Today we’d like to introduce you to Chez McGavock.
Hi Chez, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I started as a professional Mechanical Engineer, where my role in 7 years went from designing pressure vessels to procuring offshore equipment. The money was great, but my work environment didn’t suit me; at the time, oil and gas had a significant turnover rate. I then got into restaurant management, where I could use my people skills and strive. As time passed, I started to feel like something was missing; my job was not fulfilling what I needed. After looking at myself in the mirror, I concluded that I should find something I am passionate about and find a way to make an income. I wrote a list of things I liked and narrowed it down to clothes and cannabis. I’ve always been a T-shirt and Converse kind of guy, and cannabis has been in my life since I was 16 years old, so for a while, I struggled to see how I could intertwine them together. Being from Houston, Houstonians have a lot of pride in where they are from, so I wanted to make sure shirts that would show my love for Houston and Cannabis, and that’s how Canna Town was created. Canna Town September 8th will be going on for 3 years. The journey has been a roller coaster, but I wouldn’t change it for the world; I enjoy the fact that I get to do something I love and engage with people worldwide. Canna Town’s motto is Wear Your Town Love Your Cannabis, where you can be proud of where you’re from and show love to the cannabis plant that has helped many people.
Please talk to us about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned. Looking back, has it been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It could have been a smoother road. Some of the struggles have been learning how to run a successful business. I’m not where I want to be, but I’m getting closer to my daily goal. Other struggles have been managing time; at the moment, I still have a full-time job, so being able to find time to work in Canna Town, as well as have a social life, can get frustrating.
Thanks for sharing that. Please tell us more about your business next.
Canna Town is a community-based clothing brand that the people make for the people. Each town’s logo design is created by someone from that city or who lives there. I also allow them to pick 2 shirt/logo color combinations (each town has three shirts, and one shirt/logo combination is black and white). I wanted to give each shirt its identity, and each designer would be more vested in the artwork, knowing they have so much ownership of what they’re creating. I think what sets us apart from others is that it’s hard to find cannabis merchandise that has a little swag to it. We also have a couple of shirts in our Canna Awareness collection where we give back to organizations to help with different diseases (breast cancer, ALS, addiction, to name a few). Since Canna Town is about the community, we also help sponsor events with free tees and promote other businesses on our IG Live show, SESHIONS. Where I have guests come on and smoke and talk about what they do in the cannabis community. What I’m most proud about brand-wise is seeing people rocking it. I want to see a dream come to reality and have people wearing Canna Town all over the US and South Africa.
Do you have any advice for those just starting?
My advice for those starting is always to continue. All my learning experiences along the way have made Canna Town what it is today, so I wouldn’t change anything.
Pricing:
- Shirts – $30.98
- Dad Hats – $32.98
- Beanies – $25.98
- Hoodies – $55.98
Contact Info:
- Website: www.thecannatown.com
- Instagram: @canna__town420
- Facebook: Canna Town
- Twitter: CannaTown420
