Buffalo's Dank 716: Where Cannabis Dreams Come True!
Opening day at Dank 716, Buffalo’s first Cannabis Dispensary!
Dank 716 Cannabis Dispensary
We had an amazing chat with the Dank 716 team, Buffalo's pioneers in the cannabis retail scene. Their journey is truly inspiring. Aaron Van Camp, the visionary behind Dank 716, faced formidable challenges in bringing his dispensary dream to life.
In 2010, Aaron spent six years in prison due to cannabis sales, a consequence of New York State's harsh classification of cannabis as a Schedule I drug. For context, other Schedule 1 drugs include Cocaine, Heroin, and Meth.
Aaron Van Camp, Owner of Dank 716
The impact of such laws, exemplified by Aaron's case, is staggering. Over 1.3 million cannabis-related arrests occurred in the state since the introduction of this act, and it's intriguing to note that 76 percent of those arrested had no prior criminal record, dispelling the myth that minor cannabis-related arrests only targeted serious offenders. Recognizing these injustices, New York State has taken steps towards restorative justice, including record expungement and the "Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary" license (CAURD), which Aaron successfully obtained.
While this program prioritizes individuals affected by past cannabis-related charges, it's just one of many hurdles dispensary owners like Van Camp face in the State of New York. As those in the US cannabis industry can attest, the challenges are real, from navigating federal illegality to daily obstacles like banking, retail location issues, and insurance complexities. And that's before tackling in-store challenges such as product selection, staffing, and, where we come in, merchandising.
While BudSense can't solve all the challenges in the US Cannabis Retail space, we take pride in being experts in Cannabis Merchandising. As retailers, your job is to sell weed, and it's our job to make selling that weed easy. We keep our mission in mind when refining our software and working with our customers.
Dank716 X BudSense - The Beginning
The Dank 716 team reached out to us about three weeks before their store's opening date, thanks to a referral from Dutchie, one of our integration partners. They quickly realized that creating manual menus would be a daunting and inefficient task.
“The process of setting up with BudSense turned out to be remarkably smooth. We can’t fathom having to manually create menus alongside all our other tasks. This platform has saved us a significant amount of time and effort.”
BudSense's automation of live syncs, limitless menu possibilities, and excellent customer service were the main reasons they chose us. Without wasting any time, we had their equipment sent out and started helping with their menu design.
Merchandising Strategy
Dank 716 opted for a combination of both digital and print cannabis menus. They wanted to feature all products across four screens throughout the store, and then also utilize paper menus for more popular categories.
Flower - Digital Display & Print Menus
Pre-Rolls - Digital Display & Print Menus
Beverages - Digital Display
Vapes/Cartridges - Digital Display & Print Menus
Concentrates - Digital Display
Edibles - Digital Display & Print Menus
Oils/Topicals - Digital Display
Digital Cannabis Menus
On the BudSense platform, we offer over 15 digital menu templates that are ready to use and can be customized to match your brand.
Together with our Customer Success Representative, Dank picked the Weed template, which can display an impressive 24 products across two columns, without the need to scroll! This template allows background media, text color customization, featured products, and like all our templates, a thought-out spot to add your own logo.
Testing the full abilities of our Platform, Dank 716 added an amazing animation of smoke rolling through a stark black background, with static white text, making their menus easy to read yet adding the unique flair that their customers love.
Paper Menus
For their paper menus, Dank 716 selected the Tight template to showcase their products. This template offers the same flexibility as digital menus, including the option to add two badges to each product. Staying true to their brand, Dank chose a clean design with a light gray color overlay to enhance readability. Their Flower Print menu is organized into three sections - Indica, Sativa, and Hybrid, displaying 35 products on one page. Dank 716 appreciates the flexibility of printing, especially with having between 200-300 daily customers; automatically receiving updated print menus makes their daily checklist easier.
Wrapping Up with Dank 716
Aaron Van Camp's unwavering determination enabled him to conquer obstacles and achieve something truly remarkable. Dank 716's store is captivating, and their team radiates excitement and passion. Their dedication to collaborating with local growers creates a wonderful combination that impresses customers and offers an unmatched experience. All of us at BudSense are excited to see how their journey evolves, and are thrilled to be along for the ride! Thank you Dank for your time, and trust in BudSense!
We hope you enjoyed the inside look into how Dank 716 utilizes the BudSense platform. Book a demo today to learn more about how BudSense can enhance your store! You can view our flexible pricing options here.
