Power in Partnership: The Story of Simply Pure Trenton

With the launch of Simply Pure Trenton, Wanda James and Simply Pure licensee partner Tahir Johnson are bringing the Colorado brand to the East Coast.

Tahir Johnson, CEO of Simply Pure Trenton, left, and Wanda James CEO and founder of Simply Pure, at the soon-to-be opened Simply Pure Trenton location in Ewing, N.J.

Portraits by Joe Skodzinski

Jolene Hansen

November 1, 2023

Simply Pure Trenton Exterior Renders 4 20 23(1) Fmt The cannabis industry was on the agenda at an October 10th Town Hall in suburban Trenton, N.J. But this wasn’t a forum for dissension and debate. It was an evening of inspiration and encouragement as Wanda James, Simply Pure founder and CEO, and Simply Pure’s licensee partner Tahir Johnson, owner and CEO of Simply Pure Trenton, hosted a networking event for New Jersey’s cannabis industry—from fellow cannabis business licensees to ancillary product and service providers.

The gathering took place at soon-to-open Simply Pure Trenton, which is based in Ewing and one of the first Black-owned social equity dispensaries to receive a New Jersey license. For Johnson, who grew up in Trenton, the night was about people as well as business. “We wanted to engage our community, to really introduce Simply Pure both as a national brand and a local New Jersey brand to our community,” he says.

As a 15-year cannabis industry veteran, James shared insights on what industry newcomers can expect. “It’s always fantastic to be able to talk to all of the new business owners, to see all of the new people who are coming into the business and then just kind of give them the ABCs of here’s what’s coming next, and here’s how you build strong community-based businesses,” she says.

The cannabis industry was on the agenda at an October 10th Town Hall in suburban Trenton, N.J. But this wasn’t a forum for dissension and debate. It was an evening of inspiration and encouragement as Wanda James, Simply Pure founder and CEO, and Simply Pure’s licensee partner Tahir Johnson, owner and CEO of Simply Pure Trenton, hosted a networking event for New Jersey’s cannabis industry—from fellow cannabis business licensees to ancillary product and service providers.

Earlier that day, Johnson finally got the permits needed to complete his dispensary—and comfortably say Simply Pure Trenton would open by year-end. Delayed construction permits have been a primary hurdle.

“Initially I was targeting Juneteenth as a grand opening date,” Johnson says. “It was delayed due to my architectural and engineering plans being failed by the town’s construction office and having to submit multiple rounds of revisions before finally getting our permits approved [in October].

“One thing that I wish I had considered earlier was bringing on a construction project manager. Right now, I’m hoping to open on my mom’s birthday, Dec. 22.”

Although plans are fluid when renovating a facility, with the approved permit, the timeline finally feels real.

As a licensee partner of James’ trailblazing Colorado-based Simply Pure brand, Johnson is ready to take on Trenton. But the roots of this partnership run deeper than brand licensing.

Simplypure Cover Alt1 Usebkgnd Fmt — Simply Pure CEO and Founder Wanda James, left, has mentored and supported Tahir Johnson, CEO of Simply Pure Trenton, through the licensing process and dispensary launch.

Building Business on Friendship and Trust

The Simply Pure Trenton backstory dates to when Johnson and James first connected four years ago. “One of the great things about this partnership is that when our friendship really started out, it wasn’t about pursuing a dispensary,” Johnson says.

He was new to the industry and, after unsuccessful cannabis license bids in Maryland and New Jersey, he became Business Development & Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Manager for the National Cannabis Industry Association (NCIA). He later went on to hold positions as Director of Diversity and Inclusion for both the U.S. Cannabis Council and Marijuana Policy Project.

One day, after finishing an NCIA podcast, he realized James had tuned in to listen. “I wanted to get to know the veterans, people who have been a part of making the cannabis industry what it is. So, of course, Wanda was someone who I always knew and admired,” he recalls. He messaged her, she messaged back and forwarded her phone number. “We talked on the phone for hours,” Johnson says. “Then it just grew organically from there.”

When Johnson decided to pursue another New Jersey dispensary license in 2021, he immediately thought of the Simply Pure brand, not only for how he wanted his business to be but also for what a partnership with James could mean for social equity and minority empowerment in the cannabis industry.

“It is important to us that these businesses are owned by the licensee. ... So many companies want to shark a deal. We wanted to be the opposite of sharks. We wanted to be the dolphins in the deal.” – Wanda James

“I think what we’re doing is not just important for me,” Johnson says. “I think it’s also symbolic for the industry and other Black people, other minorities, that we can collaborate and be successful and build this together. … The opportunity for us to be greater together—by me being Simply Pure—is good for the industry. It helps other people to be able to build this success and do the same thing.”

James describes their relationship as built on trust and friendship—and now business, too. “The best people to go into business with are obviously those folks that you already have a relationship with, and you already know what their moral compass is and where their North Star is at.”

She’s thrilled Johnson is Simply Pure’s first licensee to open, but he won’t be the last. “We’re looking forward to seeing what happens in New York and Illinois and maybe even in L.A. in the near future,” she adds. She’s in the very early stages, she noted, and couldn’t share more details, but she hopes the discussions she’s had evolve into something concrete.

Simplypure Design 1 Fmt — A display of renderings depicting what the future Simply Pure Trenton store will look like is hanging on the wall at the dispensary.

Blending Licensing and Leeway

When Johnson suggested a partnership, James already had developed a Simply Pure licensing model. But she hadn’t found a state with a social equity program that could achieve her goals.

“We’ve looked at social equity all over the United States. We’ve looked at trying to get more Black and brown people involved in the industry now for years and, quite frankly, there hasn’t been any program in any state that has actually worked or given us the opportunity to be able to make this work from a business standpoint,” James says.

When Johnson’s New Jersey plan unfolded, that changed. “But understand,” James says, “it took a lot of moving parts to be able to do this licensing deal in a way that makes sense and satisfies all of the state and local legal requirements.”

Simply Pure Trenton is something they’ve been working on together since 2021, when Johnson decided he wanted to apply and license the brand.

One significant aspect of the model is that Simply Pure does not have ownership or equity in Johnson’s business. “It is important to us that these businesses are owned by the licensee,” James says, commenting on how others have put deals together in the past.

“So many companies want to shark a deal. We wanted to be the opposite of sharks. We wanted to be the dolphins in the deal,” she says. “… It’s really just giving them the 10 years that Simply Pure has been around in their back pocket to use to solidify where they’re going with their business.”

As a Simply Pure licensee partner, Johnson gives a percentage of sales to Simply Pure. He’ll receive continual support with advertising, marketing, staff training, preferred vendor and product evaluation, and more.

“The best people to go into business with are obviously those folks that you already have a relationship with, and you already know what their moral compass is and where their North Star is at.” – Wanda James

While Simply Pure team members provide many aspects of licensee partner support, James plans to stay very involved—CEO to CEO—as new partners like Johnson navigate the industry and develop their businesses.

“That’s what I’m loving about what we’re doing right now. It’s highly personalized,” she says. “We know that every new owner in cannabis is going to have a different set of questions, demands and issues that they’re going to deal with because every state is different, and every one of these new business owners is different.”

Johnson is thankful for the trust James has shown him and the freedom he has with the brand.

“She knows that she can trust me, that I’m not going to be out here doing anything crazy that would tarnish the brand or reputation,” Johnson says. “Some other person may need more guidance on certain things, but it’s nice I’ve been able to actually appreciate that she has trusted me this much to not dictate every little thing of how I did it.”

James explains building in that leeway is part of being “dolphin partners” to Simply Pure licensees, and she hopes Johnson will be someone helping the next group of CEOs.

“It’s funny and sad for me to say but, 15 years ago, I was the new young, hip, happenin’ person in cannabis. Fifteen have passed! So now Tahir is the next up-and-coming young, interesting CEO in cannabis,” she says. “I’m just hoping to cultivate each new generation with the help that they need to be able to go on to be the next brilliant CEO in cannabis. That’s the exciting part for me.”

Image001 Fmt — Tahir Johnson hopes to open Simply Pure Trenton by the end of 2023. This rendering shows what the inside of the store, which is in Ewing, a suburb of Trenton, will look like.
Renderings courtesy of Tahir Johnson

Choosing Partners and New Markets

For people considering licensing, James stresses a partnership should put you in a stronger position as the brand and your business grows—and how you personally feel about the brand is critical. She offers these considerations:

Does the brand speak to you and carry values that make sense to you?
Does the licensing agreement help you in the areas where you need assistance?
How can you grow with the licensing brand as it grows?
If the brand doesn’t grow, does the partnership still make sense?

Simply Pure looks for people who want to give back to the community, do good business, and be part of something bigger than themselves. “When I find people like that, those are the folks that we continue to reach out to and continue to speak to—and Tahir really is 100% a perfect example of all of that,” James says.

Johnson says aligning with a brand’s values is crucial: “If your business is going to take somebody’s name, it should be one that stands for what you stand for. It should be something that you can represent proudly.”

He suggests asking yourself what the partnership can do to help you accomplish your goals. “It really is an extension of your team. You want to build the strongest team,” he says. “So, whatever they’re bringing to the table, do they have the best players, resources, all those things that make a difference, including institutional knowledge and expertise?”

FAST TAKE WITH WANDA JAMES, CEO OF SIMPLY PURE

What’s the biggest challenge in launching or maintaining a cannabis business? “The obvious answer is capital and access to capital, because most Black businesses open their business underfunded. So, we start behind the eight ball on opening day. … I would say that the other biggest piece to launching a brand is to understand that just because you launch doesn't mean you have a brand. So, you've got to be able to withstand the time, the press, and be able to actually have something that resonates with people as a brand. Just launching a company doesn't make a brand.”

What’s something that would surprise most people about running a cannabis business? “That you don't make a lot of money and that you're not wealthy.”

What keeps you up at night? “What keeps me up at night is being able to keep the brand and the company moving forward in the wake of politicians that don't understand that their bad policies affect families. And not just owners and CEOs, but the budologists that work for us, the GMs that work for us, the people that are relying on us to make sure that they have a paycheck every two weeks in the face of politicians making really bad policy that could not only just destroy the business but destroy the industry.”

Wanda James and Simply Pure were featured on the cover of CBT’s sister publication Cannabis Dispensary in 2018.

What helps you sleep at night? “Knowing all of the amazing, wonderful things that we do. When Tahir’s mom gives me a hug when I see her. When Tahir says he's getting ready to open. When somebody walks in our dispensary and says, ‘I've been able to sleep for the first time in three weeks because of what your budologist just told me.’ It's amazing what we do every day. It's amazing how we touch and change people's lives every day. That's the sole reason that we get up every morning and keep doing this.”

Any advice for others considering a cannabis business? “Bloom where you're planted. Yes, owning a dispensary should be exciting, and it can be a lot of fun—owning a grow facility or a production facility, as well. But there are so many other things that can happen in this industry that this industry needs, even in terms of entrepreneurism. Whatever the dotcom industry needed, we need. We need people that create packaging. We need people that do accounting. We need designers that design retail spaces for dispensaries.

“So, bloom where you're planted. Take what you do and add ‘in cannabis’ to it. Because that's the place where you are going to find the most success and get your foot in the door to find out where you would want to go in this industry. Yes, owning a dispensary is real exciting, but it is not the only way to be a genuine part of this industry.”

Circling back to sharks vs. dolphins, he notes there are many people ready to take advantage of others. “Look for someone who has the integrity, values and reputation, because you’re aligning yourself with that brand. Your destiny is going to be tied to their success.”

Expanding into a new market requires a brand that translates to that new environment. For James, it’s simple—and pure.

“Simply Pure really is about all of us making it. I said it [at the Town Hall]. We don’t have any competitors. I’m hoping everybody makes it,” she says. “We’re going to go out there and we’re going to do great business. We’re going to give great customer service. We’re going to bring on amazing vendors. We’re going to promote in the most ethical ways possible, and we’re going to be part of the community. I believe that translates—from 1900 to 3001, from L.A. to New York, from Canada to Texas. I believe that when you do things in a positive manner and an uplifting manner, that translates. I don’t think that changes year over year or place over place.”

Simplypure 2 Fmt — Tahir Johnson and Wanda James met four years ago and have been working together since 2021 on making Simply Pure Trenton a reality.

Driving Change Through Politics and Business

Johnson says one of the first things he saw when looking at the cannabis space was that advocacy and business are intertwined—perhaps more so than any other industry.

“We’re at this point where each of us is not only a business owner, but we’re an ambassador for legalization, breaking down the stigma, all of those things,” he says. “… I would say the advocacy and being politically active is what helped to get me to where I am in my career, but also to make a difference for not only the current but future generations of cannabis. We have the opportunity to really set what this looks like, and I think that that’s very important.”

James, who holds an elected seat on the University of Colorado Board of Regents, describes herself as “a political animal.” From running the first congressional campaign of now-Colorado Gov. Jared Polis to working with President Barack Obama, Vice President Kamala Harris, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and U.S. Representative Barbara Lee, politics has been her life. She credits her success in the cannabis space, in part, to being well insulated politically when she started out.

“So now Tahir is the next up-and-coming young, interesting CEO in cannabis.” – Wanda James

With 15 years in a front-row seat watching the earliest and wildest cannabis launches as she opened the first Black-owned dispensary in Colorado, her perspective on today’s now established markets commands respect. The biggest change she’s seen in those years is the American people’s acceptance of cannabis, and she’s shocked that federal prohibition still exists.

“I think it’s time for the federal government and the leaders in government to get their act together,” James says. “But ... it’s been pretty amazing seeing how the communities and industries have all opened up to cannabis over the last 15 years.

“So, politics? Yeah, this is all about politics,” she says. “And for me right now, politically, this is the big battle. Because I am determined to get prohibition ended and doing it any which way that we can possibly do it. And that’s speaking to senators, speaking to governors, speaking to city council members. We are working so hard to end prohibition right now, just so that we can have a normal business conversation where our profits aren’t being taken under the 280E tax penalty, or that we can advertise normally in a magazine like everybody else.”

Simply Pure Trenton Exterior Renders 4 20 23(1) Fmt — A rendering shows what the Simply Pure Trenton storefront will look like once construction is complete.
Renderings courtesy of Tahir Johnson

Carrying the Torch

For Johnson, who is 40, opening a business in his hometown is a dream come true. “I couldn’t imagine any greater opportunity,” he says. When he left for college 22 years ago, his mom said she didn’t want him to come back. Not because he was a bad kid, he explains, “but just how Trenton was as a place.”

Now his community has welcomed him and his cannabis business with open arms. “The fact that I get so much love and support from people in my local community is a big source of encouragement, but also the fact that I now get to turn around and encourage so many people,” he says. “They get to see an example of a successful Black entrepreneur in the industry. That, to me, is really important.” Creating jobs, hiring people from Trenton and supporting local commerce are other ways he’ll give back.

“Trenton, New Jersey, is a place where we needed some type of economic boost. It’s depressed,” Johnson says. “Trenton was a factory town, so we had a saying, ‘Trenton makes, and the world takes.’ All the industrial things that were being made there aren’t there anymore. So, we have an opportunity to reinvigorate our community and reinvigorate Trenton and New Jersey in general through cannabis, and I’m excited to be leading the way with it.”

He hopes that if people take just one thing from his story, it’s perseverance. When early attempts at a cannabis license failed, he took the opportunity to learn and serve the industry. “When you face challenges or adversity, always try to find the silver lining and learn how you can grow and learn through that,” he says.

“We have an opportunity to... Reinvigorate Trenton and New Jersey ... through cannabis.” - Tahir Johnson

Setting an example for others is also important to Johnson, who has three daughters: Ava, 9, Arya, 5, and Autumn, 1.

“I love that they’ll get to see the strong team of women, including Wanda, that are supporting me in this business, as my current executive leadership team is all Black women,” Johnson says.

Now James has entrusted the Simply Pure brand, in part, to Johnson. “I’m honored beyond measure,” she says. “It is phenomenal to me that this young man wants to work with us, that he wants to carry this torch.” Then she points to Johnson’s family, including his mom’s big hugs.

“When his family embraces not just our brand but embraces me and my husband [Scott Durrah, Simply Pure COO] personally,” James says, “that to me, is the greatest thing ever, that it’s not just the brand that’s being embraced here. It’s the actual people that are doing it. And when we can have a company that does great things, and the people in it are like family to you or are family to you, that’s the intersection of all that’s perfect in my world. … And I am absolutely over the top that Tahir is the next person carrying this torch.”

Jolene Hansen is a freelance writer specializing in the cannabis, horticulture and CEA industries. Reach her at [email protected].