, apparel wise. So designs, hats, shirts, hoodies. Um,
That's where I start.
S1 (04:26):
So are you telling me the store. This store opened
and we're in Mission Valley, everyone. Um, this Mission Valley store,
which is the headquarters, I think, um, opened in 2018. Yes.
And you were the first.
S2 (04:38):
I was the first concierge hire.
S1 (04:40):
Get out of town. Yeah. First one hired.
S2 (04:43):
First one hired.
S1 (04:44):
Okay. So your your employee number is number one.
S2 (04:48):
Um. It's not, but it doesn't go in order of
employee number. Okay.
S1 (04:53):
Okay.
S2 (04:54):
Okay.
S1 (04:54):
So now that also brings up another point. You were
a concierge. You you worked, you know, in the store?
S2 (05:01):
Yes.
S1 (05:02):
Prior to your management position that you have now? Yes.
S2 (05:06):
So when I first started, um, I just started because
I had a small interest in the cannabis industry. I
went to another dispensary when I first moved to San
Diego because I'm not from here. I'm from Boston originally. Um,
so I went to a dispensary and I saw what
it could be. And I was really amazed by it.
And then I saw that Martin Ashe was opening and hiring,
(05:28):
and I saw a picture of what the dispensary looked like,
and I said, wow, that's beautiful. I could see myself
working there. So I decided to apply. First concierge hire.
And I was here part time for two years until
Covid happened. And then, um, once Covid happened, I left
the restaurant industry and I decided that I was going
(05:50):
to just take the hit and just be in cannabis
full time. And then I kind of just ended up
where I am now.
S1 (05:58):
So you were in the restaurant business before coming over
to March and Ash? Yes. Okay.
S2 (06:03):
For 15 years.
S1 (06:04):
Wow. 15 years.
S2 (06:06):
Yeah. So, uh, so that's that's a part of why
I got hired. It was a lot of hospitality forward. Um,
I said to John, I enjoy cannabis. I might not
know everything about cannabis, but I can learn. What I
can give you is hospitality and customer service okay. And
that was what they were like. Yes. Like we can
(06:27):
teach you everything else. So yeah.
S1 (06:30):
And did you in fact learn everything else about cannabis.
So you're an authority now, right?
S2 (06:33):
I mean, I've learned a lot. It's the needles never
not moving, right? Like, the extent of cannabis is forever
right now.
S1 (06:44):
So your head of merchandising and apparel. Yes. Now, I
almost thought those were the same things. What? How would
you explain them?
S2 (06:53):
So, um, merchandising is the way I separate. It is.
Merchandising is the visuals of the store. It's how the
store physically looks. It's how we decide where everything goes
in the store. It's touch points. Um, and then apparel
are your things that you can sell to customers. And
what we and what we give our employees to wear.
(07:15):
So it's your hats, your shirts, your hoodies, um, and
then you have accessories which are going to be like
your lighters, your keychains, your batteries. So those are just
three different categories under the same umbrella.
S1 (07:29):
So do employees have to purchase? Um, no items. How
do they get them?
S2 (07:37):
So when you first start as a march and ash employee, um,
depending if you're full time or part time, you're provided with, um,
if you're part time, three shirts and a hat, or
if you're full time, five shirts and a hat. And
then every anniversary we that you're with the company, we
re-up you with some clothes. Um, all employees do get 30%
(07:57):
off all of our merchandising. I mean, all of our apparel. Um,
and then on top of that, throughout their time with
March and Ash, they'll receive a bunch of collaborative, uh,
shirts because a lot of brands like to collab with us.
So we'll do like, takeover days. And that's another way
for employees to get items to wear to work.
S1 (08:19):
So speaking of that, I see that you brought with you, um,
some items. Are these items that we sell here at
Martin Ashe or or that you give to employees?
S2 (08:31):
Yeah. So I have, um, a hat and a shirt, um,
just to show you that these are the two newest
items that we have right now that are, um, on
our shelves that you can purchase, but they're also a
possibility that one of the employees will will get them
when they start here.
S1 (08:47):
I can't see the front of the hat. So is
the insignia. Is that a Martin Ashe?
S2 (08:52):
Yeah.
S1 (08:53):
Okay.
S2 (08:54):
So it's like a patch. So this one was custom made,
fully designed. Um, and we made it with the company
that I work with, which is Codis. Um, and so
they made we designed together, like the patch, the patchwork
and the stripes on the side and the five, six
panel hat.
S1 (09:10):
Um, is there any significance to the patch or the color, um,
strips on the side?
S2 (09:17):
So the gold has always been part of March and
Ash's logo. Black and gold was where we kind of started.
So every now and again we like to incorporate it
just so as a reminder as to where we came from.
S1 (09:33):
Okay.
S2 (09:33):
Yeah. Those are very like our classic colors.
S1 (09:36):
Oh, classic. She says. Okay. So I see you have
a shirt too. Is this like a shirt that you
would give to an employee? Yes.
S2 (09:43):
So this one, all of our shirts. Oh, nice. And
all of our hats. Um, you can purchase, but yeah,
our employees will purchase this as well. Or receive it
at orientation. Um, and this was something that I also
worked with. Curtis. I'm not personally like a designer, but
what I'll do is like a rough sketch, something the
idea that I have in my head. And then I'll
send it to the company that I work with and
(10:05):
they'll mock it up for me.
S1 (10:07):
You know, it looks it almost looks like a crown
on the. Is that was that intentional?
S2 (10:12):
Um, so the Martin Ash logo.
S1 (10:15):
The M and an A. Yeah. Okay.
S2 (10:18):
Um, they designed it as a crown. I will say
that John and Blake had this decided before I was
even hired. Um, so. But, yeah, it's a it's a crown. Okay.
That's what we like to call it.
S1 (10:29):
And the back of that shirt has. It's so San Diego.
S2 (10:33):
Yes. It's a very San Diego.
S1 (10:35):
Yeah. Martin. Ash.
S2 (10:36):
At the smoke cloud, you get the skyline and. Yeah,
you know, San Diego living beautiful.
S1 (10:43):
It's beautiful. Now, you mentioned that you work with, uh,
the vendors. Yes. Um, do you work with the vendors
in terms of just them supplying, you know, x number
of shirts and hats, or do they help design? Um,
how does that happen?
S2 (11:01):
Yeah. So usually the way what we do is like
a takeover day. Um, we'll do all of our stores.
If the brand can, they'll do an activation at a
store or two, and then they'll provide a shirt for
the employees. I give them an employee count list, and
pretty much they'll make the design because it's their brand
(11:22):
that they're promoting. And I might make a couple of
edits just so it also can incorporate March and Ash. Um,
a couple things about the March Ash apparel is that
even though we are cannabis, we like our shirts or
our apparel to not be cannabis forward. So it's not
very heady. It's more just like everyday wear. Um, March
(11:42):
and Ash is one of those brands that it's like
if you know, you know. So our designs are like that. Um,
there will be a little nod to cannabis within the design,
but it's not super weed forward.
S1 (11:54):
Okay. So that that I'm guessing now that's so that
people that maybe aren't in support of cannabis or don't
know about cannabis can still buy the apparel because of
the quality and because of the colors and design?
S2 (12:09):
Yeah. Okay. Um, and it's also just like if you
are into cannabis, but you don't necessarily want to rep
a weed leaf super hard. It's just another way of
going around it. It's, you know, um, I once had
Blake say, I want someone to be able to wear
that shirt in church and it feel like it's okay.
S1 (12:30):
Okay.
S2 (12:31):
Yeah. And so that's where our mindset, like, you know,
to be able to wear it around their kids and
it not be a question like that just looks like
a pretty sunset in San Diego. You know what I mean? So, um,
that's just kind of where we go with our designs.
S1 (12:45):
Okay. Uh, how important is the merchandising and apparel aspect
of what you do? How important is that for? I
think it's March and Ash.
S2 (13:00):
I think it's super important. It goes hand in hand
with marketing. Um, when someone represents your brand, they are
kind of like a walking billboard, and that goes with
any brand. Um, it's a way to represent yourself outside
of the establishment. And I think that it's brand recognition.
So it's super important in my opinion.
S1 (13:25):
So JQ, what does a typical day or week look
like for you? I mean, what are you doing? You
come in and you look at, look at a whole
bunch of hats and shirts.
S2 (13:35):
Um, so my weeks are ebbs and flows. There's no
straight line as to what I do. Um, some weeks
are way busier than others. It just really depends. But
a lot of it is not glamorous. A lot of
it's sitting by the computer looking at inventory stocks for
all ten shops. Make sure that they're fulfilled, um, with
(13:55):
what they need. Then when I have a little bit
more downtime, I definitely start thinking about ideas of like,
what's next? Um, and start sketching things out and putting
mood boards together to decide where we're going to go
with the next style of hat or shirt that we
make and what season we're falling into. Um, because there's
also a calendar that you have to order by. You know,
(14:17):
if I want something for October, I have to have
it ordered by July. So you're always thinking forward. It's
not actually in present time. Um, and then I do
a lot of store visits. I go to every single
one of our stores at least once a month. Um,
with exceptions of the deserts.
S1 (14:33):
You go to all ten stores once a month.
S2 (14:36):
At least once a month.
S1 (14:37):
Wow.
S2 (14:38):
Yeah. Um, just to, you know, touch base, make sure
everything looks nice. Um, see if the managers need anything. Sometimes,
you know, it just takes an extra eye for from
somebody else that's not there all the time to just
move something a little bit to the left to make
it look better. So.
S1 (14:55):
And are there different? Is the apparel different at at
the various stores?
S3 (14:59):
Yes.
S2 (15:00):
So um, for instance, like Imperial Beach is very beach
ocean um forward while at Imperial Valley or Palm Desert.
There's like a desert theme to their shirts. Okay. Um,
we also try to focus around, like, the community. Uh,
for Telegraph, we took over a bar. So one of
(15:24):
our first shirts that we made, it was like a
little ode to that bar. It was, uh, we did
two bears playing pool. Um, because a lot of people
that were local to there that when we first opened,
they would come in and they'd be like, oh my God,
this was that bar. And we'd be like, yeah. And so, um,
we like to incorporate a lot of that stuff. Uh,
City Heights used to be a garage, like a car
(15:44):
maintenance garage. So we have a lot of, um, like,
tools on the shirts for them, so stuff like that.
S1 (15:51):
So people would have to know the history to to
be able to figure out why those different things.
S2 (15:58):
Yeah. To appreciate like the little the little Easter eggs
that we do. Yeah.
S1 (16:05):
So now when we create new stores. Are you part
of the team that goes in and helps design it?
S2 (16:14):
Um, I do not design the stores, but what I
do do is I definitely give feedback as to like
where specific things should be. If we need more shelving
in a certain place, um, where we could use more
storage because I also, I think what benefits from them
having me on the team is that I was a concierge.
And I do know since we're a shoppable store, we're
(16:35):
not like every other store where a lot of stuff
is kept. Just one item is kept on the floor
and everything's kept on the back. People can come in
and shop, so we need a lot of space to
be able to restock. Um, and storage is, I think,
something that people forget about a lot when they're designing
a really pretty store. Um, so as we've come across
(16:56):
and built more shops, I definitely have more input as
to like, can we make this bigger or put more
shelves here or think about the back stock? Um, you know,
speaking up for the concierge and their needs on the floor. Um, so. Yeah,
but then once the store is built, I'll go in,
(17:17):
and that's when I decide, like, cartridges will go on
this wall. Edibles will go in this room, CBD section
will be here. And I'll even put my hand in everything.
And I will be there for at least a week.
Just touching everything, moving all the items around, making sure
it looks perfect until it is.
S1 (17:35):
Is that a new store you're talking about? You'd be
there for a week or when you go out to
the stores.
S2 (17:40):
New stores? No new stores when we're opening them. Yeah,
when we're first doing a store open, once we get
the formula of like how we like the store to run,
it's pretty efficient from there on.
S1 (17:50):
So how did you learn this? I mean, what do
you have? Did you go to college or go to
a specialized.
S2 (17:57):
So I went to UMass Amherst, but I did not complete,
I didn't graduate, I've lived a lot of lives and
I've done a lot of different things. I went to
cosmetology school. I've been, um, a leasing agent for apartments,
but mainly restaurants. Um, honestly, I have to say, it's
just aesthetics for me. Um, I for me, it is
(18:18):
easy to look at something and say, I don't like
the way that this looks. I need to move this
to the left or to the right or to another room. Um.
S1 (18:26):
So you have that I.
S3 (18:27):
I think it's just.
S2 (18:28):
Yeah, it's I intuition trusting my gut and obviously, um,
that's something that you can say. Well, it's subjective and
it is, but it's worked out for me so far
for March and Ash because I've, I've known from the
beginning and I've seen the vision of what is wanted
for March and Ash. So. Yeah.
S1 (18:48):
Yeah. I would imagine it helps to have been with
March and Ash since the beginning. So, so that you,
you build on the different themes. Yeah. And the times.
S2 (19:00):
Yeah. And you have to listen to what the owners want,
but also you have to listen to the employees that
really spend all their time on the floor, what works,
what doesn't work, and the customer experience. Those are all
the things. If you listen to what people are wanting
and trying to stay true to a brand, I think
you can find a great solution.
S1 (19:21):
So now you said something that that I want to
go back on, um, that you get ideas from employees.
Do you get ideas from customers?
S2 (19:33):
I do, I guess I do. I think it's mainly
as a consumer myself, I think is like almost where
it comes from is like, what would make shopping easier
for me or what would make it easier for our customers.
So I think, um, the flow of our shop, how
we have things separated is to make the customer experience
(19:55):
a lot easier. So if you're wanting to look for
a cartridge, you know exactly where to go. It is
going to be at the wall on the left, like
every time you come to Mission Valley.
S1 (20:07):
So, you know, it almost feels like you're doing the
same thing that happens at a grocery store when they
position different products on the shelves. Yeah. Um, you know,
the vegetables and the canned goods and so forth and
the packaged products. You you're making it easier for the customer.
S2 (20:26):
Yeah. It's a we're trying to just create a flow,
a flow of ease so you can come in, um,
a flow of ease and a flow of consistency. It
is kind of hard because we do have to move
things around due to inventory. But at the end of
the day, for the most part, a customer can come
in and know that the edible that they're looking for
is always to the right. In Mission.
S1 (20:48):
Valley. Wow.
S2 (20:49):
Yeah.
S1 (20:50):
So do you also take into consideration special needs individuals, um,
how they get around in the store?
S2 (20:57):
Um, yeah we do. I think that we also do
have a lot of employees that are super courteous and
pay mind to that so anyone can help, um, depending
on what the situation calls for. Um, but everything is
meant to be able to touch, hold, grab, read, um,
since we're a shoppable store and then all of our
(21:20):
concierge are educated enough to be able to help a
customer if they have any questions. Um, but, you know,
we have the shelves that can go up only so
high and they do go down low. And so, you know,
it just depends, I guess, on what the need of
the customer is.
S1 (21:38):
And the concierge are there to, to help. Always people.
S2 (21:41):
Always.
S1 (21:42):
Okay, okay. Um, the apparel that that you that you
design and, you know, like the apparel that you have here, um,
how do employees feel about the apparel? Do they normally say, okay,
this is great, I can wear this or are they like, ah,
(22:05):
I don't know about that one.
S2 (22:06):
For the most part, I think, um, people really do
like it and they enjoy it. I do have some
employees that are really creative and do take a hand
of altering their clothes just a little bit, so it
feels more like them. And we're very much open to that.
And by that I mean some of them, like if
the shirt's white, they'll tie dye it. Um, which, you know, um.
S1 (22:28):
They can do that and that's okay.
S2 (22:30):
They can do it.
S1 (22:32):
But I'm looking at just look at your face. It's
not okay.
S2 (22:35):
No, it's not that. It's not okay. Just, um, some
some people like it. Some people don't. But I think
that it's. If you're going to be here 40 hours
a week, I think it's okay to be able to
express yourself within the guidelines that we have. And if
throwing a little tie dye on your shirt is going
to make you happy, then I'm okay with it.
S1 (22:56):
Okay, but but the final judge of all of this
is you.
S2 (23:02):
Yeah.
S1 (23:03):
Okay. So, so have store employees or managers called you
and said, hey, I, I'm thinking of this or doing
that with some apparel. How do you feel about that?
S2 (23:14):
Yeah. Um, I have employees reach out to me all
the time saying, hey, GQ, I was thinking about altering
my shirt like this. Is that okay? Uh, here at
Mission Valley, actually, we have an employee that is really awesome.
And he took, uh, two shirts of the same design,
but different colors, cut them in half and sewed them together.
So it's like a two toned. And it was really cool.
S1 (23:35):
You're kidding.
S2 (23:36):
Yeah.
S1 (23:36):
Okay.
S2 (23:37):
So, um. And it's this. It's the same design. It's
just he did his own twist on it, and, you know, I'm.
I'm very open to that. Um, I also have employees
that send me artwork and ask if, you know, we
can put it on a shirt, and we've definitely done
that in the past. Um, so that's really cool. And
(23:59):
we don't do it for free. Like we'll give them
store credit and stuff like that. Um, we also had
this one employee that was an amazing designer that I
actually ended up connecting him with another brand. Um, and
he created all of their art for their cartridges. So
it was like a really nice way to connect someone
that was really artistic and awesome at what they do,
(24:21):
and be able to connect them with somebody that could
give them a larger platform for their art.
S1 (24:26):
Is it always new that you're looking for, or do
you go back and recycle something? Oh, yeah. Style?
S2 (24:34):
Yeah, yeah. Um, we'll definitely take an oldie and give
it new life and put it on a different colored shirt.
Or just change, um, a couple of details. But it's
a mixture of both, because I definitely like to stay current.
I like fresh, so a little bit of both, we'll
take the things that definitely worked in the past and
(24:54):
continue to bring them forward, but then we'll be innovative
and change it up.
S1 (24:59):
So are you looking at the time of the year
to like. I mean, I know we're getting into summer now, so.
S2 (25:06):
So for summer, I was thinking about that like in
January right now. Wow. Yeah. Now that we're hitting summer,
I have to start thinking about October, November, December. So
hoodie season? Uh, beanie season. So, like, by mid-July, if
we're going to do any beanies this year, I have
to already order them, because those are custom. They take
a lot longer to get here. It's, um. Yeah. So
(25:27):
you're always thinking about the next season, not the current season.
S1 (25:31):
Well, I've never seen any beanies.
S2 (25:33):
Yeah, we have some, um, I mean, they sell out
really fast, but we do have them. Yeah, we've had
March and Beanies.
S1 (25:39):
Because people like the look of the beanie or they
just like to cover their. Maybe they're a.
S2 (25:44):
Mixture of both.
S1 (25:45):
Like me, when they have a bad hair day. Beanie
is the go to.
S2 (25:48):
Yeah. Yeah. Mixture of both.
S1 (25:50):
Okay.
S2 (25:51):
Yeah.
S1 (25:51):
Okay. Strategies. Merchandising strategies. In addition to following, like, um. Uh,
the different, you know, vendors or maybe sports, you know, clubs. Um,
are there any strategies that you employ to, you know,
you sit down and maybe calendar wise or map out,
(26:15):
here's what we're going to do.
S2 (26:17):
So, um, a couple of things. We have these display
cases in certain shops and we'll, um, lend we'll rotate
those with different brands every single month to keep that fresh.
So that's definitely a visual strategy that we do. Um,
we also coordinate with brands to see if they'd like
to do larger scale displays. Um, Carvana is one that
(26:41):
has done one in the past. At Vista, they did
a huge arc, uh, that you could walk into and
had all of their items on display and then most
recently turn did one at Vista as well. Same thing.
A large display within the shop that you could walk
into and look at all of their stuff. Um, so
(27:01):
when a brand honors and and commits to doing something
like that, that will stay within our store for about
three months. Um, because it's so large scale and such
a large project to do that, you know, to say
thank you for actually doing that will let them be
in the store for three months. Um, same thing with like, wraps,
(27:23):
like large scale wraps. So there's a lot of trying
to communicate and get with brands to create something new
and fresh that is visually stimulating and will change the
way that a store looks. Um, but the hardest part
about doing that is actually having follow through. A lot
of brands love to say yes, but like the amount
(27:44):
that actually commit to it is a different story.
S1 (27:47):
So the amount of money or the amount of just.
S2 (27:52):
Follow through in general? Yeah, money, like every brand, has
a different budget, which I totally respect. But, um, what
I have noticed is like, you know, a lot of
people love to say yes. They want to get on
the books, they want to get on the calendar, but
then to execute it is a completely different story. So
that's where, you know.
S1 (28:09):
Do you find you're having to hunt people down or
call them up 2 or 3 times and say, hey,
remember we talked about doing.
S2 (28:16):
I personally don't work like that.
S1 (28:19):
Okay.
S2 (28:20):
Um, I yeah, I personally don't work like that. I
kind of feel as though if we've had the meeting,
if I tell you my expectations, if you say that
you're on board with it and we're on the same page,
besides maybe 1 or 2 follow ups of like, hey,
just following up to make sure that this is going
to be completed on this day, you know, um, that's
(28:41):
that's how much chasing I do.
S1 (28:43):
Okay.
S2 (28:44):
Um, I feel like it's equally beneficial for anybody that
puts their brand into Martin Ashe, as it is for
Martin Ashe to have an installation like that, it is
showcasing something new and fresh for your brand and attracting
new customers, and it's giving our store a little pizzazz.
But at the end of the day, um, I I'm
(29:07):
not gonna chase someone for something that's going to benefit them. So.
S1 (29:11):
So in terms of apparel. Yeah. Um, in the March
and Ashe stores, only the march on Ashe apparel is
in our stores or.
S2 (29:21):
Yes.
S1 (29:21):
Only not not another brand.
S2 (29:24):
No. Um, unless the brand is doing a collaboration which
will also have, like the March Ashe name and logo
on their design. Um, the employees will wear that and
on the takeover day and then incorporate it in their
future wardrobe. Um, but just march and Ashe. Yeah.
S1 (29:46):
So is there a is there a apparel Haro or
merchandising story that sticks with you, that that comes to
light when you're or something very funny, or you say
to yourself, man, that was really an interesting experience.
S2 (30:03):
Um, I would have to say. The reward of just
opening up a new store, like when I was in
this position. Being in this position, new store openings are
always a different experience. Um, the timing is always a
little bit off, or then you go from 0 to
(30:23):
100 and then you're just, like, rushing to get things. Um,
on the shelves and open to the masses. So that's
always just a crazy experience within itself. Um, there's one time,
you know, doing a store opening because I was helping
set up the whole entire shop that I was there
until six in the morning, you know, and.
S1 (30:43):
Oh, wait a minute, from what time did you come in?
S2 (30:47):
Like 9:00 10:00 pm the night before.
S1 (30:50):
Yeah. 9:00 pm. Yeah. And you were there until 6 a.m..
S2 (30:53):
6 or 7 in the morning? Yeah.
S1 (30:54):
Oh my God.
S2 (30:55):
Um, but that's only because, like, I wanted it to
look perfect. Oh, okay. I should say.
S1 (31:01):
You're one of those.
S2 (31:02):
Yeah. For sure. If we're gonna do it right, if
we're gonna open it, I. I personally just want it
to be really, really great. And so. Yeah.
S1 (31:12):
Well, and that's why you're in the position that you're
in right now. I would think that if you were
there until 6:00, you you might as well hang around
and see what people think when they come in. But
chances are you're dead tired and you're headed home.
S2 (31:28):
I end up, you know. Yeah, I'll go home. I'll
come back. I'll get the first day and see what
people have to say. And yeah, I like to experience it.
It's nice.
S1 (31:36):
Okay. All right. So in the years that you've been
doing this, um. Are there any employees with respect to, uh,
wearing the apparel? I know you talked about the gentleman that, um,
you know, took two shirts and put them together. Um,
(31:59):
is there any other employee that, you know when they
see you coming, maybe with that you're doing the apparel.
They're like, oh, man, I'm excited. You know, GQ is
coming in and we're going to have something new.
S2 (32:10):
I mean, every time I go visit a store, they're
always like, hey, GQ, anything new? Anything new coming up?
I will say, like, I find that our employees are
some of our biggest supporters. They really do purchase every
hat that comes out, every every shirt, every, you know,
because they they do genuinely enjoy the brand. Um, our
(32:32):
hats within our employees and outside of our employees, our
hats are by far like our biggest sellers.
S4 (32:40):
Mhm. Yeah.
S1 (32:41):
So but do employees have to. You said earlier that
employees get a 30% discount. Yes. On apparel. Yeah. Okay.
So after the initial the hat and the 3 to
5 shirts. Mhm. Um, nothing else is given. Um, just,
you know, your order shirts and. Okay. Everybody's going to
(33:04):
get one.
S2 (33:05):
Um, yeah. I mean, the co-branding really we have about
ten brands a year. So that's a lot. And then um,
throughout the holidays, we tend to give all of the
employees either like a hoodie or crewneck sweater or something
to keep them warm in the, in the stores. So, um, yeah,
they have a lot, I promise.
S1 (33:28):
They have a lot of apparel at home.
S2 (33:29):
Yeah they do.
S1 (33:31):
Well, GQ, this has been great. I mean, wow, I
never knew this much goes into merchandising and apparel. You know,
so I really appreciate the time that you spent with us. Um,
I know people listening to you would would probably like
to get in touch with you to say, hey, I
heard you on Doctor Leroy's cannabis enlightened. Gosh, you were great. Um.
(33:54):
Is there how would they get in touch with you?
S2 (33:57):
Um, probably the easiest way is just via email jq at. Com.
Super simple.
S1 (34:03):
Super simple. Okay. Any closing comments you might have for us?
You know about apparel, about merchandising that you would like
to share?
S2 (34:14):
Maybe not about apparel and merchandising per se, but just
overall I would say because this is cannabis enlightenment. And
you know, um, this job has truly, actually changed my life.
And I would say that the people that are skeptical
about cannabis should come check out one of our shops,
(34:34):
because I think it's a true experience and it definitely
changes some people's minds. So March and ash, um, we
have ten locations. You should come check us out.
S1 (34:46):
Wow. That's a that's a huge endorsement of March and
Ash and all the stores and coming out. So. GQ
I appreciate you being here. Thank you very much.
S2 (34:55):
Thank you for having me.
S1 (34:56):
Well, you're certainly welcome. And to the listening audience, remember,
you can hear this episode and all the cannabis episodes
on the Olas Media Network, um, and Spotify. And remember
that if you want to contact me with a note,
a letter. How you doing? What's going on? I can
(35:17):
be reached at Doctor Leroy at Cannabis Enlightened. Com that's doctor.
And remember, the only way to combat ignorance and stupidity
is through knowledge. Because as we always say, knowledge is power.
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