As businesses purge their social media and stores of rainbow palettes now that Pride Month is done, Green Qween’s disco ball continues to summon all her queer children to a downtown L.A. dispensary that stays queer all year round.
Owners Taylor Bazley and Andrés Rigal opened the doors of Green Qween in 2022 with a mission to serve the queer community and uplift queer-owned brands in a space that celebrates queer creativity.
“We knew that we wanted to have every queer brand that we could get our hands on, and no matter how small, we wanted to feature them,” Bazley tells L.A. TACO.
Although there generally isn’t much queer representation to be found in cannabis retail, the community fully embraced Green Qween, Bazley says. The dispensary received media support from celebrities such as RuPaul, Brooklyn Heights, Demi Lavato, and Cara Develline. On a local level, they received thousands of signatures on a petition in favor of their business opening, leading to a unanimous vote of approval from the downtown L.A. neighborhood council.
“Because of the community, we were able to push through,” said Bazley.
Green Qween carries a wide variety of edibles, drinks, flowers, pre-rolls, vapes, extracts, tinctures, topicals, smoking accessories, apparel, and other products that capture queer culture.
On the shelves, guests can see big-name brands, such as Wyld, and brands on the rise, such as Stone Road. Green Qween aims to provide a space for queer-owned brands to launch themselves into the industry, breaking down brand-ownership barriers in the cannabis industry by offering them prime shelf space underneath a dazzling 400-pound disco ball.
“Our hope is that by offering them that shelf space, that will help them get more contracts and get into other stores,” Bazley said.
In contrast to the dark and shady trap shops that were seen more commonly before the legalization of recreational cannabis in California, Green Qween incorporates neon signs, a vibrant, gender-neutral color palette, 25-foot vaulted ceilings, exposed beams, large windows to keep natural light pouring in, and a team of helpful budtenders. Guests are encouraged to pick up the products to learn more about them, as opposed to stores where you can look but not touch.
“We want to be a place of discovery,” said Bazley.
Bazley’s mission to create safe and welcoming spaces for the queer community began before Green Qween was brought to life. Bazley has been a member of queer-centered and uplifting organizations, such as Equality California and StoneWall Democratic Club in L.A.
He is responsible for the rainbow crosswalk on Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice, the rainbow lifeguard tower on the beach (achieved while managing the city of Venice for L.A. City Council), and flew the largest pride flag at the 2018 Venice Pride parade alongside Grant Turck, president and founder of Venice Pride.
“I got into politics because I wanted to make my community a better place,” Bazley said.
It was during that time with the city council that Bazley’s interest turned to the cannabis industry. Realizing the value of a cannabis license, he enrolled in UCLA’s Anderson School of Management and quit his job in 2019 to devote himself to creating Green Qween.
The four-year journey included about two years of studying and two years waiting for licensing approval. Since the business’s opening, it has grown about 7% each month, with about 25% of sales coming from edibles, according to Bazley. In 2022, Green Qween was awarded the Cilo Cannabis award for brand design, and again in 2023 for “partnerships and collaborations.”
Looking to the future, Bazley said he looks forward to opening new locations in West Hollywood and Sherman Oaks, hosting more events, such as their annual fashion show, which exclusively spotlights Trans-fashion designers and models, and being a mainstage sponsor at this year’s L.A. Pride parade in Downtown in August.
“To be able to use cannabis as a vehicle for positive progression for LGBTQ+ rights is exciting for me,” Bazley said. “Three stores will allow us to do that on a much bigger scale.”
Green Qween ~ 1051 S. Broadway Los Angeles, CA 90015
