// Definition
An independent, owner-operated cannabis retail model focused on curated menus of small-batch, high-quality products with deep knowledge of growers and genetics, as opposed to chain stores selling mass-market brands.
// From the Episode
Four Vancouver retailers (Craft Greenery, Up and Smoke, Local Cannabis Co.) formed a collective to pool buying power and share knowledge. They reduced Vancouver's $35K business license fee to $5,800 through collective advocacy. Key challenge: botanical terpene-infused distillate pre-rolls outsell craft — one operator did $400K in a single afternoon with floor sweepings.