The Blom Shop has the crisp branding and bright boutique aesthetic of a California dispensary … and then you feel that down-to-earth Knoxville vibe. The space opened near the end of 2022 at 1918 N. Broadway and it has quickly made a name for itself in the local community and beyond.
Upon my first visit, I am greeted by Maria Hagan, an experienced budtender and one of the managers at the establishment. A suburban mother of two for whom cannabis is a long-term medicinal support system, she might not be who you would expect to encounter at the counter, but her expertise is boundless. She seats me at the Knowledge Bar, and I share that anxiety and inflammation are two of my top concerns in seeking out cannabis products.
Hagan asks me if I like to have a productive daytime or experience a relaxing nighttime vibe. She listens to my past missteps and reassures me with a dosing chart of what to expect from each of her recommendations. I previously had never felt this confident purchasing products that, until fairly recently in modern history, were considered to be illicit.
“This stuff is medicine,” Hagan asserts. “I help people figure out what they need to feel better. And what they need to enjoy recreationally.”
Beyond the stigma of cannabis culture, there is the ever-changing landscape of regulation to which The Blom Shop is regularly subjected. THC is heavily regulated, one of the reasons you see so many options like Delta-8, Delta-9, THCo, THCa, HHC etc. There are enough acronyms to give you a headache, but each has scientific relevance, and the team will go deep into the weeds to educate you and provide recommendations depending on your needs or wants.
I won’t include a primer here, but I learned that, when it comes to legality, rigorous testing makes the products you buy at The Blom Shop the perfect balance of potency and accessibility.
Before he entered the cannabis industry, Travis McKinney worked in real estate and was embedded in the professional gold landscape. He also cared for his mother as she underwent cancer treatment. Just a close friend of his at the time, co-founder of The Blom Shop Jason Ricketts offered a self-made CBD product as an added pain reliever for her to try. Ricketts had just returned to East Tennessee after spending a few years in Oregon, immersed in cannabis culture as it became recreationally legal there for the first time. McKinney’s mom started taking the high-CBD, low-THC tincture, and it was life-changing in equalizing her chemotherapy treatments. Her pain was dramatically reduced, her quality of life improved and a new business idea took root between McKinney and Ricketts.
“If we’re going to do this, we’re going to do it the right way,” McKinney says of the manner in which they developed their partnership, a theme that since has extended to and been embraced by the entire Blom team.
In 2020, McKinney and Ricketts were ready to launch Hamarki, their own CBD brand, until the pandemic put those plans on hold. They had spent years sourcing the highest-quality materials they could find, but the added downtime did provide them with the opportunity to start growing cannabis, the result of which was Nick’s Nugs.
Growing cannabis flower in Tennessee is tricky. Specific tests and compliance considerations require absolute precision from companies to ensure that their products are sellable at legal limits. The Blom Shop goes further, citing FDA, GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) and NSF certifications – rarely obtained accreditations within the industry. All of their products are tested at a DEA-certified lab to ensure exact potency and that they are free of contaminants.
The Blom Shop carries its proprietary in-house brands (Hamarki, Nick’s Nugs and The Blom Shop gummies), as well as top industry producers of cannabis flower, pre-rolled joints, disposable vapes, edibles and more. The team also grows and sells hemp flower under The Blom Garden moniker.
McKinney and his team recognize that browsing a cannabis dispensary might not be everyone’s idea of fun. People enjoy cannabis for many reasons, but cultural stigmas still exist around the practice. After just a few months in business, The Blom Shop is readying its website to offer online purchasing, local delivery and shipping to all states in the U.S. where cannabis can legally be sold.
To receive customized, concierge-level service, however, you have to visit the shop in person and chat with one of the knowledgeable budtenders. And with April 20 – the official unofficial holiday for cannabis advocates – fast approaching, there has never been a better time than now.
The Blom Shop will be hosting a huge bash featuring discounts, demos, samples, educational experiences, food, live music, an opportunity to meet the growers and more. Follow The Blom Shop on Instagram and stop by the store to learn more about the event and other upcoming happenings.
amelia@blanknews.com
