Oregon Leaf’s Budtender of the Month, Alfie McVey, works at Lifted Northwest in Portland. Sought out by customers for his depth of Cannabis knowledge and top-notch, person-centered service, McVey has a relationship with the plant that stretches back almost two decades.
With a history of living in Florida, Pittsburgh, New York, Ohio and West Virginia, he learned the art of ganja salesmanship in multiple traditional markets before landing in Oregon in 2017, later obtaining a job in recreational Cannabis as a budtender.
McVey’s favorite part of being a budtender is helping and connecting with customers.
“I have people come in all the way from Beaverton or down from Washington,” he explained. “It warms my heart hearing the literal only reason they are coming in is because I help them.”
As far as consumption methods go, nothing beats an old-fashioned Backwoods for McVey.
“The joke I make with the customers is I’m an acoustic smoker,” he said. “I like the good old-fashioned flower. I like to roll it up. I like to smoke it. I love skunky funkies, GMOs, you know what I mean? Any savory strains, Lamb’s Breath, God’s Breath, I love those. And then I love the exact opposites also. Like Tangies, Forbidden Fruits, Slurricanes, like super sweet sweet.”
Outside of the Cannabis industry, McVey is a musical artist and rapper, operating under the stage names DVRKSIDE and LilTooSad. He describes the genre of DVRKSIDE as “Sacrificial Death Trap,” while LilTooSad tends to be closer to pop.
“Music is my No. 1,” he noted. “I also box … I do tattoos, I can play a couple instruments, I can draw and design. Maybe it’s because I’ve smoked weed my whole life, I’m very naturally creative. Weirdly, Cannabis is like its own art form to me.”
From ganja to music genres, McVey leverages his genuineness to blaze trails for himself. It’s no surprise to hear that he consistently tops sales at Lifted Northwest, not because he is pushing the most expensive products or forcing interactions, but because customers want to shop with him and have built an unconditional amount of trust in his guidance. His affable personality, deep understanding of terpenes and general authenticity with clientele all elevate his craft, truly exemplifying what it means to be a budtender.
