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We Are the Millhouses: Alaska’s Modern Family

Longtime entrepreneurs, the Millhouses traded in their stonemason chisels for a 7,000 square-foot hothouse in 2016.

Photo by Shipe Shots

The notion of successful family-owned businesses is nothing new. Then again, Alaska isn’t your average state and the Millhouses aren’t your average family. Fuzzy Millhouse, the family’s patriarch, is a reformed hellion with a penchant for growing some of the best Cannabis around. His daughter, Destynie Ost, is a brilliant artist with a degree in interior design. At just 22-years-old the family’s middle son, Trout, has already achieved mastery in construction. And wife Sandra’s impeccable eye for detail and calm demeanor provides the glue that keeps the rambunctious family moving as a unit.

Longtime entrepreneurs, the Millhouses traded in their stonemason chisels for a 7,000 square-foot hothouse in 2016.

“Fuzzy went from lifting 1,200-pound slabs of granite with our other business, Hard Rock Designs, to lifting 12-pound plants. Once he realized the difference, there was no going back,” explained Millhouse’s wife, Sandra.

Although Fuzzy is only four years into professional Cannabis cultivation, he says that he began growing in small batches when he was only 18-years-old.

Photo by Shipe Shots

“Growing up, I stuck with being a stoner because alcohol always got me into trouble,” said Fuzzy with a mischievous grin.

With over two decades of growing experience, the self-proclaimed “Weed Whisperer” has honed a cultivation style that utilizes a gutsy hands-on approach. Rather than relying on clones or store-bought pollen, Fuzzy prefers to make and harvest his own pollen in-house, giving him the freedom to create signature strains like Gas Monkey and Cupcake.

“Back in the day, you couldn’t buy seeds; you had to make your own. In Alaska, everyone had the same weed – most of which came from Hawaii. Everyone thought that Matanuska Thunderfuck was this unique strain, but we all had the exact same weed all across the state,” explained Fuzzy.

Now that the days of homogenous strains are long gone, Fuzzy has over 400 plants in his flower room, and an additional 1,000 in his grow room. His booming business, Green Go LLC, currently supplies dispensaries from Ketchikan to Nome. However, Fuzzy’s cultivation business is only one arm of the family’s enterprise. In August of this year, the Millhouses opened the doors to their family-owned dispensary in Wasilla.

Now that the days of homogenous strains are long gone, Fuzzy has over 400 plants in his flower room, and an additional 1,000 in his grow room. His booming business, Green Go LLC, currently supplies dispensaries from Ketchikan to Nome. However, Fuzzy’s cultivation business is only one arm of the family’s enterprise. In August of this year, the Millhouses opened the doors to their family-owned dispensary in Wasilla.

“It took months to convince Destynie to leave her job in Washington and come home,” recalled Sandra. “The fact of the matter was that we needed an interior designer – somebody who could actually do all the plans for the project. We’re just lucky enough that our oldest knew how to do that and was really good at it.”

Destynie reluctantly returned home to assist with planning for Canna Get Happy right before Alaska’s first confirmed COVID-19 case.

“They had killer bees down [in Washington] this summer, so basically, I saved her life by making her come home,” laughed Fuzzy before being rebuked by an agitated stare from Destynie.

Photo by Shipe Shots Exterioir of Canna Get Happy. September 2020.

Over the summer, Destynie worked alongside her family to restore and remodel a historic railroad building constructed in 1914. Her vision for Canna Get Happy was executed by younger brother Trout, who diligently found ways to salvage much of the structure, including the original cedar shiplap siding.

“We didn’t want to tear the building down. We’re a true Alaskan multi-generational family, and we believe that you should never take away the old, historic buildings. You just have to try and restore them the best you can,” said Sandra.

Though the Millhouses all had a hand in Canna Get Happy’s development, they were not immune to owners’ spats over some of the finer points.

“We literally fought about everything. Dad would be breathing down my neck, telling me the colors I was painting weren’t exactly right, but he’s kind of colorblind, so it was frustrating,” explained Destynie. “But I am glad that I came home to do this project. It was honestly great to have the opportunity to basically do a solo design project.”

Destynie currently works alongside Trout to manage the day-to-day operations of the dispensary. Still, she is unsure how long she will remain in the family business, as her passion remains interior design. On the other hand, Trout has adopted his father’s love of Cannabis and plans to continue to learn the ins-and-outs of the industry. Regardless of what comes next for the Millhouses, they’re a shining example of both Alaskan heritage and the bright future of the Last Frontier.

Photo by Shipe Shots Canna Get Happy interior. September 2020.

Photos by @ShipeShots

About OHara Shipe

OHara was born in the frigid north with skates on her feet and a hockey stick in her hand. Now a retired pro athlete, she has found her passion for covering all things Cannabis in her home state of Alaska.

This article was originally published in the November 2020 issue of Alaska Leaf.

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