BIG RAPIDS, Mich. – Joe Keck, general manager of Big Rapids’ newest marijuana dispensary, said business has been steadily growing since opening in the area.
“Our budtenders really enjoy engaging with members of the community, and it really feels as if we are building long-lasting relationships with our customers,” Keck said of the business, KKind.
All the way from Kalamazoo, KKind – a state licensed cannabis provisioning center – opened its second recreational store in the city of Big Rapids.
“I have suffered for years of pain and anxiety, and cannabis has helped me provide myself a better quality of life most days,” Keck said. “I have even recently been giving my grandmother CBD Transdermal Rubs to help with her arthritis in her hands and knees, and it’s really been making a difference.
“My dog even has his own unique blend of CBD oil provided by a local vet that has helped with his anxiety.”
Enjoying having the opportunity to help people in his line of work, Keck said he considers himself a personal success story when it come to using cannabis as a holistic medicine.
“We are helping people daily with pain management, anxiety, stress, depression, loss of appetite and just uplifting their spirits,” he said. “KKind’s patient advocates have extensive training in cannabis science, including the proper dosing levels of all cannabinoids.”
As well as hoping to provide relief to area residents, Keck said he hopes to hire people from the area.
“We hope to provide living wage jobs for locals that we hire from the Big Rapids community, and to offer another option in town with different and new products to choose from,” Keck said.
Current hours for KKind is 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday thru Saturday, and noon to 6 p.m. on Sundays. Keck said they are hoping to expand their hours soon.
Keck said KKind is also offering a limited contact curbside service.
“My goal has always been to help people, whether it’s through music, art or cannabis,” he said. “I believe it’s our duty as cannabis professionals to educate patients on proper dosing levels, appropriate methods of use, and how our products may provide symptom relief.
“If I have earned someone’s trust and have helped them find a way to take control of their quality of life, then I’ve done my job.”