From the road, it looks more like a tractor repair shop than a dispensary. Minimal signage, no glass storefront, certainly no sleek Apple Store aesthetic that most retailers like to mimic.
But inside, it’s cozy and familiar with wood paneling everywhere, classic rock playing on the radio, and a front counter lined with bags of house-grown weed that locals buy by the ounce.
And despite the bold, red-white-and-blue branding, this isn’t some ‘Merica meme dispensary blasting Fox News in the lobby. Co-founder David Pardun tells me the name is an homage to the city of Westland’s “All American City” slogan, back when he had plans to open downstate.
When those dreams blew up, he and his business partner Dan Pollock took the same brand Up North to the family hunting property in Turner. And somehow, it fits even better out here.
“We’re everyday people,” Pardun said. “It’s the hometown roots, the family aspect, sort of picking yourself up by your bootstraps, doing it for ourselves. The name represents us well.”
From deer camp to grow house
American Grown sits on 160 acres that used to be known primarily for deer, not dank.
“This all used to be my grandpa’s hunting land,” Pardun said. “And in my family, we grew up with a little bit of that ‘devil’s lettuce’ mindset, reefer Madness vibes. But then, my grandpa got sick.”
Pardun’s grandfather was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. The family turned to Rick Simpson Oil (RSO)—a potent cannabis extract—and Pardun said it ultimately kept his grandfather comfortable toward the end of his life. That experience also flipped a switch in his family.
“We really saw the real, medicinal side of cannabis,” Pardun explained. “There was also this new industry starting, almost anybody could get in, and on top of it, we could help people.”
Before weed, Pardun worked in bail bonds and construction, an unlikely combination that he said turned out to be perfect for building a cannabis company from scratch. When the family decided to go all-in on American Grown in 2021, the hard construction skills came with them.
“We literally built this facility from the ground up,” Pardun explained. “We dug the trenches, poured the concrete, ran the plumbing. Blood, sweat, and tears. And all with our own money.”
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