For some of us, Ypsilanti is a planet of its own; a unique, thriving community with flavor and grit. A little sub-metro on the way to Dearborn and Detroit, investors recognize Ypsilanti is a great place to open a business right now and that’s why we have ten dispensaries and counting, including Planet Jane.
While the weed market has turned favorably for the buyer, quality product for the discerning smoker remains a quest.
The Kasham family has owned the lot on 815 N. Huron since the 1970’s. What is now Planet Jane used to be Huron Deli Market (with an adjacent hair-braiding salon) for several decades (later a laundromat).
I talked to Planet Jane’s co-owner Moe Kasham (his cousins Marcus and Cimo are the other owners) on the eve of 4/20.
Planet Jane is a Class A micro business because it has its own in-house grow. They sell edibles, prerolls and cartridges from other growers and seed banks. But, with a growmaster with over 25 years experience, Planet Jane will be pushing into these consumption methods along with their own flower strains.
Kasham explains that his family planned to sell the lot around 2019, but some discussions around opening a dispensary were realized on August 5, 2022 as Planet Jane.
“This building, man, this means a lot to us. We’re born and raised in Ypsilanti,” he said.
This is a home-grown Ypsilanti operation through and through. The murals on the outside of the building as well as some of the signage and literature were rendered by local artist Stacey Hogan.
Competition for cannabis consumer dollars couldn’t be tighter at the moment. When asked how Planet Jane is able to gain a market share, Kasham responded, “It’s a simple formula, it’s just customer service, we take care of our customers. That’s what we’re known for, the level of service and our prices. We’re a mom-and-pop shop with very low overhead so we’re able to pass along savings. We’re nimble because we just have the one location.”
When asked about expansion plans, Kasham said, “Eventually. We want to expand but first we want to perfect this, this is gonna be the mothership and from there we’ll go.”
There’s no other dispensary quite like Planet Jane. It’s real Ypsilanti, which means no fake small talk, just a genuine feeling like you’re welcome. Take your time and talk to your budtender there and they will keep it one hundred with you. It’s got a bit of an edge to it which I like. I don’t want to get my weed at a box store.
“It’s not your typical dispensary, you get that feeling right when you walk in. We’re not gonna rush you, we want you to feel comfortable, we want you to be yourself here,” Kasham said.
For our strain of the month it could only be one of Planet Jane’s, for the Ypsi home team: Rainbow Rozay. It is absolutely delicious and tastes like hydroponic Lucky Charms. Winter keeps hanging on but Planet Jane’s current crop makes you feel like sunshine and irie meditations are surely on their way.
This month’s Green Screen Auditory Companion could have easily gone to Tracy Chapman’s “Mountains O’ Things,” a powerful tune I recently re-heard on WDET, but we want to look forward to something brighter.
We can always turn to Funkadelic and this “I’ll Bet You” lit up my mind at a recent memorial party.
Whatever lights you up. And while you’re lighting up, set your interstellar cannabis coordinates to Planet Jane and prepare for full lift-off.
