Pot Dollars Trickle Down' to Businesses

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The question of whether marijuana growers shop locally isn't an easy one to answer.

Ukiah and Redwood Valley retailers, car dealerships and restaurants were offered the opportunity to speak to the issue anonymously. The businesses contacted weren't garden supply shops or nurseries. While many business people offered opinions, some still declined on the premise that they would only be guessing, and making stereotypical judgments about their customers in order to do so.

"We have a very diverse customer base," one manager said. "There's no way of determining who these people (growers) are."

Other shop owners spoke more directly to the heart of the matter.

"It's basically illegal activity we're talking about," one manager said, declining to state for the record even what kind of business he runs.

A cash purchase of more than $10,000 has to be reported to the federal government, he said, noting that customers walk in with thousands in cash about 10 percent of the time.

A local banker said there was no guesswork involved in knowing which of her customers grew marijuana, because she could smell its distinctive odor on their clothes and on their money.

Bankers aren't the only ones who can smell "dirty" money.

"The money smells like it," the owner of a small specialty shop said.

"The first time it happened to me I was shocked. It was a very large purchase ($3,000) and the money reeked of marijuana. I was scared to take it to the bank," she said.

That was years ago, and it's happened more and more since. But she said her small business doesn't depend on marijuana growers, who, she guessed, carry about 15 percent of her business.
As for stereotyping, she said the customers who she knows grow marijuana aren't what she considers "low-lifes."

"They're generally polite," she said, adding, "He who you wouldn't suspect often is (a grower)."

Restaurant owners and managers said the smell of the money isn't the only giveaway.

"We have some people we only see once a year," the manager of a chain restaurant said. "We seem to always do well in October and the beginning of November," when marijuana is being harvested. It's not unusual for these annual customers, he said, to use $100 bills and rarely use credit or bank cards.

"They're good tippers," he said. "And they're always very hungry. Our girls like to wait on them. They are always welcome here. They don't cause problems, compared to at least once a day, we have to deal with homeless kids or panhandlers causing problems."

He estimated the customers he believes are growers provide between 10 percent and 20 percent of the restaurant's business, and added that he believes marijuana is a "major part" of the local economy.

"If they were gone altogether, we would notice. It would take a big chunk out of our business," he said.

The manager of a small, locally-owned restaurant said what makes him think a customer is a grower is "when they drive up in a big, brand-new truck." He said he also smells marijuana on people.

"It's a problem because there's a lot of it around," he said, "but it helps out the economy. It puts a lot of money in California and Mendocino County."

Asked if the restaurant depends on marijuana money, he said, "not really."

He described customers he believes to be growers as "generally nice and respectful."

The owner of a downtown Ukiah boutique said Mendocino County's bustling marijuana industry doesn't affect his business. He described his clientele as "older, more traditional."

"I don't think I get that kind of money from my clientele," he said.

The owner of another Ukiah business said Mendocino County's marijuana economy "absolutely" affects his business.

"I know it's not grape growers buying $100 dog beds," he said.

A Ukiah gift shop owner noticed a similar trend.

"You can tell because, well sometimes the cash actually smells like it," she said. "Also, you're pretty sure when you see young people buying high-end merchandise impulsively."

Both shop owners said that people they believe are growers who come in to buy are always "incredibly nice."

"We definitely rely on it," another Ukiah boutique owner said. "It's probably upwards of 30 percent (of business)."

She said the marijuana dollars do "trickle down" to local businesses.

"With other businesses running themselves out - logging, fishing - something has to take the place of that. We're more reliant on it than people would like to admit."



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Source: Ukiah Daily Journal
Author: TIFFANY REVELLE
Contact: Home - Ukiah Daily Journal
Copyright: 2009 - Ukiah Daily Journal
Website:Pot dollars trickle down' to businesses - Ukiah Daily Journal