INDUSTRY
What Is a Grow Shop? Origins, Products and How to Open One
Where grow shops came from, what they actually sell, and what it takes to open one in Argentina.
BY CosechaLibre Editorial4 MIN READ
A grow shop (or growshop) is a store that sells, and above all gives advice on, everything you need to grow cannabis: lights, fertilizers, growing media, ventilation, pH meters, grow tents and, where it's legal, seeds. According to the usual origin story, grow shops trace back to the United States in the 1950s and only reached Europe in the 1980s, with Amsterdam leading the way in what became the “grow store” phenomenon.
So what sets a grow shop apart from a regular garden center? It's a store built specifically around cannabis cultivation, where the advice matters as much as the products on the shelves.
These shops carry fertilizers, grow lights, ventilation and exhaust gear, pH testers, grow boxes and an endless list of supplies for growing cannabis indoors and outdoors.
In some countries growing cannabis is illegal, yet grow shops are still allowed to sell the gear, accessories and everything else you need to grow indoors or outdoors. In countries where growing is legal, you'll also find cannabis seeds.
Good advice is key, and it's one of the things that makes or breaks a grow shop. Beyond knowing the products, the person behind the counter should ideally know how to help both first-time and seasoned growers.
What does “grow shop” mean?
The name is English through and through: “grow” as in growing plants, and “shop” as in store. So a grow shop is simply a store that sells products for growing plants, especially cannabis. In Argentina and the rest of the Spanish-speaking world, the English term stuck, and that's what everyone calls these stores.How do you open a grow shop in Argentina?
Opening a grow shop in Argentina means meeting certain legal and business requirements. Here are the steps you need to follow:
Register the business:
To start a business in Argentina, you need to register with the federal tax agency, AFIP (now called ARCA), and get a tax ID number known as a CUIT.Get permits and licenses:
Before opening a grow shop, you need the permits and licenses required by your local and provincial government. That can include zoning, building and safety permits, plus a business license to operate where the shop is located.Pick a location:
Location is key to making the business work. Choose a spot that's easy for customers to get to, in a safe commercial area.Stock up on inventory:
A grow shop needs a complete inventory of growing supplies, including seeds, fertilizers, lighting and ventilation. Finding reliable, quality suppliers is a must.Marketing and advertising:
Once the shop is up and running, you need to get the word out to bring in customers. That can mean traditional ads in newspapers and on the radio, plus digital channels like social media and websites.Run the business:
You have to manage the business properly, including inventory, bookkeeping, customer service and upkeep of the store.
What can you buy at a grow shop?
Some of the products you'll find at a grow shop include:1- Cannabis seeds:
Argentine grow shops carry tons of cannabis seed varieties, from indica and sativa strains to hybrids.2- Grow lights:
Grow lights are essential for growing cannabis indoors, so grow shops offer a wide range of LED and metal halide lighting options.3- Growing media and fertilizers:
Grow shops sell different growing media for cannabis, like soil, perlite and coco coir, along with cannabis-specific fertilizers.4- Watering systems:
Watering systems are crucial for keeping cannabis plants healthy, so grow shops carry a wide range of them, from drip systems to hydroponic setups.5- Accessories and tools:
Grow shops also sell all kinds of cannabis growing accessories and tools, like pH meters, pruning shears and fans.You'll also find autoflowering seeds at a grow shop. Autoflowers are cannabis varieties that flower on their own after a certain amount of time, without needing a change in the light cycle to trigger flowering.
Autoflowers are a good pick for outdoor growers, since they don't depend on day length and can be planted over a much longer stretch of the year.
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