Smooth Roots is an Oregon-based dispensary chain clocking in at six, soon to be seven, locations with more reportedly in the works. Their Multnomah outlet, the subject of this month’s review, opened in April 2024 and has been serving the public for a little over a year.
Consistent with the brand’s trademark aesthetic, the Multnomah shop has a warm PNW vibe, featuring local artwork, handcrafted wooden display cases and a verdant color palette. “You aren’t just coming into a cookie-cutter kind of pharmacy-looking store,” says Ted Gurin, one of the owners. “We’re trying to make it the best overall experience we can for the customer.”
The foremost pillar of the dispensary’s business model is product selection. “We want it to have a ‘kid in a candy store’ feel, so when people walk in they see we have lots of dabs, lots of edibles, drinks, carts, lotions — basically everything someone could want,” Gurin goes on to say. A virtual ‘Willy Wonka and the Cannabis Dispensary,’ the shelves at Smooth Roots are stacked with numerous offerings across every price tier and imaginable category. With regards to concentrates, brands like Focus North, Echo Electuary and White Label are exceedingly popular, bringing in so many patrons you might think there’s a golden ticket hiding in one of the jars.
To help regulate shelf space, Smooth Roots utilizes a back-end management inventory system designed and created specifically for the business. Starting off as a way to organize and track stock more efficiently, the system has evolved to quantify sales metrics, run the brand’s loyalty program and even integrate with applications like Metrc. Moreover, the framework allows vendors to curate their own shelf spaces and track purchases in real time across multiple locations. This gives farms and processors more control over the front-end sale of their products and, in turn, lets the employees focus on what they do best: providing top-notch customer service.
It’s worth noting that freshness of merchandise is an incredibly important standard for the organization. Items that have been on the shelf for more than 30, 60 or 90 days are flagged for review within their system and typically discounted after each interval. “You wouldn’t go to Fred Meyer or Whole Foods and buy tomatoes that were six months old, would you?” Ted asks with a wry smile.
Tellingly, one of the Smooth Root’s most critical contributors to success is how they show up in their local communities. From sponsoring the Cruising McMinnville car show to participating in beach cleanups with SOLVE (Stop Oregon Litter and Vandalism) and donating to charities like Juliette’s House Child Advocacy Center and With Courage (supporting Yamhill County families affected by breast cancer), each Smooth Roots location strives to lead by example and actively contribute to the neighborhoods where they operate.
When it comes to noncorporatized Cannabis expansion, Smooth Roots has locked down a winning formula for bringing the flower to the people and the people to the flower.
