Business
Exodus Wellness Center – Oregon Dispensary Highlight
Exodus Wellness Center
16211 SE Powell Blvd., Portland
(971) 242-8079
Interviewed: Rick Dudley, Owner
Top-Selling Strain: LA Cheese
Top-Selling Concentrate: Durban Poison from HUSH
Top-Selling Edible: Squibs from Lunchbox Alchemy
How and when did your dispensary start up?
It started in 2013. We had to raise money to open the shop by selling marijuana out of the closet at The World Famous Cannabis Cafe. We decided to open a dispensary because my wife had cancer, and we wanted a way to help her and others at affordable prices.
What’s the story behind the name of your dispensary?
The Bob Marley song and the Bible inspired the name Exodus Wellness Center.
What does your dispensary offer patients that they can’t find anywhere else?
We offer great services and affordable prices.
How has the cannabis industry changed since you have been in the business? Where would you like to see it go?
It has gotten very complicated. At first it was the “Wild West” with no testing and smoking in shops; now it is almost overregulated. Some changes like testing were welcome, but some were not, like not allowing medical growers to put their product in recreational shops. We would like all licensed growers, both in the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program (OMMP) and recreational, to supply all shops.
What are the biggest challenges you face in this industry as a dispensary? Biggest joys? Keeping up with all of the ongoing changes in order to comply with all the regulations is the biggest challenge. It will be a great day when all the kinks are worked out. We enjoy being able to employ people and meet and laugh with people from all walks of life. But our biggest joy is serving our neighbors and loyal customers.
What is the one thing you want customers to know about your dispensary?
We are super laid back and friendly, and when we get a price break from our vendors, we pass it along to our guests.
If someone wanted to open a dispensary and get their feet wet in the industry, what advice or counsel would you give them?
Do your homework, find a great location, have a good amount of operating capital, and have a lot of patience.
What is the most important thing you hope to accomplish while in the cannabis community?
We hope to help as many people as possible, as well as help streamline the industry, so that it becomes so mainstream that it is just like going to the store for milk.
