Hey crew,

My unexpected love letter to NYC

Two weeks ago I said we’re entering New York State as our next market. Last week I finally spent real time in NYC for the first time in a decade. Crashed with friends in Brooklyn, looped Central Park, hit too many pizza joints, plus four bagel spots for “research.”

I’ve been pretty critical of New York in the past. It is a concrete jungle… but I absolutely fell in love with the energy.

Monday night alone we hopped to four pizza places. There were more people out than a Saturday in SF during Fleet Week. I was dumbfounded, grinning up at the suitcase-shaped LVMH building , staring at Billionaires’ Row like it teleported from the Middle East 140-story toothpicks with people living in them. It felt AI-generated. If I hadn’t seen it, I wouldn’t have believed it.

New Yorkers probably thought I was pretty weird grinning up at everything and looking like I enjoyed the subway.

Even the subway was fun (yes, I know it’s less fun when you live there). I happily got swept from train to train in a river of people, praying I didn’t pick the wrong one. Too much fun, honestly.

I’m looking forward to “business” trips back. I promise, Travis (our finance guy): strictly business. 😇

But I'm not here to talk about that.

Hall of Flower NYC

Hall of Flowers New York exceeded expectations. It’s smaller now just one building. Which meant real conversations. We bought half a booth three weeks before the show and pulled off a soft launch. Bubbler setup, new All-In-One devices… people went nuts.

So many Californians were there helping NY shops get set up that it felt like a reunion. (NY brands, I feel for you as about half the floor was California.) We even saw a few of our current competitors. Just like old times.

The full-circle moment

Then Max walked up.

“Hey man, I’ve been smoking your products for years.” Which surprised me as we’ve only sold in California.

He said he was from Petaluma. I asked, “So you know Jamie and Rod at Down Under Industries?”

“Yeah! I think I started buying you guys in early 2021.”

That stopped me. Our first sale ever was February 17, 2021. Max told me a budtender had asked if he wanted to try a new brand they’d just put on the shelf less than an hour earlier. He thought the strain was Tropical Trip.

For the record: our first three strains were Tropical Trip, Cali Cream, and Citrus Blonde. Hearing that was time travel. I think we found Halara’s first customer.

I’ve always wanted to meet the people who first tried Halara and thank them. They had this possible.

Here’s to new beginnings, and to the people who take a chance on little brands like ours. That conversation made my week. (Photo: Max and me pointing out our favorite store in the state.)

Big thank you to Down Under Industries for jump-starting Halara.

Production for our first New York run starts this week—look for us in NY stores in early November.

Onwards and upwards,

— Malcolm

Someone posted about our Rosin carts on Reddit! I’m waiting with bated breath to get the final review as I hear those comments. The Moroccan Peaches slaps.

Here is the link to this

Think you’ve got a better review? Reply with your submission on our Reddit feed! Nick will critique 😂

Tune in and enjoy. Tracks I’ve been listening to this week.

It was raining a lot in NYC and SF so my friends and I made a good running in the rain playlist. Here are some of the highlights:

Some of my favorite things since the last newsletter (note: I don’t get paid to recommend anything here):

If you enjoyed it, share with a friend! I get a little spark of joy every time I see our crew grow. If you have other ideas for this newsletter lmk! Or check out our website for more info.

Halara · License No. CDPH-10004369

Santa Rosa, CA · USA