A transplant from Southern Maryland, Hailey has lived in Baltimore for the last six years after moving to attend Towson University, where she got her bachelor’s degree in fine arts in pursuit of a career on stage. Hailey has maintained her passion for fine arts, working on several projects that keep the fire alive and her creative passions engaged. Her work at Storehouse is similar to a sort of Cannabis improv performance which allows her the opportunity to seamlessly weave together a plot with the perfect pot for all the characters in the story. Swing by and say “high” next time you’re in the neighborhood!
Where did you find a passion for Cannabis?
I didn’t have too many people in my life who chose to use Cannabis, so it was a personal discovery. I was working in the restaurant industry and had a couple of co-workers who started to get their med cards. I have a really hard time sleeping and have volatile moods, so I thought it could be useful. I started doing a ton of research and got my med card before coming to college at Towson, which had a bunch of dispensaries around the area. I had smoked once or twice before that recreationally – but other people’s testimonies got me interested in the medical uses.
How did working in a glass and CBD shop prepare you for working in a dispensary?
Luckily the CBD shop was actually attached to a dispensary, so I got all of the runoff patients after they made their purchases. You get to talk about what is going on in the dispensary and what people are smoking. What really struck me was I got to see people transform in the year and a half-ish I was working there. At first some of the people were grouchy and not very talkative, but over the course of that year and a half they changed and told me all of the beautiful things Cannabis has done for them.
What was it like making the transition from budtender to staff manager?
Ever since I got here, I wanted to learn in any and every capacity that I could. Especially being in a smaller and more independent business, it’s not always a cookie-cutter approach to Cannabis. I loved budtending, kicking ass in sales and interacting with the people. I wanted to figure out how I could help the store work better and more cohesively. Transitioning through rec only increased that desire and investment into the process.
Tell me about the new opera you’re working on.
It actually just closed, I started on that project right after college. One of my directors in my final college production pulled me aside and said, ‘We’re doing this really weird thing, do you want to come try it out?’ And I was like, ‘Why not?’ It was the first time I ever got a paid acting gig, so I wasn’t going to say no. It was way different than any way I had ever worked before. Usually we put up shows in six to eight weeks and are in rehearsals Monday to Sunday, and it can be super demanding of your time. This company I was working with reduced the time to us meeting once or twice per week, for a couple of hours each time. I was there for about a year and a half, and they already had been working on it for a year and a half. It was about the human experience and how we all connect, process, and bring each other into the light.
Where does your love for fine arts come from?
It always came from me, I started out drawing and I wasn’t that good but I enjoyed it a lot. I always sang to myself and enjoyed the freedom of expression. I had a couple of friends that said, ‘Hey, you should come on stage and do a play.’ I loved it and was left thinking, ‘What else could I do?’ It’s fun and I enjoy finding new passions in fine arts.
Are you a cat person or a dog person?
I am a cat person through and through. I love dogs too, no discrimination against them, but I got my first cat when I went to college and she and I have been together ever since. They’re always around, and very sweet with big personalities.
