The People Behind the Counter
Meet the Purple Buds team.
Jackson Heights hires Jackson Heights. Every person you meet at Purple Buds — from the budtender walking you through our flower wall to the team handing you your reserved pickup order — is part of this neighborhood.
How we hire
Three things matter more than résumés: can you treat every customer with respect, do you know cannabis cold, and do you care about Jackson Heights? Everything else we can train.
Educate, never upsell
Our budtenders are trained to ask, listen, and recommend the right product — even when that means recommending something cheaper. Honest guidance is the whole job.
Licensed, trained, ongoing
Every team member is NY OCM certified and completes continuing education on cannabinoid science, terpene profiles, product interactions, and harm-reduction best practices.
Neighbors first
We live within a short walk or train ride of the store. We shop in the same bodegas, wait for the same 7 train, and take pride in Jackson Heights being our home — not just our location.
Who you'll meet
Four teams, one mission.
From the sidewalk to the storeroom, every role at Purple Buds exists to give you a clearer, safer, and more enjoyable experience with cannabis.
Leadership
Our founders are longtime Queens residents with backgrounds in hospitality, retail operations, and community organizing. They built Purple Buds to be the kind of dispensary they wished existed when recreational cannabis first became legal in New York.
Budtenders
Our budtender team blends seasoned cannabis professionals with locals we trained from scratch. They ask what you want out of your experience — sleep, focus, social energy, pain relief — before they ever recommend a strain.
Front-of-House
The first faces you see at Purple Buds. Our front-of-house team handles check-in, pickup reservations, and ID verification so every visit moves smoothly — whether you came to browse or grab a quick order off the shelf.
Compliance & Operations
Behind the counter, our operations team handles METRC tracking, lab verification, and daily inventory reconciliation. If it's on our shelf, it's documented, tested, and compliant with every OCM requirement.
Come say hi.
Walk in anytime Mon–Tue 11–8 · Wed–Fri 9–10 · Sat–Sun 10–10. Ask for a recommendation, a tour, or just the best strain for a quiet Sunday — our team is here to help.