The End of Retail (and the Start of Something Else)
We tried something a little unconventional. We asked the community to tell us whether they wanted Bear Dance to continue into the next phase of Virginia’s cannabis industry. And the honest answer was… it’s complicated.
Which is okay. That’s honestly what we expected.
A lot of people encouraged us to try, and we’re really glad we did — because now we have clarity instead of guessing.
So here’s where things stand
We are officially done with retail.
Bear Dance will no longer be operating as a retail shop.
This wasn’t a quick decision, and it’s not one we took lightly — but it’s the reality of trying to run a compliant cannabis business in Virginia right now.
We’re not bringing in new inventory anymore. What we had left is gone; that chapter is closed.
The space itself isn’t going anywhere just yet… I’m currently brainstorming fun things we can do between now and the end of our lease — but moving forward, we won’t be carrying products, and we’ll be available at the space in Roanoke by appointment only while we figure out what comes next.
The fundraiser (lol)
Our attempt to fundraise was… underwhelming.
Which — to be fair — makes sense. People don’t really want to donate to a for-profit business, no matter how genuine the intentions are.
We get it.
But we’re still glad we tried. Because it gave us a real answer instead of sitting in limbo, wondering if we could somehow push through.
And then… Virginia did Virginia things
At the same time, the Governor responded to the recreational bill in a way that I don’t think anyone expected.
We knew Spanberger came from a federal background… but a full-on prohibitionist angle was definitely not on my bingo card.
So between that and everything else, it’s become pretty clear:
Virginia’s regulatory environment is not set up for businesses like ours to transition into the “rec” market.
And that’s been a hard reality to sit with.
The 4/20 send-off
We did our final event at Golden Cactus — and honestly, thank you.
Truly.
The people who showed up, hung out, supported us, and just got it… that meant everything.
That’s the part we’ll carry with us.
A weird place to land
This has been a strange process.
We’ve found ourselves asking what we could have done differently — and sure, there are always little things.
But the bigger truth is that this wasn’t just about us.
We’ve been navigating a system that has shifted constantly, enforced inconsistently, and ultimately made it very difficult for compliant small businesses to survive.
And through all of that?
We built something real.
What we’re actually proud of
We ran a nearly 7-year brick-and-mortar business.
In this industry.
In this state.
And we did it while:
maintaining our standards
staying compliant
never selling out
never cutting corners
We could have lowered our standards at any point. It would have helped our bottom line for sure.
But it wouldn’t have been us. And we’re really proud of that.
As far as small businesses go in general, we had a good run.
As far as this kind of business goes?
We did really, really well.
This is not failure
Closing our retail shop does not feel like failure. And while we are a little sad, of course, we’re actually really happy with our decision.
It feels like clarity.
It feels like finally acknowledging where our value has actually been this whole time.
Because what Bear Dance was never just about products.
It was about:
education
conversations
helping people navigate something confusing
building trust
And that part doesn’t go away.
So what now?
Bear Dance isn’t ending.
This is just the end of the retail version of it.
We’re shifting.
We want to make our knowledge and experience more accessible.
We want to be louder. We want to be more opinionated. We want to be more of a problem.
Because if we don’t have our own business on the line anymore… oh we can really get into it now.
For now
We’re still around.
If you want to stop by, catch up, ask questions, or just see the space one more time — reach out and we’ll set something up.
If you’re not sure what we can and cannot do for you, just ask! We don’t believe in stupid questions.
And finally
We are incredibly grateful.
For the past 6 (almost 7) years
For the people who showed up
For the conversations
For the trust
Y’all who came through our doors regularly… you get it.
And that’s what matters.
More soon.
— Sarah & Chris
Bear Dance Hemp
