Ann Arbor’s venerable Bloom dispensary opened a sister office on Michigan Avenue in Ypsilanti officially on October 9. What was once an Aveda spa is now a purveyor of some of Washtenaw County’s finest cannabis products. If you’ve been to Bloom in Ann Arbor, you’ve experienced their relaxed, communal approach. No neon signage, no Apple Store feel, no concrete evidence of opportunistic business practices. Bloom really does feel more like a place for holistic healing, unlike some of the chop-shop dispensaries out there. The transaction is always casual and you invariably leave feeling like you made a good choice.
While the Ypsilanti dispensary is more scaled down than the Ann Arbor operation, the atmosphere is comparable, just with a bit more Ypsilanti aesthetic.
Brianne Donisi, Bloom Ypsilanti’s general manager, said, “Bloom is eccentric…it’s got a different kind of vibe. We give back to the community quite a bit. That’s what it’s all about here, just having a good vibe and making people feel safe and comfortable.”
That pretty much sums up the Bloom experience.
Ypsilanti isn’t exactly underserved when it comes to having dispensary choices, but Bloom is more than welcome. While the Bloom Ypsilanti space is rather compact (cozy, even), you don’t feel rushed or jockeyed by other customers. The budtenders are knowledgeable and take the time to gauge your preferred strains and consumption methods and absolutely look to get you the best price point possible.
Bloom uses some unique growers that you don’t necessarily see on your weekly cannabis expeditions. The one that caught my eye (and nose) was the Blackberry Gelato IceWater pre-roll from Glorious Cannabis Co. This little beauty is infused with bubble hash and tops off at 40.52 percent THC. That’s pretty glorious, but don’t plan on leaving the house after a couple of tokes off this one-hitter-quitter:
It’s been a roller coaster ride for our operatives in the field. Living the Green Life has its pitfalls, but we’ve arrived at our inaugural Strain Of The Month. And the winner is: Runtz. A favorite of Detroit rappers and we love Detroit rap, so we’re in good company there.
We’d love to give you our favorite song about Runtz but we’re guessing it won’t play here, so for this month’s Green Screen Auditory companion, we’ll hit you with some classic Peter Tosh. Peter was a rebel and he paid the ultimate price for it, but rumor has it he used to enter the stage with a giant spliff. We’ll leave it there, go get yourself a giant spliff from Bloom and settle in for the last of fall.
