Business 44 p o r t l a n d monthly magazine photos by diane hudson time off after school to intern on a farm in New Mexico. Tiring of “making goat cheese,” he moved back, and at 18 wound up managing KGB Glass, a smoke shop on Congress Street. “It gave me the taste of running a business. I enjoyed the stress and getting creative, trying to build something.” S tarting work for marijuana caregiv- ers in his free time, tuning other peo- ple’s cannabis into tinctures, edibles, essential oils, etc., Butler was soon working “nine to five at the store and five to nine” at his business. “You have to specialize in something. We chose extracts. Initially we had a small line of beverage enhancers, medicated sim- ple syrups to pour in a drink. Many mari- juana patients are adverse to smoking, so this is a viable niche.” After two years of full-time focus, Coastal Remedies has invested well over a quarter of a million dollars back into the business. A week or two away from harvest- ing its first crop, the firm is bustling with activity and growth. Numerous 1,000-watt grow lights, state-of-the-art humidifiers, and a full-time professional grower add di- mension to this investment. But it’s at a separate space where the extraction work is done and Butler really shines, truly at home in his lab. “I always liked chemistry,” he says. As for income, “We pretty much pour it all back into the business. But I wake up ev- ery day and get to dictate my own sched- ule, which is work. It’s more than money—I love what I do. I’m pursuing my vision. All this would be worth a lot on the black mar- ket. But that doesn’t interest us. Our prod- uct is helping give better lives to people in pain, and that gives a great sense of ac- complishment and worth.” A Creative Thread “When I was a kid,”seamstress Jacque- lyn Pepice, 34, says, “I’d tell my mom, ‘When I grow up, I’m going to have my own store, and I’m gonna call it Sink or Fly.’” Instead, she named it Hem and Veil. She laughs. “Kinda like hill and dale.” Always attracted to sewing, Pepice and fellow students at MECA (2002- 2006) convinced the sculpture depart- ment to buy an industrial sewing ma- chine and pull a loom out of storage. “We started our own fiber niche, and I began de- signing wearable art.” Finding the confidence to follow her passion took time, including nine years of being inspired by her mentor, Sarah Mar- tin, owner of Bar of Chocolate in Portland. “I started bartending there in 2006 at 21. I watched Sarah growing her business. I re- alized that if you work hard, you can make it happen.” I n rented spaces, Pepice steadily built a clientele of brides and bridesmaids be- fore purchasing her current location in Rosemont. “It’s scary,” she says of having put $40,000 down on the building. “But there will be no rent increases. I have a playroom for my five-year-old and stor- age area for extensive inventory.” Pepice also sells and alters gently used wed- Coastal Remedies grows different strains of plants at their facility,including “Pineapple Express” and “Burnt Pie.” “Many marijuana patients are adverse to smoking, so this is a viable niche.” —SamButler,CoastalRemedies