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- [00:06]
A
I'm Laura Vinrut, pool of capital. And this is what we wore. Brett Heyman of Edie Parker is an energetic entrepreneur who creates handbags and accessories and is now passionately forging her way into her cannabis business, Flower. We've met before. I mean, we carried the collection for a long time and we met. And I feel like, Brett, when I say this, I think we. I think you showed in your apartment, maybe. And what.
- [00:39]
B
Yeah, yeah, no, that's. I mean, so long.
- [00:42]
A
Which shows me. I mean, what a homegrown operation it was. No pun intended. As we get further into this.
- [00:48]
B
Yeah, I think we. I would have said we met through Irene a long time ago, but if you came to my apartment, that even precedes that.
- [00:56]
A
Well, yeah, I mean, I think. I think you're exactly right. And then after that, we. I came to the apartment to see the bags, which are so incredible. But where. Where are you from? Did you grow up with Irene?
- [01:06]
B
I. Even though I grew up in Los Angeles, I didn't know her. We didn't go to the same schools, and we're not the same year. But I was born in New York and then I moved to LA when I was 10 and grew up in Brentwood, sadly, you know, on Man Canyon, where the fire is currently, you know, being held off. And then came back east for college. And I've been living in New York for now, 20 years.
- [01:29]
A
And how did. Why did y'all move to LA?
- [01:32]
B
My dad's job. My dad got a job. He worked in television, sports and got a job in entertainment out there. And, you know, I think just wanted to change.
- [01:39]
A
And how old were you when you moved?
- [01:42]
B
10.
- [01:43]
A
That was a tough time to move.
- [01:45]
B
Well, not only that, we moved in December in the middle of the year. Great. So it was not only the biggest culture shock in the world, but it was like, here, let's just do this mid year. But, you know, people talk about kids and grit all the time and how good it is for them and how you can just handle situations and learn to cope with things. And.
- [02:04]
A
Did you go through high school there?
- [02:07]
B
I sure did.
- [02:07]
A
Oh, wow. Yeah. What are your. What are your favorite memories of growing up in Los Angeles?
- [02:15]
B
Well, you know, now I don't care about celebrities and movie stars, but I will say that, like, moving and being in elementary school, Meryl Streep was a parent in my class. And, you know, that was cool. Like, I remember there's this story that my mom tells about me, which Meryl had told her where, you know, we're in the gym and I'm in fifth grade and I walk up and I sit next to her in the bleachers and I just say, so, do you like acting? And it's just like, it was just such a culture shock from New York. And I think I was a New Yorker. My parents are New Yorkers. And you know, it's, it's obviously, as you all know, like, it's, it's edgier, it's different, it's fast paced. So I think I had that in my early, early years. And then moving to Los Angeles just mellowed me out. Not completely. So I think it just, it gave me a good balance of New York, Louisiana And I'm very appreciative of it.
- [03:07]
A
And talk about fashion at that time. Were you interested in fashion when you were growing up in la?
- [03:13]
B
Always not because of la, I just, you know, people say this and I would like roll my eyes when I would hear it, but it really is true and it was true for me. I was definitely the kid who always took my mom's Vogues. Like I took her magazines, I read them. And from a very early age, and I don't have a good memory, I wasn' good student. I could tell you every photographer, every makeup artist, all the models, names, like I was just always obsessed. And I would go, I would, you know, I would get my allowance. This was like seventh grade, I would get my allowance and I was in school in Brentwood and I would walk up to Barrington to the drugstore and I would save up, I'd buy one Revlon lipstick, like usually like a brown basic, you know, because it 90s. And then as I got older and had more allowance, like I would go, I would go to the NARS counter and the Vincent Longo counter at whatever, you know, Barney's in la. And I was just obsessed, obsessed, obsessed with everything. And then thrifting like a crazy person.
- [04:06]
A
I mean, did you understand that there was some possibility that you could work in that industry or that that was possible? Did anybody that you, that you knew growing up work in it?
- [04:16]
B
I don't think I thought of it as a career. You know, my mom was definitely very stylish and loved fashion and always is dressed beautifully still. But I don't think I thought of it as a career path. And I think my parents still probably, you know, encouraged me. Like, you know, you'll be, I mean, I say this, like if they heard this interview, they would guffaw, they'd be like, we do this. But like, I'm sure. They were like, be a lawyer, you know, work in business. That was never going to be my path, but they certainly never discouraged it. Like, when it became clear that I, like, after senior year of high school, I went and I did a study in Paris. And I was like, this is it. I have to work in fashion. I'm obsessed. And they were certainly not like, no, that's not the right path. So they were always encouraging.
- [04:58]
A
What was your first job in, like.
- [05:02]
B
Real job or, like, summer internship?
- [05:04]
A
Summer internship?
- [05:06]
B
Well, I only say because, I mean, I'm 100 now, so I don't know if it's still the case. But when I was younger kids, when I worked in fashion, I was. I was like, summer internships are the only ways to get jobs. You have to, like, get an internship and work the hardest for literally zero money. And, you know, so I was very lucky. I got a job at Elle magazine after my freshman year college. And it was, you know, Nina Garcia was the fashion director. Gilles Ben Simone was there. No, Nina definitely wasn't fashion director. Marin Hopper was, but Nina was there. And I worked in a small office with Nina and three other editors and, you know, literally just was in the closet all day folding things, shipping things. But as I said, like, you work the hardest and you get those editors to recommend you. And then I worked in LA after junior year. I worked at Giorgio Armani in the press office there. And that was like the center. I mean, they created celebrity dressing. Wanda McDaniel was out there. The legend is a legend. And so I worked at that office with Wanda and with Jen Meyer at the time was there. And again, same thing. Like, you work the hardest. And so then when I graduated and I asked people for recommendations, not like anybody got me a job, but they introduced me to Tom Florio, they introduced me to whomever it was, and just through persistence, then I got a job. My first job out of college was working at Gucci in the press office, which was just very lucky. And can we.
- [06:20]
A
Can we rewind one second about where did you go to college and what were you studying?
- [06:24]
B
I went to Syracuse because my father worked in communications and he worked in television. And. And, you know, I. I was not a great student, and I didn't have, like, you know, my parents are not. They're very smart, but they're not like, high intellectual. Like, you know, east coast college. Like, you know, it just wasn't anything I thought of growing up. So when it came time to apply, my dad literally said to me, hey, all the guys that I Work with. Went to Newhouse at Syracuse. You should apply there. And I didn't even tour it. It was an early decision binding college. So I applied early house. I got in and I never thought about it again. And then when I got to Syracuse from sunny LA that following September, my brother looked at me and was like, good luck, we'll see you.
- [07:05]
A
And did you last all four years?
- [07:07]
B
Of course. I went abroad. I went to Paris for junior year, but it was fine. I mean, I certainly wasn't there being like, these are the best years of my life and these are going to be my friends forever. But I had fun and I had great classes and interesting.
- [07:18]
A
And you studied communications.
- [07:20]
B
I did.
- [07:21]
A
I mean, how lucky that you. That you had the foresight to do that.
- [07:25]
B
I mean, that's very positive. And I want to be with you. I don't know how much it mattered, honestly. But yeah, it was cool. I mean, the, the. Honestly, Newhouse at Syracuse is a great school and they get great visiting professors and so it was very interesting. And I took really, I mean, fields that I don't work in. Like, I took this amazing documentary class in this television, radio, film class, which was very famous there with this very famous professor. So it was just like, culturally, the culture of what you learned was fascinating and applicable. It wasn't like something esoteric that I would never think of again.
- [07:54]
A
And so after graduation, you got the job at Gucci and it was in the press department there.
- [08:00]
B
Yes.
- [08:01]
A
And what was that culture like? And was it based. Where was it based?
- [08:05]
B
In New York. It was the end of the Tom Ford Domenico de Soleil era. So it was incredible. I mean, it was just. Everything was perfect. You learned so much. I mean, just how, like, you know, no plug can be visible. No. And. But not in a scary way. Not in like a Patrizio Bertelli way. Like just like a elevated. And the team there at the time, I mean, was just fantastic. And. And still, like, the people that I worked with are such dear friends today. I worked for Charlotte Blackman and Siddhartha Shukla and Daniela Vitale was there at the time. So this Susan Chokechi, it was just. It was an amazing time working for a company at the highest level. And then Tom and Domenico left, and I weathered that in the press office with them. And. And then like the weird era of like three designers. And then Frida, and then it changed a little bit. And then I left and went to Dolce and Gabbana for about a year and a half and worked for Gabriella.
- [09:00]
A
I loved the Frida years. I. Yeah, I thought they were really, really beautiful.
- [09:04]
B
It was very wearable. Yeah, Frida's like a cool woman who, like, you know, she was young. She wore the stuff. Like, her first of all, her bag designs were spectacular. You know, she did a lot of that amazing Fendi stuff in those heyday years. So, yeah, I think she was talented, too. I think it was just like a big departure from the Tom years.
- [09:24]
A
A little floral.
- [09:25]
B
Exactly, exactly.
- [09:27]
A
Was there. Was there a skill that you. That you learned at Gucci that you still use today?
- [09:33]
B
I'm sure every skill. I think the thing that I learned, I mean, I actually didn't learn this at Gucci. I left Gucci, I went to Dolce, and I worked for Gabriela Forte, who is like one of those legendary, very impressive, tough PR women. Italian, amazing. And that was much scarier. And from her, I learned, because Gucci, you know, Gucci is, like, one of the biggest advertisers, obviously, in the world in the Thai at the time. And I didn't have to be that proactive at Gucci. It's like I had to fill requests and manage samples and make sure everybody got what they needed. But, like, everybody was calling us in, whether or not they like the collection. I mean, we were Gucci. And so at Dolce, it just was a little bit different. And it really made me learn to be better, learn to, you know, find out what was happening, make better trend reports, what was on the Runway? Where were we going to fit in? Where weren't we going to fit in? What were editors shooting? Where could we, you know, just how could we be represented in the best way? And so I just really learned about productivity the most there, and really just how important all those relationships are in whatever facet of whatever industry you work in. Like, just having connections with people and. And. And lines to just ask questions and get information. It's just. It's invaluable. It's really. That's your. Your biggest capital is your people.
- [10:46]
A
Yeah. And then. And then after that, you went back to Gucci?
- [10:49]
B
I did.
- [10:49]
A
And tell. Tell me about that. Why did you decide to go back?
- [10:53]
B
Siddhartha, who was the PR director at the time and a very dear friend, he left to go run Yves Saint Laurent. And so there was an opening, and Charlotte asked if I wanted to. I had missed it, frankly. I missed that culture. And so I did, and I'm thrilled that I did, and it was wonderful.
- [11:09]
A
What do you think the biggest struggle was in the first chapter of your career?
- [11:15]
B
And it just I mean this is, you know, it's not a career answer necessarily. It's just being young and wanting, you know, having the humility of being young and realizing that you probably don't know everything and there's a lot to learn and balancing just the optimism for me certainly of like living in New York City, working at one of the coolest companies out there, wanting to go out and experience all the city has to offer with a limited budget and having to be at work at the time, you know, this was like I'm so aging myself because this was pre getting news on the Internet. But I had to be at work every morning at 8:30 to Xerox magazines and newspapers and distribute them to all the leadership. So it's like, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So you're just tired all the time.
- [11:59]
A
And so what was the turning point where you decided to become an entrepreneur?
- [12:05]
B
Well, I had a baby and, and you know, I never thought I wouldn't work when I had children. That wasn't the debate. The debate was if I'm going to be working, I want it to be something that means more to me. And certainly the Gucci job at that point, I think who, I mean, I probably could have done it, but you know, in the beginning I just felt like I could never leave this baby that much because I was going to Italy six times a year and to all these regional events in north and South America and I was like this, I'm not going to be able to do this. You know, having a baby is obviously like a big awakening and it changes you and your hormones change and your goals change. So I really had a yearning to, to do something more creative. I've, I'd always been a creative person. I think it's part of what drew me to fashion and, and beauty and all of that. And so I felt like I could take all my learnings having worked, you know, covered accessories and PR forever at sort of the highest level. And also my lifelong thrifting, collecting and knowledge of sort of mid century design and specifically these mid century bags that I loved and that I found increasingly hard to find. And also, you know, I always tell young people this too. Like I had worked for a long time, I had saved some money, I could afford to experiment with something. It wasn't as do or die. And I knew that I could get another job if it didn't work. And so that's why I made the leap. I saw a white space. I had a real desire to do something creative and I had the resources to at least try it for a little bit. And that's why.
- [13:29]
A
And then did you. And did you have the knowledge of the craftsman and how to have these bags made?
- [13:36]
B
Zero. Zero. Less than zero.
- [13:40]
A
What was the process like and how long did it take?
- [13:43]
B
Hard and long. I mean, truly, it was just. I mean, I knew nothing very candidly, and this is one of my biggest failings. I didn't even know that a production designer was a job until well after I started my business. I mean, I was selling in stores, and I had no idea. It was just trial and error. Literally just looking up on the Internet, people that worked in acrylic, people that worked in, you know, plastics, like, and just calling people and visiting them, and nobody wanted to do it because it is this very specialized, you know, step back. We made these bags that were in acrylic, and they were mostly clutches, and they were all inspired by these bags that were made in the 1950s and 60s. And the reason they were made in the 1950s and 60s, because it was this very innovative time in Post World War II America, and the use of plastics was a big part of this innovation. And so there were these men that mostly came from the auto industry, and they had access to these materials, and they started tinkering with this material and made handbags and home accessories. And so. But it was all handcrafted. And I love that about the bags and the heritage of it. And so I didn't want to. I knew that I could get on a plane to China and somebody could make a bag for me really cheaply by pumping acrylic through a mold. But that was not what was interesting. So eventually, I'm sure it took me like, six months.
- [14:58]
A
Were they made in Michigan? In Detroit?
- [15:00]
B
In Illinois?
- [15:01]
A
Okay. Oh, wow. How interesting.
- [15:04]
B
Yeah.
- [15:04]
A
And how long did the process take between starting to get prototypes and selling in stores?
- [15:11]
B
It took about a year from conception to getting samples, and then once I got samples, and again, this is just luck. And again, having experience in the industry, the people that I'd worked with at Gucci had moved to Barney's. And so basically, you know, I went to. That. I went to Vogue first, and I went to Barney's first to say, you know, do you like these? And they both did, luckily. So I got a feature in Vogue again when that meant so much, and Barney's picked it up exclusively for my first season. And so I know that I make it sound very easy, and in some ways, honestly, it was. But all the struggles were there, and they. They kept coming after launch.
- [15:48]
A
Well, I think that you knew how to sell them. I mean, you had all the experience. Experience in knowing how to sell them. But I think a lot of times young entrepreneurs have problems when they actually do become successful or they. There becomes a demand because they can't fulfill the demand.
- [16:04]
B
I mean, that was a huge problem. And even big problem for us was once we expanded into lots of department stores. I mean, we were in like 30 Neiman marcuses and 20 sacks, et cetera, et cetera. And what never occurred to me, and it's embarrassing to think about it now, but you have these sort of like, very predatory agreements with the department stores. And. And they would want exclusives, everything exclusive. Want you to make this color. And we want it, you know, just for us. And we want 200 of them. And our bags are expensive because they're handmade in America. And like, making things in America costs money. And then at the end of the season, there are TV clauses in their contracts. Like, they could just send it all back to you.
- [16:43]
A
I know. It's so crazy. It's also crazy from a specialty store because we can't do that. And it just seems so unfair. It's just shocking.
- [16:53]
B
It is unfair. Now, a lot of that was my own naivete. And it's weirdly, I was thinking about this yesterday as I was walking, and I have no idea why, because it's not something that I ever think about anymore. But I should have taken a step back and I'm a consumer, and I would go, I would do trunk shows in these stores, and I should have taken the temperature of the consumer a little bit more just to say, like, you know what, this doesn't make sense. Let's just start it slower. Let's make less. Let me not upfront this for you. And. And you don't. That's the thing. Like, young people don't realize you don't have to do everything the department stores say.
- [17:23]
A
Yeah.
- [17:24]
B
You know, you could just say, like, no, I'm going to make you 10 and put it in your A door. And like, let's see how it goes.
- [17:29]
A
When did you know that your business would be successful or sustainable?
- [17:34]
B
Still hoping.
- [17:35]
A
Yeah, me too. And talk to me about how you expanded into the cannabis world.
- [17:44]
B
I mean, that I think is super interesting, and I'm excited about that. I mean, I think, like, we. We experimented with some collabs in more traditional categories. Like, you know, we. We made some jewelry. We did a shoe collab with Paul Andrew with these cool, you know, Perspex heels with confetti in them. And, and I think the expectation would have been to do more in fashion. But the truth is like, I didn't ever think like I was a fashion designer. I knew that I was like a real expert on this one thing, this one material. And I'd studied and I thought that there was a white space and we expanded into home with that material as well. That was really our core competency. And so then like we didn't want to make shoes, we didn't think we had anything to say in shoes. We didn't have anything to say and ready to wear. And so as we were thinking about categories that made sense for us, this use of cannabis kept coming up or this idea of cannabis, I should say, because, you know, again, I grew up in California and I was very aware what was happening in California in the cannabis space. This kind of green rush, as they called it. And from a retail perspective it was really interesting. These really elevated dispensaries were popping up and, and people were just like, there was a destigmatization happening in cannabis that was appealing. And so we kept kind of circling it like this is something that would be interesting for us to do, but it really like we'd always stop and be like, but it makes no sense. Like we make thousand dollar evening bags. How are we going to get into cannabis? But you know, I think really we got comfortable thinking about it as an expansion of our home collection that you know, nobody had treated cannabis accessories like bar accessories were our comp always and that, you know, nobody had treated them in an elevated way in a like and designed and something that was meant to be gifted or shown off. Everything was always like buy it at the head shop, you know, on 10th street and like hide it in your closet or in the back of your drawer. And so once we made that commitment, we started doing a lot of research and going to dispensaries in la and through that just experience, it really occurred to us that nobody was speaking to women in the cannabis space from a, from an actual THC flower perspective or like this, like nobody cares about women here. It is like the most masculine male dominated industry. It's so interesting. It is even, I mean, by the way, it remains that way. But, but even the stylish male brands were just that they were extremely masculine or they were very medicinal. You know, they were like, like treated as this, this product for health and wellness, which is awesome. But we felt like there was a way to talk to women where it was feminine, it was playful, it was unintimidating. It didn't have to be for health and wellness. Like while we were like, well, you could just want to get high and that's cool too. And so that's how we had the confidence to enter not only with accessories, but when we launched that. We launched flower in 2019 and we did it with a, you know, a full slate of accessories and then thc Flower only in California at that point. And we've obviously since expanded.
- [20:36]
A
What was the reaction from your clients?
- [20:39]
B
Great question. Look, we thought that the Venn diagram of people who loved our evening bags and loved cannabis wouldn't be huge. And I think by and large, I think people were surprised by it. But a lot of people tickled by it because we, you know, because our price point was expensive. We are really multi generational as a brand. We had a lot of older women buying our handbags and I think they like, you know, anecdotally we had a store in Madison Avenue when we launched and so we had a lot of firsthand anecdotal evidence. And I think a lot of older people walked in and thought like, wow, I love this. This is a beautiful fruit pipe. I'm going to buy this. My adult, you know, child who smokes cannabis. And there are a lot of, you know, we call them boomerangs, these baby boomers who smoke Cannabis in the 60s then stopped and now that they're where like would come back. And I think having. And our hypothesis was buying from a brand who they've been buying from for years, who they trust would maybe give people comfort. And so I think a lot of people like it. But we have certainly noticed, like over the past five years there's been kind of a recalibration where people who, not everybody stayed with us, you know, a lot of people were turned off by cannabis, which, you know, is fine. And now I think people still come to us as a resource for bags, mostly for bespoke, you know, they'll still like their personalized bag for their wedding or for a special occasion. But I think we've, you know, we've, we've changed over a lot of our customer.
- [22:06]
A
And tell me about what was the reaction from friends and family?
- [22:10]
B
Excited. Yeah, they thought it was interesting.
- [22:13]
A
How soon after launching Flower did you decide to actually sell cannabis or Flower?
- [22:20]
B
Immediately. I mean we, we launched immediately. We launched, when we launched the accessories, we launched beautiful colored jars of flour in California. That was our first sku. They were, you know, transparent blue. Not, they weren't blue at all. They were green, pink and lavender. With like, gold foil and gold foil tops, and nothing looked like that in the space. And then, you know, we started getting to work, focusing east of the Mississippi. I mean, I could. I could do a whole other podcast with you on the state of cannabis and why it's impossible, but basically.
- [22:49]
A
Well, a little bit about it, because I'm really. I'm fascinated by it.
- [22:54]
B
I mean, well, we were in California for a couple years. We exited sort of around Covid because it was too hard to keep up, and. And that was a disaster. And we felt like the opportunity was much more east of the Mississippi, where there were less mature markets. I mean, the issue is California. Obviously, it's a hu. Huge gdp. It's like the fifth largest economy in the world, but it was a sophisticated cannabis market. People have been buying cannabis forever from their dealers and. And getting them to convert was hard. So other markets, you know, we went into Illinois next and then Massachusetts, and followed with Ohio and Maryland, Missouri, et cetera. Less mature markets and just much more opportunity. The thing that's almost impossible is that every single state, when they pass cannabis in some way, whether it's medical or recreational, they don't say, hey, Illinois has done a good job. Let's ask them for their blueprint and do that. They say, let's start from scratch. Let's hire tons of people who maybe know anything about cannabis or maybe don't, and let's write a whole new set of rules, and let's write a whole new set of packaging rules that differ from California, New Jersey, Illinois, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera 38 times. And so that's really the challenge is like getting smart on legal cannabis and what it looks like in every state and adapting packaging, regs and packaging changes. I mean, they change. California is the worst about that. California packaging would change, you know, every four months, and it just became impossible.
- [24:16]
A
You've said that you. You view your role as helping to normalize cannabis through unserious marketing. Why is that important to you?
- [24:24]
B
Well, I mean, I don't. I don't remember saying those two things exactly, but I'm sure I have. Together, our. Our goal is to normalize cannabis, that's for sure. Not always through unserious marketing. I think we just try to do things that feel unintimidating and that feel familiar. You know, our whole brand ethos has always been for a good time. Even when it was handbags, it was like, these are handbags that, like, they have funny words on them. They're irreverent. You Know, we just don't take ourselves seriously. And so especially in cannabis, we like to do things that feel nostalgic and familiar to people. And so that's, I think, the unserious part where it's just like, oh, it's not, you know, this very intimidating, dark, you know, big blunt with lots of smoke. It's like, no, no, this is cheery. And this is like, you know, it reminds me of Virginia Slim ad or something else. You know, it's just trying to be nostalgic for people.
- [25:14]
A
What have been your favorite marketing campaign so far?
- [25:18]
B
Well, that Virginia Slims reference that we did, Weeds come a long way, baby. And we'd like to this great campaign. And it just at the same time we did. Forbes had called us when we launched. They did a write upon us and they called us the Coco Chanel of cannabis.
- [25:32]
A
That's awesome.
- [25:34]
B
It was awesome. And even though my goal is to be like the Prada of pot, but we'll take Coco Chanel cannabis.
- [25:40]
A
You got to make sure everybody has the same coffee cup if you do that.
- [25:43]
B
Exactly. It's so true. And so we did, we printed that out. We put it like on a bus and we put it on wild postings all over the city. And we parked a bus outside of the 57th street headquarters. And my friend who is a very high up job at Chanel called me and she was like, we're going to sue you. You have to move this job. I don't know what you're doing. But you know, they did it, obviously.
- [26:06]
A
I love that you and Meredith Melling shared similar pieces of advice with our producers. And hers was about, hers was being nice is cool and yours was to be nice to everybody. Why is that attitude unique in the fashion industry?
- [26:23]
B
I mean, Meredith and I came up at similar times and so I imagine, and I love Mary. I imagine that it was a reaction to nobody being nice to us and just seeing how ineffective that was. I didn't work harder because people were yelling at me. You know, it just, I just didn't like them. And so I think, you know, you catch more flies with honey. And I mean it very genuinely because, you know, this is like life is long and industries are small. And I think just being nice to everybody, no matter their role, is really important. It's important to make people feel good. I mean, I think like, that's a lot of what life is about and acts of service are really important, but also just because, like, you never know where people end up and it's such a business that's run on relationships and it's just, you know, it's a good life policy and a good work policy.
- [27:09]
A
What's the culture like inside the cannabis industry? Nice?
- [27:14]
B
Well, yeah, I, I think it's nice. I mean, it's certainly like, it's fairly male dominated. Although I think that's changing. I mean, I think people have a lot of negative things to say about cannabis. But what I will say in my experience is that first of all, it's an extremely enthusiastic industry. I think, like, people really feel they're at the beginning of something and that's fun. You know, it's fun to kind of all be in this together. And, and really everybody is in a battle, and I'm not even joking. Everybody is in a battle for their lives every day because this business is so on the precipice of just like being a disaster. So there's camaraderie.
- [27:45]
A
Why is that? That just because regulations are maybe shutting everything down in the next minute.
- [27:51]
B
Because it's a federally illegal business. There is almost zero access to capital. So all the capital that did pour into the space dried up because all of the businesses that operate legally within their states because it's federally illegal, they can't trade on the nasdaq, so they trade on the Canadian stock exchange, and that's not a great stock exchange. And they just don't have any access to any institutional capital. So any, like, you know, any.
- [28:21]
A
Because I can't say I'm. We're invested in this.
- [28:24]
B
No, nothing.
- [28:25]
A
Legally they can't or so like cannot.
- [28:28]
B
Legally they cannot and they won't risk it. Even though these businesses operate completely legally and they pay all the taxes. Taxes are another big issue. So again, federally illegal, it's a cannabis. This is like the biggest disgrace in the whole business. Richard Nixon, when he was president, decided, oh, I can't just throw black people and hippies in jail anymore. And so I'm going to make drugs public enemy number one, so I can still throw those people in jail, but for different reasons. So he made Cannabis A Schedule 1 drug, which is higher class than cocaine.
- [28:59]
A
Wow.
- [29:00]
B
So cannabis is considered as dangerous as heroin, even though it is a plant and non addictive and nobody ever dies from it. And it's a completely politically motivated choice. And if something is schedule one in this country, you pay something called a 280e tax. And a 280e tax means which is like actually like a very funny tax created under the Reagan administration when this coke dealer tried to deduct all his business Expenses. Having said that, so now it's like you can't deduct any normal business expenses. And so if you're running a business and you know this especially, like, think about a store, all you can deduct is the delta between what you bought your goods for and sold them. You can't deduct rent, you can't deduct employees, you can't. Kidding. Any goods, nothing. Because it's federally illegal as a Schedule 1.
- [29:42]
A
Wow.
- [29:42]
B
So 80, 90% of people's profits are going to the government, even though the government doesn't recognize them as legal. And so they can't get any money. So it's this just. It's this tension and that's like mostly the big businesses, but it happens with the small people, too, the small dispensaries, the small businesses. And the other thing, I don't know if I'm going to round to this point where it's cohesive, but what I was going to say that's good about cannabis is that there's not a person working in cannabis who doesn't understand the sacrifices that came before us to get us here. So this war on drugs decimated black and brown communities. It was totally racially motivated. And it took people who maybe had two joints and put them in jail for things like 11 years. I mean, ruined families, ruined communities. And so everybody is aware that, like, we owe those people, we owe them money, we owe them, like, it's just like, it's not fair for everybody who's, like, coming to it now to benefit from it alone. So all the big businesses, they're really committed to give backs to supporting institutions like the Last Prisoner Project, who's like, you know, fighting always is to. To get people who are in jail for cannabis out of jail, hosting expungement clinics, you know, hiring people who have been in jail for cannabis. So there is that. I think there's that, that conscientiousness in the industry, which is really important. But it also. What is part of the problem, Just going back to what I was telling you about taxes, is that, like, from the federal level, I think the government is trying to right those wrongs as well. And like, when, when cities come on and states come on, they try to give licenses to people who have been incarcerated. New York did it too. Like to say, like, you've paid the price for this. We want you to make money in this. However, if you have no access to capital, you can't build a business. If you can't get a loan, if you can't bank in a bank account. You can't get a bank. Or putting their money in credit unions. Like it makes 000 sense and it needs to be fixed.
- [31:24]
A
Wow. But what a risky and scary business to be a part of.
- [31:28]
B
I mean, no, it is risky and scary.
- [31:31]
A
You believe in it that much?
- [31:34]
B
Look, I mean having said all of that, there was something like 30 to 40 billion dollars of legal cannabis sold last year. Legal. So double that number, like $80 billion of cannabis was sold and there was only a hundred billion dollars of beer sold last year. So it is a very important industry. And not only that, it is one of the biggest job creators in states where it's legalized. One of the biggest tax revenue creators. And like, like I believe, and I really believe it in my bones, like cannabis is much better for you than alcohol even though I totally drink alcohol. But like, I don't think there's any reason why this shouldn't be legal. And I think there is absolutely accepted medical use here and it's been studied for 20 something years. So yeah, I believe in it that much. I think it's really going to be a big part of the future.
- [32:17]
A
What do you think it would have been like without having your experience as a publicist?
- [32:21]
B
We had so many years. I mean I started edie Parker in 2010 and so by the time I, it had been nine years. And I think we're good at brand building. You know, I think we're good at not even just the PR of it but like we know that we are not everything to everybody. We sort of know where we are in the, in the zeitgeist, like what people come to us for what people like about us. So I think we're good at staying focused and, and I think that like certainly in cannabis, like I don't think people know how to do that. I mean most of these people have been operating in the shadows forever. They're not thinking about like what does my packaging look like from state to state and how does my like PM relate to that? You know, it's like I just think we have a real advantage in that way that we're just good at that. We're good at campaigns, we're good at social. But you know, I mean I don't know how you feel about this but like you don't always get credit for being first or early and, and you know, I think that's really what we grapple with.
- [33:13]
A
What do you, what do you like about running your own business? Or do you, do you Ever miss working for somebody else?
- [33:19]
B
Yeah, a lot. Yeah, a lot.
- [33:21]
A
Me too.
- [33:22]
B
I mean, I think. Yeah, I think when you work for somebody else, like you give a shit. Oh, I'm sorry. I don't know if I can say that you care, but it's like you can go home and you can put your phone down.
- [33:31]
A
Yeah.
- [33:31]
B
And like, you can like worry about it tomorrow. You can never do that when you have your own business and like, you know, you, like. I'm sure you feel this way too. People believe in your vision. Like they're working with you because they believe in what you're saying. And I think that pressure gets to me sometimes. Like, I want to be successful for myself, but like also like the team that like, has bought into it and they've like been working really hard and they care so much and they want it to be successful. I mean, I think that's like, it's just a lot of responsibility.
- [34:00]
A
How does motherhood influence your role as an entrepreneur now versus when you launched the collection, when you launched Edie?
- [34:09]
B
I mean, it's hard. Like being a working mom is hard because. I don't know, a working mom who doesn't feel this way, like you're always failing at something.
- [34:18]
A
Yeah.
- [34:19]
B
And it just. I've got three kids and ages 15 to 8. And particularly the 8 year old, like, he needs more for me. And, and it's just, it's hard because I want to pick him up at school, but like, I can't leave work at, at three every day. And so it's just finding a balance of like the days that are non negotiable. Like I pick them up on Fridays, period. Full stop.
- [34:42]
A
Yeah.
- [34:43]
B
And like just trying to find those things where your kids know that you will be consistent in certain ways. And I also ask them too. I'm like, what do you need me to show up for what is important to you? And I will make it happen. And just being very open about. Mommy's not going to be at everything. Like, I'm not coming to your volleyball tournament all day on Saturday. I'm so sorry, but like, I can't, can't sit there. But like, what do you need me at? And I will be there. We're chatty with each other and they let me know when something's disappointing. Or they'll like make little comments like, oh, you were the only mom not there, which breaks your heart.
- [35:16]
A
Okay. You were still in Southern California at this time. What did you wear to the prom?
- [35:23]
B
Oh, it's, it's good.
- [35:27]
A
I Can believe that.
- [35:29]
B
I used to go to the department stores a lot when there were big sales, and I found this Narciso Rodriguez, like, nude dress with, like, little rhinestones on it.
- [35:40]
A
Wow. You're young, Brett.
- [35:43]
B
I'm young?
- [35:43]
A
Yeah. If you were wearing that.
- [35:46]
B
Well, I'm 44. It was, like, a big deal at that time. And, I mean, I love him. He's still the best, but. So I found this dress on, like, you know, double. Double markdown. It was affordable, and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. No, it was, like, to my calves. It was tight. It was tight. I mean, it, like.
- [36:06]
A
And you said it was nude with sequins on it?
- [36:08]
B
Not sequins. Like, rhinestones. And not all over. Just, like, a little bit of, like, almost like a constellation.
- [36:13]
A
Oh, how pretty. Okay. And then shoes and hair. What'd you do that?
- [36:17]
B
I don't remember. I'm sure I was like. Again, it was. Now it's 98, so I'm sure I had, like, straight down the middle, long hair and lots of black eyeliner.
- [36:24]
A
Lipstick.
- [36:26]
B
Exactly. Exactly. Like, I don't think I looked good. Let me. Let me give it to you straight.
- [36:31]
A
It sounds amazing.
- [36:32]
B
No, no, it sounds amazing. It did not look good. I've seen some pictures, but I thought the dress was spectacular.
- [36:37]
A
Well, most important part.
- [36:38]
B
Part.
- [36:38]
A
What was your handbag?
- [36:41]
B
What a great question. I bet I didn't even have a handbag. I mean, if I did, I'm sure I brought my mom. But, like, this is, like, I didn't have a cell phone. Like, I didn't need a handbag.
- [36:52]
A
Thank you so much.
- [36:54]
B
Thank you, Laura. So nice to see you.
- [36:57]
A
What We Wore is produced by Capital and Balto Creative Media. The original song, Someone so Enchanting, was composed and performed by Britt Drazda. Please follow us on Instagram at whatwe Podcast for additional content and show updates. QueenCityPodcastNetwork.com.