Last week we released our long awaited hat collaboration with Michal Menert of Pretty Lights Music. This hat was a long time in the making and all of us at Grassroots are so happy that we can finally share this design with the world.

We are offering a special deal now through Friday: if you come into the store or call us you can get a Michal Menert Hat and a ticket to his show at Casselmans on May 24^th.

If you haven’t been to see Menert play yet I highly recommend you partake in the deal we have running. Not only do you get one of his incredible new hats, you also get a ticket to a show that is truly worth seeing!

So as all of our Grassroots California fans know, we are throwing the first annual 710 Cup this July! It will be the first cup ever devoted exclusively to the celebration of cannabis concentrates, but beyond that it will be a fun and educational experience for everyone involved.  We want people to leave feeling like they have gained knowledge and simultaneously had one of the best weekends of their lives.

As you may know, we have officially sold out of 710 Cup Judge and Competitor passes, but for those of you lucky enough to hold one of the golden tickets, we have created a something very special and unique just for you!

These hats were created in our design department and are complete with our exclusive G Sprout and oil pattern sublimated on every panel. Reserved just for Judges and Competitors in The 710 Cup. Super fresh and one of my favorite hats to date.

For those of you that aren’t a Judge or Competitor DON’T FRET! You know we got you.

This hat is made of hemp and complete with the official character of The 710 Cup, designed by David Bywater. These hats will be available for purchase at The Cup but be sure to get them quick because there is only a limited number being released.

Be sure to come to The 710 Cup this July 12^th-14^th at The Exdo Event Center in Denver, CO. We still have VIP Passes and day passes available, but they are selling quick!

To purchase tickets for The 710 Cup visit www.the710cup.com

See you in July!

Today I went to the Knew Conscious Art Gallery in Denver to do a photoshoot for their up coming hat release and fashion show and had the most interesting afternoon with the owner and artist, Kurt Redeker. If you don’t know, Knew Conscious is throwing a fashion show at City Hall in Denver on Saturday and it is something that should not be missed.

Redeker’s work, to me, is reminiscent of H.R. Gieger.  It is alien inspired and saturated with beautiful sacred geometry, but beyond that it is like work I have never seen before. Every detail, down to the lights behind the works that hang on the wall and the frames that he selects to adorn his work, is, for a lack of better words, impressive.

But what impressed me the most outside of the beautiful art that Redeker creates is how he describes his work. We sat down for a few minutes after our photoshoot in his gallery and spoke and when describing his work the first thing that shot out of his mouth was “INSEXTUAL!.”

Redeker explained to me that he sees things that most others don’t, that he feels “like the insects are here to protect us and pollenate the flowers and create life.” He is a visionary in the sense that he not only sees the bigger and beautiful picture out there, he also notices and appreciates the little things. “This movement we have…” said Redeker, “Is unlike anything going on in this world.”

The Knew Conscious Gallery Hat will be available for purchase on Saturday May 18^th at the Alien Life event.

Knew Conscious Gallery is located at 2700 Walnut Street in Denver, CO.

For more information visit www.knewconsciousgallery.com.

Grassroots has always been an advocate for everything green. While it is common knowledge that we give a portion of our proceeds back to charity, did you know that we are also doing our part to help the environment while simultaneously bringing you the freshest hats?

We have recently teamed up with the worlds leader in natural fibers, Enviro Textiles, and even better they are based in Glenwood, CO. They also wrote the agricultural hemp bill into Amendment 64 this past November, making them the leaders in the agricultural hemp movement in the United States and Grassroots is very happy that we can be a part of it!

So why hemp you may ask? Hemp was actually the most important and widely used textile fiber in the world until the middle of the 19^th century. After the Marihuana Tax act was passed in 1938, the hemp industry essentially died out in the United States.  There has since been a revival of industrial hemp products that began around 2009 and since several states began legalizing it, it has become increasingly popular and many activists believe it will eventually help restore the economy in the United States.

We at Grassroots believe strongly in the hemp movement. Not only do we love being able to contribute to national movement towards eco conscious textiles and materials, we also just believe that Enviro Textiles creates a superior product.

Grassroots began production of hemp hats in late 2010 and today, majority of our products are made with hemp. Clients in the near future that are planning on using fabric by Envirotextiles include The Hedi Council, Native Roots, and Dance Safe, but be on the lookout for many more collaborations to come.

For more information on Envirotextiles go to www.envirotextile.com.

After the madness of 4/20, we have finally had a chance to catch our breath and reflect. We are only five months into the year and this has already been the biggest year Grassroots has ever had. We are now carried in over 180 stores worldwide, we released our first exclusive clothing line, we are coordinating our own Cup, we’re expanding our store, and the best is still yet to come.

With all of the new additions we have also brought on another full time designer, Gina Valvo, who is currently crushing the game and an overall amazing edition to the Grassroots Family. We now have three full time designers working at the company; Gina, David, and the Art Director Graham, a design associate; Sarah, and seven other employees working in the store and out on the road; Chet, Miriam, Max, Max DF, Fisk, Kriz, and Renee, bringing the Grassroots in store family to a grand total of thirteen people. Not to mention all of our freelance designers all over the country and the people that vend for us out on the road.

We’ve been feeling rather sentimental and humble lately with how big things have been getting for us, and I just wanted to share a brief timeline with all of our fans as well as all of the pictures of the recent buildout.

On January 1^st, 2012 all components of Grassroots California were moved into our flagship store at 2209 Larimer in Denver, CO. The store and living quarters were set up for a staff of four: Ruga, Renee, Robaire, and Graham, and the store was officially open to the public on April 20^th, 2012.

The store in early 2012 when Graham first began building out the store front

The continued buildout in early 2012 when there was still nothing in the store.

Renee sitting in a sea of boxes. Pre shipping department.

In one year, we have gone from just under a 3,000 square foot live/work space to over 4,000 square feet. All of the design work used to be done out of Grahams bedroom in the back of the store, and we now have a design loft that is an office space for five people. We have built new displays in the front of the store and more storage space in the back as well as a shipping department. It just keeps getting bigger and better!

We have gone from operating out of the back of a Toyota Tundra with no permanent home, to owning our own store/warehouse/home with people are over the world eager to help us carry on the GRC Movement.

When I began working here, I never really understood the whole “it’s a movement” concept, but I can clearly see now how far the Grassroots family tree reaches. We love all of our associates and friends, and we are so thankful that so many of you have been on board with us since the very beginning. Here’s to four years and to many more to come!

This is a huge week for us over at Grassroots California! Not only is it one of our favorite holidays, April 20^th, it’s also our four year anniversary! Four years we have been doing what we love, and that is definitely a cause to celebrate. It also marks the one-year anniversary of our flagship store in Denver, so as token of our appreciation for being such a wonderful host city; we are giving you 20 percent off EVERYTHING in the store on Saturday April 20^th! All day! 20 PERCENT OFF YOUR ENTIRE PURCHASE!  We will also be hosting a celebratory barbeque so come down, get some grub and some freshies and celebrate our four year anniversary of living the dream! We hope to see everyone out celebrating this most joyous occasion.