Moneris + The Green Bouquet
Cannabis retailer high on education and customer experience
The Green Bouquet Cannabis Inc. (The Green Bouquet) is a cannabis retailer based out Port Sydney, ON, focused on providing customer rapport, education and a comfortable atmosphere in store. When opening dates were accelerated, owner Heather Huff-Bogart relied on the expertise and flexibility of Moneris® to ensure she was prepared to accept customers and payments during COVID-19 lockdowns and beyond.
My Moneris rep was awesome. He was great when I didn’t really know what I needed to get and he helped me to break down my options to decide on how many terminals and POS systems I needed.”
“We discussed getting Moneris Go, but I turned it down. He kept it on the backlist, I think because he knew I was going to need it. So, he had it for me on opening day when I did.
—Heather Huff-Bogart, Owner and Operator, The Green Bouquet Inc.
Background
After over a decade of opening and managing dispensaries then working with Licensed Producers, Heather Huff-Bogart saw the legalization of recreational cannabis as an opportunity to build her dream enterprise: She opened The Green Bouquet in
Port Sydney, ON. While medical cannabis became legal in 2001, it wasn’t until 2018 that the Government of Canada passed Bill C-45, the Cannabis Act, stating that the consumption and sale of recreational cannabis were legalized. A strict regulatory and legal framework was put in place for retailers like Huff-Bogart, with licensing overseen by the provinces.
“The licensing to opening the doors took a year and a half,” Huff-Bogart, Green Bouquet’s owner and operator, says. “We opened during (COVID-19) lockdown with curbside pickup available on the May 2-4
weekend.” “So that was very interesting. And there were a lot of learning curves for us on our first day a lone.”
In fact, the Victoria Day long weekend was not The Green Bouquet’s original launch date but, with the pandemic in full effect, the date had been pushed ahead by regulators, first from July to June, and then into May. The result was that Huff-Bogart needed to accelerate her launch plans and ready her business to accommodate sales sooner than expected. It also meant that, due to health restrictions at the time, she had to operate with curbside pickup and needed a way to accept payment outside the store. When restrictions were lifted and patrons were allowed in the store, The Green Bouquet was able to become the personal, high-touch weed store that Huff-Bogart had intended it to be. “We survived COVID. We survived our first winter,” she says. “The business is growing, which is phenomenal. And people are still finding us every day.”
Purpose
The Green Bouquet is a vision that became a reality — a small, intimate cannabis store in Port Sydney that prides itself on educating customers. As a former educator during her work in the cannabis industry, Huff-Bogart taps into her experience to make sure customers know everything they need or want to about the topic.
“We have so many people leaving, and thanking us for taking the time,” she says, proud of her and her team’s efforts.
This, of course, was a difficult during the COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns, but the cannabis retailer has succeeded in creating a “homey” experience since. “I’ve been told many times that they’re walking into somebody’s cottage, and that’s the feeling we are going for. I want it to be comfortable and inviting.”
She says that a low-key “Cheers”-like atmosphere plays a part in combatting the stigma that still exists around cannabis. “I know cannabis is an intimidating experience for a lot of people. I know there’s a massive stigma even today after legalization. So, it’s helping people get over those hurdles and making them feel comfortable while making their own informed decisions.”
As its reputation grows, business continues to pick up for the store, located right off Highway 11 in the popular Ontario cottage country region of Muskoka. Traffic is drawn from numerous local patrons, tourists, Google™ and word of mouth. There are even a few who happily stumble upon the storefront on the way to Huntsville.
“They drop by thinking we’re a flower shop, and then they realize what kind of flower shop we are.”
In addition to education and creating a calm, comfortable experience, quality is top of mind for Huff-Bogart. “We take the time to inspect our weed, weigh the products and do in-store photos to show our customers. I’m huge on quality control,” says Huff-Bogart, a certified cannabis sommelier. “I take product off the shelves if I’m not happy with it.”
Why Moneris?
Opening amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, and nearly two months earlier than expected created a host of challenges for the new retailer. Several of which, Huff-Bogart says Moneris helped them to overcome. The regulatory guidelines continuously changed during the pandemic, moving retail cannabis from being deemed an essential service (like alcohol retailers at the time), to non-essential, and back and back again. “So, there were these fluctuating changes we had to adhere and adapt to.” She says that as a cannabis retailer, one must learn to pivot quickly. Huff-Bogart had applied for a license to run her store well before the pandemic hit, and while allowed to get back her application fees, she would have lost thousands of dollars had she backed out. Instead, she continued in a launch queue until her accelerated opening date. She says Moneris was supporting her during each new launch date. “Moneris was definitely flexible and worked with me on changing my opening date… three times,” she says.
Today, The Green Bouquet has an iCT250 countertop terminal and a Moneris Go all-in-one payment solution, as well as using Moneris for e-commerce transactions on its website. She cites the ability to take every payment option as a benefit. Huff-Bogart especially appreciates the flexibility of Moneris representatives as they came to the rescue on day one. The high level of customer service she experienced that day, before it and ever since, sold Huff-Bogart on Moneris. As one of only two payment companies authorized by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), she knew Moneris had the legitimacy and reliability she needed, but her positive experiences with the company won her over. “I’ve been in customer service myself for a very long time and that’s always been a big focus of mine,” Huff-Bogart says. She’s happy to say Moneris had that same focus on education and customer experience that she seeks to offer her customers. “That’s what essentially sold me. My Moneris rep was awesome,” she says. “He was great when I didn’t really know what I needed to get and he helped me to break down my options to decide on how many terminals and POS systems I needed.” “We discussed getting Moneris Go, but I turned it down. He kept it on the backlist, I think because he knew I was going to need it. So, he had it for me on opening day when I did.” She says any time she calls Moneris with a question or the odd issue, such as their recent switch of Internet service provider, customer support is quick and responsive, “which is a big deal for us, because we don’t always have a lot of time.”
What is Next?
Building on the success she has had so far with The Green Bouquet, Huff Bogart has big plans buzzing for the future, which may include delivery. That of course would require more Moneris Go systems.
Her current focus is to grow the store, and from there potentially opening additional stores once the industry stabilizes more. After that, she’d like to move into cannabis tourism, setting up experiences similar to wine tours — an idea well-suited to the beauty of the Muskoka region.
“Moneris will be part of it all, because I’ll have websites for all these businesses. I’ll always need to take payments somewhere,” Huff-Bogart says. “I see them being a part of my company as it grows.”
Visit moneris.com or call 1-844-455-4283 for details.
