Hook Up staff pose for a picture at their grand opening. Back row: Mild Thompson, staff member; Jen Sambile, operations manager; Krissa Deleon Guerrero, retail manager; Nicolas Quitugua, budtender. Front row, Nick Sablan Jr., general manager; and Irvin Saralu, budtender.
AS the Hook Up officially opens its doors, General Manager Nick Sablan Jr. remains passionate about cannabis, but cautious about the industry overall.
In an interview with Variety during the Hook Up’s grand opening on July 29, Sablan said the next few months will be filled with competitors because licenses are getting approved “left to right.”
Sablan said with increased competition, there could be a dip in profit.
“After November we’ll see how it goes, because a lot of places have been approved to open,” Sablan said. “Even at this point [the industry is] already saturated.”
“Soon enough we’re going to have to sell a gram for two cents after spending ten dollars to make a plant. And that’s when we die,” he added.
For now, while the Hook Up has fewer competition, Sablan said his shop has so far exceeded his expectations.
“Before we started, we had a target [sales goal]. After our first month we were hoping to hit that target number. We beat that number,” Sablan said. “Now the hardest part is to keep it going.”
He said he and his staff “forecast issues arising soon,” mainly because of inter-business competition.
He noted that some industry players are creating “obstacles” for each other.
Nevertheless, Sablan said he is pursuing a processing license, which will enable the Hook Up to create hash, wax, and other cannabis derivatives.
Since his business had a soft opening on May 19, Sablan said the Hook Up has already made a good name for itself.
“The demographics that walk through that door — you’d be surprised,” Sablan said. “We have our beautiful…aunty who’s maybe 80 years old and can barely walk up the stairs but makes it a point to come up. We have a veteran with two canes and a businessman who can’t show that he does this. It’s been good so far.”
