Meet Jay Galloway | Co- Owner of The Hemp Source in Winston Salem, NC & Serial Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jay Galloway and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jay, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I believe that taking risk is a must in order to be successful. The saying low risk, low reward is such a true statement after realizing that almost every move we make in life requires taking a risk. When opening The Hemp Source in Winston Salem, NC we knew that being black in the south and opening a cannabis store was going to be risky. Without taking the risk of opening, we would not have been able to help so many people and there would have been a lack of representation for people of color in this space amongst our community. It can be scary but we feel that growth comes from being uncomfortable.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I’m Jay Galloway, Co-Owner of The Hemp Source in Winston Salem, NC. At the Hemp Source we take education very seriously as that was something that was missing in our area when it comes to cannabis. We also saw the lack of black representation within this industry and wanted to be a place where people can trust both the information and products we service. There is so much misinformation on cannabis weather it be Hemp or Marijuana and we wanted to be known as a great source to receive solid information. I already believe in taking a more natural approach to finding relief with physical and mental problems and with Hemp being federally legal, we knew this would be a great way to provide relief to many. There was nothing easy about getting started. Simply finding a good location for our store was a major challenge as many were unsure on how to take a cannabis store opening in the area. We knew we would have to work hard but also knew that if we stay focused on educating then we can offer a different perspective on our products. Doing vending events and being creative with our marketing really helped with getting our information out. We also take pride in our customer service. We are big on trying before buying. Our goal is to get you feeling much better and more confident on what you are consuming before you leave our store. One of the biggest lessons I have learned while having our store is that you must stay creative and focus on those who actually want to hear about what you offer. What most of us do when starting a business is try to get everyone to be your customer instead of just focusing on those who really need what you have to offer. When traction starts to build, many of us begin to get stagnant and slow down on the creativity. Many assumed that being in the cannabis space is easy but we understood that this industry will be filled with competitors and how we market must continue to be different and always about education. Covid-19 really showed us how much we wanted to succeed as many stores around us unfortunately were forced to close their doors. We have amazing customers and we can’t thank them enough as they were an essential piece in helping us not only sustain but thrive through these interesting times. Our company also grows industrial Hemp. There is nothing like buying from a company that grows their own and we are happy to be one. We offer products from edibles, smokables, topicals, and even items for pets. We are so happy to be the first Black owned Cannabis store in Winston Salem, NC! Our location also has as an event space where we have held Yoga classes, puff and paint sessions, education seminars, and even a 5 course infused meal called The CannaDish by a professional chef. Our mission is to make people in our area feel more comfortable about cannabis and offer a community space for people who need it. We do ship all around the US and you can find us at thehempsourcews.com.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Of course the first place you have to visit in Winston Salem, NC would have to be The Hemp Source. Not only will you find all of your Hemp needs there but we always have different food trucks and guest love our music that we play outside where you can enjoy your food. We have a great Art District in our downtown area where you can find many art gallery’s. We are the home of The Nation Black Theatre Arts Festival that comes Bi-Yearly were thousands come in to enjoy performance art. We have many breweries to choose from as well. You have to stop by Sweet Potatoes restaurant when you visit and right around the way you can shop at stores like Body and Soul.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would have to give a special shout out to my wife and business partner Kayla Galloway. She is an essential piece to my success as well as the success of the few businesses we have. She is a big reason why we stay in the health space as she owns House of Serenity Health & Wellness which is another business that provides solutions for a healthier lifestyle.

Website: thehempsourcews.com

Instagram: @thehempsourcews

Facebook: Facebook.com/thehempsourcews

Other: Email: info@thehempsourcews.com TikTok: @thehempsource

Image Credits
Photographer: Jay Galloway