Flower power
Selecting your cannabis is no strain at The Flower Pot
By Karen Watts Nauman
For the TODAY
It is truly all about the flower at The Flower Pot. As Depoe Bay’s premier cannabis dispensary, this charming shop has always had a special place in the hearts of its customers.
As store manager Jo Fisher puts it, “We try to focus on the art of the grower, and product quality is our “highest” priority, if you’ll pardon the pun. Being a small, independently owned dispensary allows us to choose from a wide variety of producers, always with an eye toward meeting our customers' needs for both therapeutic and recreational uses. I particularly enjoy offering more unusual and harder-to-find strains developed by small boutique farms, like Otis-based Geek Farms, as well as concentrates, edibles, and topicals created using those strains, to ensure that we have something for everyone who comes in.”
“We look for flower that has been developed and cultivated with the utmost care and love by expert local farmers who are deeply passionate about what they do,” she added. “As budtenders, we take pride in educating ourselves about each product on our shelves and in our cases. We want to be able to fully explain the nuances of each strain to our customers to assure they get exactly what they need.”
Lynlei Gilleo and her late husband, Josh Gilleo, opened the dispensary in early 2017. Lynlei and Josh were high school sweethearts in Toledo, where Josh was a star athlete. Athletic injuries and his career in construction led to Josh seek out the benefits of cannabis as a medical card holder, while Lynlei put her own career as a local realtor on hold, and together they opened and operated their own dispensary after Josh retired from his construction career. They closed the shop for a time to focus on family matters, but Lynlei reopened the store in January 2020, shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We did close for a couple of days in mid-March to regroup under the shut-down guidelines,” she said, “but we’ve been open every day since then.”
Jo says it has been her dream for a long time to work in the cannabis industry.
“As a consumer and legalization advocate and activist, I felt that working as a cannabis professional was the next logical step,” she said. “Cannabis has been very beneficial for me personally in helping with pain, anxiety, and PTSD symptoms after serving in the U.S. Army.”
Local customers were ecstatic to get their favorite flower shop back and showed their appreciation immediately.
“We are so blessed to have so much local support, especially during the winter season,” Jo said. “Many of our regulars suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), chronic pain, and sleeping problems, and they find CBD and cannabis products helps with these issues.”
Among The Flower Pot’s most regular patrons are what Jo refers to as her “OG (Old Guy)” customers. “They’re a great bunch, and we love seeing them,” she said. “They live close by, and we feel like they’re a part of the Flower Pot family.”
Jo also gives a lot of credit to her dedicated co-workers.
“I couldn’t do any of this alone,” she said, “and I’m proud to say that I work with people who are not just fellow employees, but also good friends.” And, in one case, much more — Tony Blankenship, Jo’s life partner for almost 12 years, found cannabis and CBD products help him with degenerative shoulder pain due to a lifetime as a rock music drummer, and came to work with her at The Flower Pot after being laid off from Salishan Resort due to the COVID-19 shutdown.
Community involvement runs strong at The Flower Pot. Jo, a born-and-raised Oregonian who says that her family's DNA runs all up and down the Oregon Coast, is a former Depoe Bay city councilor. Budtender Bobby Blackman hosts karaoke at Maxwell’s in Lincoln City in the evenings and Sahndra Chase is a local artist who is active in the continued relief efforts for those who, like she and her husband, were displaced by the Echo Mountain fire.
The Flower Pot’s mission is to always focus on the customer.
“Everyone who comes into our store deserves our undivided attention and a positive and uplifting experience,” Jo said. “By listening and focusing on our customers' needs, we can help promote the benefits of cannabis, and also dispel some of the lingering myths associated with its use.”
“As Lynlei noted on the day we first met, this isn’t ‘Reefer Madness.’” Jo said.
She is so right and her customers feel loved because of this thoughtful approach.
The Flower Pot is located at 433 N. Hwy. 101, Depoe Bay, and is open from 9 am to 8 pm daily. For details, call 541-614-4085.