Hotchkiss, Michigan’s, second pot shop, Bud Barn, had its grand opening on Valentine’s Day to coincide with the Bob Marley movie release of “One Love.”
The grand opening celebration, called “Love for Bud,” included sweetheart specials, and the shop played “One Love” on its big screen TVs.
As the time grew close for them to finally be able to open following their application hearing on Aug. 10, Bud Barn owner Joshua Frye settled on Valentine’s Day as its grand opening day as he is a fan of Marley.
Although he was born in Illinois, Frye had family in Grand Junction. As an architect, he built and designed one of America’s first submersible cryptocurrency operations.
Frye’s Redline Design Company built Big Star Mining out of Burleson, Texas, during the beginning of COVID-19. The owner of the mining company suggested making a Vanguard Farms operation on the Western Slope, asking Frye if he had ever heard of a city called Grand Junction. Frye contemplated the decision of relocating his family to Grand Junction and starting the farm business there with hopes of cultivating cannabis.
After losing 115 pounds following a health scare, Frye determined to live in a place that would help him continue good healthy habits, such as not being able to eat fast food, growing healthy food and being able to live an active lifestyle, and Hotchkiss fit the bill.
Frye relocated to Hotchkiss in August 2020 to build 150 greenhouses, but that industry of potentially cultivating cannabis collapsed. His family joined him in January 2021. Rather than just giving up, he looked for a Plan B. “I chose to stay,” Frye said. “I’m not a failure. I’m not a quitter. I’m on this piece of property, and the people before us have $1 million of infrastructure on this land.” Frye decided to buy the piece of property that he was renting from the owner.
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