PARMA TWP., MI – A seasonal product offering at western Jackson County’s first recreational marijuana shop is spruced up to look like a bouquet of a dozen roses.

But instead of traditional flowers, the bouquets at Kinship Cannabis Co. feature a different kind of flower – 12 pre-rolled marijuana joints. The $50 product – along with Valentine’s Day baskets with other forms of marijuana – have been a hit, Kinship principal owner Curt Molino said.

“Anything we can do to be creatively marketing ourselves and giving somebody something that’s a little extra than the other guy, that’s what we try to do,” Molino said.

Kinship opened at 2199 N. Concord Road, just off I-94, for recreational marijuana sales on Jan. 30. It’s the first recreational marijuana shop in Parma Township and third in Jackson County. The other two, Choice Labs and 20 Past 4, are in Leoni Township.

This is Kinship’s first location, but the business plans to open additional marijuana shops in Monroe County, near where Molino is from.

Of Molino’s four business partners, two of them are his brothers. The Molinos ventured into the marijuana business after one of their brothers died from ALS about a decade ago. Doctors prescribed him medical marijuana pills to help his calorie intake and his nerves, before he died.

That’s when the Molinos learned medical marijuana can be “another source of wellness,” and there was opportunity in the market for the brothers to pursue it. Kinship opened for medical marijuana in September before getting a license also allowing them to sell recreationally.

Kinship offers flower, cartridges, CBD, edibles, topicals and more, for medical and recreational marijuana, Assistant Manager Kathleen Bailey said.

“The edible gummies on the recreational side are like hotcakes,” Bailey said. “Quicker than I can say ‘edible gummies,’ they’re off the shelf.”

The 2,400-square-foot building was built from scratch, and two more buildings are on their way up on the property so Kinship can grow and process their own marijuana. From the parking lot to the security system to the building itself, Molino said Kinship wants to dispel stereotypes about what marijuana shops look like.

“People don’t want to have to buy their product in the alley,” Molino said. “They want to come here, feel safe and secure, know that the medicine’s been tested and it’s been tracked.”

Township limits number of marijuana businesses

Parma, Pulaski and Leoni townships as well as the city of Jackson are the only communities in Jackson County to opt into allowing recreational marijuana businesses to open up.

In Parma, the planning commission decided to limit the number of businesses to two – allowing each business to stack grower, processor and retailer licenses for the same property. The township is limiting it to two, so as not to oversaturate the area, Supervisor Wendy Chamberlain said.

Kinship has followed through on all their promises to the township and is a first-class facility, she said.

A second medical and recreational marijuana business is has initial approval to open up on Michigan Avenue, Chamberlain said.

Parma residents voted 526 to 463 – which is roughly 53 percent voting yes – in favor of legalizing marijuana in the November 2018 election.

“We’re not doing this for any perceived income the township will make,” Chamberlain said. “We’re doing this to serve the needs of our aging medical marijuana users and to recognize the state’s ballot initiative for the recreational.”

More Jackson news:

Jackson County’s first recreational marijuana shop opens

Recreational marijuana shop 20 Past 4 opens in Jackson County

Pastry chef-turned-winemaker plans new microbrewery in Michigan Center