· By Tarleton Walmsley
Our 2025 Equity Initiative Report is here! This is our 6th year of adhering to this set of accountability pillars as white people working in the cannabis and cannabis-adjacent industry. In case you need a reminder, these initiatives were first shared with us from Danielle Adams of Hemp Equity NC (currently on hiatus). Danielle created these pillars as a way for us to track how well we were doing in our efforts to be more thoughtful about how we operate within an industry that continues to disproportionately, negatively impact BIPOC communities.
We've been sharing the results of our efforts at the end of each year since 2019. Providing this kind of transparency to our community each year is also a call to action for me as the majority owner of Garden Party because it allows space for me to consider how well we lead with our values. Thank you for taking the time to read.
HIRE PEOPLE REGARDLESS OF CRIMINAL RECORD:
Garden Party remains committed to hiring individuals regardless of criminal record. We don’t perform background checks on any staff, nor do we check for criminal records at all. We encourage ALL to apply for any open positions we have and ALL are welcome in our space.
SHARE PROFITS WITH COMMUNITIES HARMED BY THE WAR ON DRUGS:
In a lot of ways, 2025 was a year of recovery for the business as we began to build ourselves back up and running from the 2024 closure. And what a year it was! I shared more about it in this post, but 2025 tested me in MANY ways. And yet the biggest takeaway in the financial sense is that not only did we exceed sales goals in 2024 (when you’re closed for 9 months, the only way is up), but we also managed to surpass 2023’s numbers as well. This feels like a GIANT accomplishment, one that I’ve been trying to enjoy and revel in a little bit before I start stressing out about this year.
I’m also excited to share that we were able to more than double 2024’s profit sharing. In cash donations, we shared $1,662.93 to local organizations and non-profits and shared about $1,000 in gift cards and product donations for local raffles and events. This accounts for about 0.94% of our gross income and I’m so stoked that we almost hit 1%--this means we have a really tangible opportunity to make a bigger impact in 2026.
In addition to our non-profit donations, Garden Party continues to remain an active member of Broccoli Magazine’s Floret Coalition, an organization of cannabis and cannabis-adjacent businesses who collectively raise about $10k each month to an organization of the Floret board’s choosing. This commitment means that we donate a minimum of $50 each month, throughout the entire year, no matter what. 100% of the proceeds of the Legalize Appalachia zine are still distributed to the non-profit and I was able to donate about 8 hours of volunteer time helping with this year’s Lamplight Avl Gala.
AT LEAST 15% OF GOODS SOLD ARE FROM BUSINESSES OWNED BY PEOPLE OF COLOR + STRIVE TO WORK WITH BUSINESSES ADHERING TO FAIR LABOR STANDARDS:
Our inventory offerings remained similar to last year’s, with 18% of our brand offerings coming from BIPOC-owned businesses, 75% of our brands are woman-owned, and 10% of brands represented are LGBTQIA+.
In addition to that, the vast majority of brands we work with continue to share the same values when it comes to fair labor practices, to the extent that they share them and that we’re aware of. Sometimes it can be tricky getting a reveal behind the curtain with brands, but across the board I’m seeing our vendors expressing similar values. As a brand, you can make a choice to represent your values more vocally or not, and so sometimes it is tricky to gauge what’s what.
OFFER LIVABLE WAGES AS WE GROW:
As of this writing, the 2025 Just Economics Living Wage Rate for Buncombe County has increased to $23.15/hour and 2026 numbers have not yet been reported.
I’ve written about this aspect of our goals extensively, and the sentiment remains the same–I remain committed to trying to chase the goal of becoming Living Wage Certified but each year it feels harder to do so. As it happens, the cost of living continues to rise and we are indeed in the throes of some kind of form of late-stage capitalism. I can also personally relate to and recognize how expensive it is to live in Asheville with bills and loans to pay and family members to care for. That’s why being able to offer a living wage, or get closer to it each year, feels so important. I dream of the day when we can comfortably have a staff of 5 or 6 people, all paid even more than the living wage rate. I’d definitely love to pay myself sustainably too! For now, our current hourly rate starts at $20/hour for our part-time sales positions and we currently pay a range of $20-25/hr among our team.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
When we temporarily closed, we had actually eeked out a very small profit for the business. In some ways, that’s why closing had such an impact. We were finally becoming profitable! And then whomp whomp, sorry you have to move out and start all over again. So despite 2025 having been our best year yet, cash flow is continually a challenge for businesses such as ours–we still carry debts from COVID loans to Helene loans, to the loan we had to obtain in order to reopen last year. There are so many projects paused due to lack of funds, and then with the THCa ban scheduled to happen this November (more from us on this soon), it often feels financially tight. I think if you talk to any business owner, they’ll probably echo the same sentiments.
Indeed, many small businesses we love locally and afar are closing, and it just feels so risky to be in business when the world at large is feeling precarious and scary. I suppose I mention all of this as a reminder–small businesses are so vital to local communities. Among the things small businesses provide is investment and funds back into their communities, the creation of jobs, and they add a unique perspective to the cities and towns in which they operate. Personally, I believe that businesses have the opportunity to be vital resources for the people that shop with them, but it really does take people mindfully (as frequently as possible) choosing where to spend their money.
All of that said, I want to iterate how grateful we are to still be here doing what we do. Roughly 50% of small businesses will close in the first 5 years, and 65% close in the first 10. We still keep eeking along, and I’m always astounded that we continue to beat the odds despite so many major hurdles. None of this is possible without people continuing to shop with us. Your support year after year allows us to commit to our values, to these initiatives, and to successfully provide a space for people to explore their relationship with cannabis with integrity top of mind. As always, thank you for Garden Partying with us.
