Rebelle isn’t just the first pharmacy to open in Boston’s South End. This woman-owned cannabis company is also a wellness center for those interested in cannabis.
“I think a lot about my customers, what they like, what they’re interested in, because we’ve been selling to people for a long time, and we have specific lifestyles for different customer profiles. Because it has style,” owner Charlotte Hanna told MassLive on Wednesday.
Rebelle wants to help people improve their lives through a selection of cannabis products focused on holistic health, including the outdoors, exercise, gardening, art, entertainment, cooking, and more.
Hanna already operates one of Great Barrington’s most successful dispensaries, opening in 2020 at 783 South Main Street. While a cannabis enthusiast and especially biased at the time, the concept actually inspired the name for Hannah’s company.
“I felt like there was a lot of anxiety in the world at the time and people needed to rebel, and that was manifesting itself in many different ways,” she said. “The way we spell it means ‘rebel’ in French. So I thought, this is some sort of elevated version of a rebel, and that’s what I think of myself. ”
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A native of Lexington, Kentucky, Hannah began her career in social justice working with those addressing domestic violence, homelessness, poverty, hunger, and incarceration.
Living in California in the 1990s, Hannah helped women living in shelters earn money by working on small organic farms in San Francisco’s Tenderloin and Hayes Valley.
She later left that field and worked for 12 years at Goldman Sachs on Wall Street in New York City. When Hannah had children, she joined the family real estate business to better support her two sons. Hannah entered the cannabis industry in 2019 and she started down a completely new career path for her.
“When I decided to go into the cannabis industry, I thought, ‘How am I going to make sense of this crazy career that I’ve had that doesn’t really make sense?'” Hanna said. “And I thought, ‘Yes, I want to be in the cannabis industry.’ I want to start this company and change people’s minds about factories.”
Hannah, a mother and a woman who smokes marijuana, debunks common misconceptions about marijuana users.
She channeled that pioneering energy into her business, which stands out from other cannabis companies by looking at cannabis from a wellness perspective and selling products made with other herbal ingredients.
The products contain THC (from certain strains of cannabis), minor cannabinoids (a type of biological compound that binds to cannabinoid receptors), and other adaptogens (which improve the body’s response to stress, anxiety, fatigue, and overall health). Includes edible products made from plants and mushrooms that help. .
Hanna said Rebelle also sells microsprays that resemble breath mints and vapes made with cold-pressed THC, creating a clean, fresh-tasting botanical flavor.
Businesswoman Hannah has not only seen her products change the way people think about cannabis, but she has also seen the cannabis industry change dramatically in her short time in business.
“Now stores are opening up all over the state and across the city, and people are saying, ‘Oh, wait a minute.’ It’s not that bad, nothing has changed. It’s just another business. ” said Hannah.
As a pharmacy owner, Hannah had to do a lot of community outreach to open her store. While he was doing this in Barrington, Hannah experienced a great deal of backlash from the community.
“People were just angry that we were coming to town,” Hanna said.
Fast forward to last year, and Hannah’s journey to get her Boston store up and running has been “a night and day difference.”
“When something is new and different, it’s scary and people want to resist it and think it’s bad,” she continued. “But the more time passes, time always has the biggest influence on changing people’s minds.”
Hanna closed on the space in December 2022 and received approval for the sale in October 2023. Rebelle he officially opened for business in early April.
After its grand opening on Saturday, Rebelle plans to host wellness programs with other like-minded brands in the community.
Events will include yoga with a discussion of how CBD can help reduce inflammation and muscle recovery, as well as a curated art walk with “a little bit of cannabis,” Hanna said. Rebelle may also host cannabis-infused wine and dinner parties.
“It’s going to be a big part of how we engage with our community and our customers through interesting events like this that bring the community together,” Hanna said.
Hannah would like to open a third store, but it may be several more years before that happens. For now, customers can visit Rebelle at 591 Albany St. in Boston to shop. The store is open Monday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. More information about the Boston store can be found online.
