Hall of Flowers Iconoclast Panel: Lili & Kevin Hayes

hi everybody hi everybody hi yes good I am not going to uh try to be up here by myself for very long because I know you are all here to see a true OG of culture but somebody very very new to weed culture and we're going to get her impressions of walking around Hall of flowers and experiencing this incredible industry that we are all building together please welcome to the stage I'm going to say m Lily Hayes and her son Kevin they are a dynamic duo of content Creations I know you've seen their videos and we're excited to have them here at Hall of flowers yeah okay guys let's do it got wa ah it right above the above the table this way perfect perfect W all right so I want to get right into it Lily we had about an hour to walk around Hall of flowers here today what did you see what did you smell who did you meet what was that experience like for you the huh into the mic H into the mic I'm not R to the mic uh to be here what's the place real of flow real flowers if it's real of flowers honestly it smells Chanel Number Five it's good The Vibes is good the people they are wonderful I I am I'm I'm speechless it's the first time in my life and I'm a little bit old but whoever doesn't come here he lost a beautiful day the day of nice people Good Vibes uh I know some people and and it was beautiful I smell what The What did I smell H I smelled a green apple it was good mhm then it was what it was what I don't like to eat what I don't like to eat celery yes celery and then it was a mish mash of both of them amazing guys now in the morning you you're going to come you're going to get up in the morning with a smile on your face you're going to sit down for a minute you're going to take aook you're going to watch for five minutes Lucy and you have the best day of your life that's it what's happening today is not going to be tomorrow tomorrow is another day tomorrow is Friday is a short day so this is what I saw today and I'm honestly the best the photographer I thought we going to have music it's beautiful I I am in this go forever okay I can talk okay you tell me when you stop I think I wouldn't dream of tell don't stop when I'm going to get the old scar I'm going to say to everybody better be quiet because it's my turn to do it I don't know what's going to happen to me in 10 years I'm not going to be up 10 30 years so don't stop you got some well I want to I want to I want to I want to you know point something out that you just said and make sure the wisdom of it sinks in cuz we had a panel and it was a great panel and the suggestion was start your day every morning on LinkedIn you know getting your socials and and and priming the pump of your business but I think a shnook of some weed that that has the aroma of Chanel Number Five just one just one just one just one and not a whole episode of I Love Lucy you don't have that kind of time you're not re tied what was it 10 minutes 10 minutes I love giggles and then you start the day so you know that's that's Roi type that we're hearing right now Kevin I want to ask um was your mom always so enlightened and open-minded about cannabis when you were a younger uh person uh half no not for me my dad partook quite a bit so she was around it all the time uh but not like fully knowing you know it was one of those things where like probably like she's like your dad lights incense a lot you know what I'm saying but also like he you know did the most and then uh and then yeah when I was like in my dad likes incense yeah you know I mean know yeah yeah she didn't know what was going on you it was just like oh yeah like it smells funny when it comes out of the bathroom you know and uh and I knew but also it was just like but it was kind of like a weish household it was always just like funny on the TV and records and you know just like it was like my dad was like good high schooler even when I was a high schooler so when I started around she was just like you're acting different cuz I couldn't handle my when he could you know so then it was just like what's going on guys you know she like didn't know where to look and then but yeah again she one thing I want to say not his dad never ever offered me nothing and he did everything I I I don't know so I never smoking but today I had fun but yeah she's she was she was cool about it yeah yeah I didn't be awesome so then how did we get from there to making a video with chicha cha uh um I made a video uh there was a there was really there was two friends one of them was a dead head and the other one was uh a girl who has a dog that's Instagram famous and I always said it was kind of like the Angel and the devil on my shoulders being like I made videos in I to set sent it to him and then they were both like you just start an Instagram account you know like I don't want to bug you anymore and I was just like I don't no one's going to Care like besides you guys you know and uh I mean I was wrong you know and so we started I started filming her just like doing her because she's you know I mean if if we didn't stop her right now she'd still be like all right guys a shook in the morning and you know it's just like she'll go on forever and it's always funny and so I was just like this is too this is good and then I just kept on being consistent and I made a few Halloween videos and one of them was a chich and Chong scene and then they saw it they were like what the is this now Lily did you know who chich and Chang were when you're making the video yes of course I do I love them I love the movie of course I but I didn't know I can I did both of them in the car the the the the weed it was H oh my God it was so dumb we we I put toilet paper around like um it was like for Breeze it was like the most like dangerous in the world I was like in a closed car and she's lighting she's literally you know it's like we're just like EA we are down and dirty I just like like get the shot man you know and she just like you know smoking dog you know yeah smoking dog yeah wait did you remember seeing did you remember seeing that movie when you were with Dad back in the day yes yes of course we going to take me to a movie like this of course he's dead but it was it was amazing and it was very nice to see them alive and uh I can do and CH better than both of them wait how do wa let me ask you this how do you feel about like what you thought weed was back then and what weed is today and the people who smoking no today today number one you can carry it in your pair or something to have weed in your car know where say it's dangerous and it's problems back the day yes back in the day problem why you going to have it you mother as well have it at home you're going to have it in the car or the jacket or they underwear well you know my mom is referring to a story where my dad went to they went to Hawaii what happened oh yeah what a story man this should be in a movie we going to Hawaii it was everything was beautiful the dummy left the wheat papers in his bag oh and they open it they they stopped him they stopped him the police took him now I'm waiting I'm asking what the hell is going on now they're asking me you know are you with this idiot yes I am what's going on oh my God you couldn't throw it away for two pennies you don't have the weed you throw it away like a MCH and don't carry it home we he was in the room they ask him question they ask me question then they saw she's an innocent woman she doesn't have nothing and he's an idiot just let them go let them them go but what I'm telling you let them go it was for a couple hours and it's embarrassing you're in the airport people they're looking what the hell they did we didn't do the dummy took the papers with him to bring it to Los Angeles or my wife wait wait how do you feel about that and then look at it now now I'll have put in my pocket if I want to it's nothing you know but I don't I want to go straight and I want to come back straight who needs problems you don't need problem you want to live a beautiful life you are here with beautiful people let them have the bre the stook at night in the day whatever you like don't drive don't do nothing bad blah blah blah the police is not so nice did what they told me you know so that's it you you know a lot of people here and you know have experienced some version of that some people you know we have a we we we went and saw an art gallery of people who have you know been incarcerated for a long time for cannabis and everybody here in some facet has felt that stigma whether it's from their family whether it's from law enforcement in school and I think that's something that really bonds this community of people together and I think that's something that you experienced just walking around I know people recognized you and knew you and wanted to say hi but the general Vibe is you know we've all been through something together um and I think you you you really touched on that uh number one life it's not easy you know life it's hard life you need to go to work you need to make money you have to be you have to be surrounded with the best people you know don't go with a person that know less than you you cannot get you're going to go with people that know more than you 25% in life is what you know 75% is what he knows he knows better than me so this is life life it doesn't go like this it goes like this and like this but you know what every day is a new day and every day should be a happy day how you make it you think heal positive you talk positive you are not negative you have a word that say why not us so why not you you can be big Gates do I know what he does the idiot no but I know that you guys can do it if you want to get there you young I'm done that was like a wild like a fortune cookie again it'll never stop I'm telling you it's like all like hey yo yo chill you have question I want to give the people what I know and what I feel is Good Vibes you want to take it wonderful you don't want to take it I'm having the time of my life so I here with you guys I love it you got another one you got another one yeah right no one came to see me so I'm I you got a star you let the star shine that's that's my philosophy but one thing I do wonder is as a younger person did you dream of uh being an actor being on stage being in films or is this something that really just happened no I never did honestly I never did I come from nothing I am a story of success but to dream that I'm going to be a speaker here to people my advice is good take it write it down I'm telling you I'm not coming back the point is yes I never but he made it he made it it was what was the what was this karona it was this sickness whatever it was yeah no she was she's a business leader so she yeah she just wants to sell 41 days 41 days 41 years in the same store with the same customer the most but she has stick that's like hella funny and also I'm saying too it's like she was the she was a square of my f of my parents and so she's like also residual dad so she is a mish mash of a bunch of you know so she so it was just like again she was down but also she's funny and that is a combination for like me being like this is why I can talk about an Oscar and I love it when I tell them don't stop me now everybody's laughing you know talk about winning Oscars and you know what I'm saying yeah big why not dream big don't dream small oh I want to have a little business no I don't want to have a business I want to own a a h 22 units in downtown Los Angeles this brings money dram it will happen and I'm not guaranteed happen you know but I know me I was the story of su the minute I have a little bit of money I put it in the right place the minute I have a little bit and I love it okay so how do you feel about being on stage talking and like uh I am I whoever didn't come he lost something that is priceless priceless what's Priceless what I'm telling them game yeah I'm I'm not Dr pH I'm not if anybody wants to ask me any question no religious no politics maybe a little bit sex a little bit Oh's the guy oh he's you no sex the guy didn't like it let's keep it peachy said nice and clean not that I know anything honey I never had a boyfriend I had a husband two HB yes well I have I have a question not about sex maybe maybe later the question okay be a good husband and you're going to take me for him yes well you said you know when we were walking around I I pointed out each of these booths at Hall of flowers really does represent somebody's dream you know this is a few years ago I think people thought this might be an easy way to make money but we have disabused everyone of that and uh a lot of people who had that mindset have left and I like to say uh the people who are left are a lot better than the people who left and we're at this interesting point where it really does feel like everybody is here pursuing a dream and so um my question question really is in terms of how you found this uh bit of Fame and bit of uh connection to people through making video content and social media content a big problem that we have as cannabis people is our content can really get blocked by these platforms they don't want us to tell the truth about this plant they don't want us to represent it as a medicine even never mind as something that's fun when you're watching I Love Lucy um so I think what a lot of people would really love to know is how do you make content you know we even have the wind in our faces but what what what do you find in your experience breaks through to people and gets people's attention and will help you kind of separate from so much that's out there it's not me man he's the boss well no I mean it's it's her cuz it's like I I say that like I always say like Mom's never wrong you know and so like I mean I don't agree with everything but I'm also just like whatever she says is like coming from her heart or like her guts in a way where I'm like that is our voice and if I like corrected her like what was a panel supposed to be about Mom I don't know some I was okay so even that I just like sounds good I would just take that as a sound B be like that's exactly it flow pink flowers know she's not going to get it right but it's right in our world and I put like parentheses but I'm getting at like it's just whatever comes naturally to her and it that is her voice cuz I feel like it's just like yeah we are here I feel like there's a like you know there's a lot of people who are selling a lot of things where we're all like kind of like buying for people's attention and and if you're trying to do what the next person's doing as opposed to whatever comes out of your guts you're kind of you know but um but it is a it's a bummer that all the the weed stuff is getting blocked but I think that if someone were to just kind of like be like a again it's like obviously the answer to all this stuff is like be yourself but like uh if you are like an extreme version of yourself I feel like it's kind of like you're on the path to success and I think that you know it's like again I can't pacify this that was just crazy again just you want to let her go again she just go on forever oh yeah what you mean just enough not enough yeah she like giving leur I'm just stting I'm just going to get W well when did you realize that people that you didn't didn't know had never met were feeling this connection and we walked around and people gave you hugs and came up like when did you realize that was happening one little boy told me no no no when did you realize when people strangers ah strangers she's about to tell some sentimental story about I can't understand this kid I he's the one who told me don't you know you don't Instagram what the hell he talking about no no and then when you see that people approach you no when was that when was the first time some I remember I don't know a couple years ago 3 years ago 5 years ago it's such a beautiful feeling any place I go people know who I am people call me by my name and I said what then they know who I am yes they know who I am it's a beautiful feeling I give them the best hugs and the best I I used to be excited Goosebumps I used to cry I said what the hell me and they're kissing me and I want to be like you and I want to get you something and blah blah blah listen this beon doesn't have it I'm telling you she doesn't have she doesn't go with people and I go with the people I go in the park young kids they come to me they say wow they know my language they know my language she doesn't speak she I don't she doesn't speak anything she's gibberish people always just like what's her first second gibberish yish [Applause] just all you know only one language I know how many and I'm telling you it's it's you know it's funny especially also talking about this and and uh I Love Lucy she used to be like when I came to America I learned how to speak English through uh through Lucy and I was just like like Ricky cuz it's a truth you know it's actually sounds like it also no no what's the first time when you don't remember when someone came up to you and it's was like yo you're that lady I don't remember a while ago people approach me I didn't we are in New York and H we had in the park meeting reading freezing it was people there from what Italy Italy they know where we are they came to see me because they watch me in Italy I I didn't know even what to say I didn't know it's a beautiful feeling I wish for everybody a feeling like this honestly because I didn't don't know how to express myself because this is a feeling that I never even know I have it you know amazing amazing that's beautiful and I think one one of the things we Kevin that you you touched on is you know I don't know if you Ed the word but just being your authentic self and I I will say you know walking around with you for an hour was no different and and and uh no less funny no less engaging you gave me life advice I felt a little scolded at a few points in a good way I'm not done yet and and one thing I wanted to point out to you just kind of as an emissary of this culture and and of Hall of flowers is you know we sort of have these two strains of authenticity in Canabis we have people and I see them here uh who come from the hills up in Humble County and maybe you're a second or third generation outdoor grower on a farm with the plants and then we have people who come from inner city environments and maybe started with two or three plants and one light and whatever you could scrape together but if you can grow this plant in a way that is beautiful and pure and that makes people happy and want that plant you can still find success in this and and it is uh just from my perspective 20 years in media with cannabis you have to be yourself that's what we have if you're looking at the big corporate type businesses and they're here and hey welcome but you know if you are trying to compete with that you're not going to compete with them by having the same amount of resources you're not going to make a Marvel movie out of your company you're going to have to make an independent movie you're going to have to do something that comes out of your own art and and just kind of like how how in the in the I think we talked about the theory of it but in the nuts and bolts of it you know you're working in a budget I I don't you know I'm sure it's gotten a little better from uh what was it drier sheets but but how do you portray your true expression when your budget is is that of individual people I I mean I think that uh well again it's just like you know when I was younger I felt like like success was or like even like artistic success was like I read about Bas story in a book or some and I was just like well that's it so I wanted to look like that and then once I was like I started doing stuff with Mom it's more so like I could tell you how it happened and it didn't look like what I thought it would look like but by this point if I explained it it might look like a straight line to you even though it was just it was just it was the whole time you know like I didn't I didn't think I didn't think Tik Tok was in the I didn't think Tik Tok was in the mix I didn't think I didn't I didn't think this was going to be you know in the cards but also it's just like meeting cool people and nice people that I also want to with is always going to be in the cards but with that being said what are you say it's because of no look yeah what are you saying bro going to save you some of the worst ones but but the thing is I feel like the I think that like the budget was our strength because you have toar you know you have to learn how to make do and then and then by this point you just kind of explain what happened as opposed to what you want to happen you know so it's just like it's like hearing about you know like third generation humble or just like two lights and you know one plant it's just like that's also a story that like I might relate to and be like oh I want to be a part of that you know um and so like yeah just again being your authentic self in a way where it's just like just doing the best you can with what you have at the time yeah and I think what I'm hearing and I think this is just a really good point to amplify for people is don't try to uh you know if if you're running on on on Scotch tape and and gum and and and borrowed shoelaces let people see that because they're going to relate to it a lot more people are trying to get by on what they have uh than have everything they could ever wish for and they will relate to that and I a question for you Lily is you know one of the fastest growing and I'm not suggesting you join it but one of the fastest growing uh consumers of cannabis and cannabis product is seniors and uh medically it can help from a lot of things do you know any seniors in your life who are who are into cannabis I don't I only know young people 30 to 40 and I bet you they're all doing it old people I don't know because I'm not old how I'm going to know what old people does I go with the youngster so this is what they do the only thing I'm going to say what he said and he said never ever don't look at your next door neighbor that the grass is there Greener you with what you have and you're going to fight for it and you're going to do the right thing if you know that a piece of weed you didn't sell you're going to go and another one you're going to change the places every single day in the store you sell it you know why the person that was there yesterday one second she didn't have in the store you did you just did the trick so you going to did the trick when you're going to be in a store when you I used to change my looking in the store every single day in the morning the customer oh my God you have something new it's old but they think is new so you have you have to be ambitious too I was I was ambitious I want to I want to do what my next door have ever but I never look there I look first in my plate what is in my plate I'm going to do with this I'm going to run with this and everybody here can be a success if you want to be if you want to be now sometime to be a Success is Not To Be A Millionaire a success is to have a job you have food in the refrigerator you have roof over your head and you have your health your health now you want to do Wich mook do it you're going to be a happy camper whatever you got in your life you're going to say wow I had a good run in this life and don't forget to be nice to your neighbor your labor yes let's say that one again because I don't think everybody in the way back knows that yeah you know why they don't know it because there are competition the minute you have competition they cannot be friends everybody wants to say if I'm there and I see you in this booth come on here I have something better I'm not I did it in my life anyway so this is life everybody takes care of himself first then if you have a little bit of time BL BL blo you're going to go to a I don't know calescent hospital and do some good deed but not everybody have the time so life is expensive we have to be creative this is a library when the the stomach is full the library Works don't forget this when you go to get a job don't go on an empty stomach you better put something in your you smile you smell good you look good you're going to get the job I promise you that's it right I want to awesome and I want to really expand on what you said about Labor because you know we have a tradition in cannabis when cannabis was illegal when it was underground you had to trust the people who worked for you you because uh you know you could get in trouble if they turned against you on a very practical level and also we all felt as I said in it together you know it was a real threat and um in the best situations that really led to kind of uh an equality feeling people didn't want to feel uh that they were the the boss and you were the labor and as we've changed and as the the vision has become bigger and as you don't really have to trust the person working at your legal store the way you had to trust somebody who might be driving a trunk full of weed around for you or growing plants for you um you know we see some bad labor practices and um it's really upsetting and I think as someone who's been successful in retail yes for so long to hear you say that means a lot and and I maybe kind of talk about like what it's like to have longterm relationship with your customers in addition to the labor like how do you develop that relationship how do you you know try to be cracking a joke with them but also make it clear that you're there to make a buck what happened when I was not in the school Kevin and you stay in this school she traveled every so often and then I would go and people would come through like regulars and just look at me and go like oh hell I can't do this show straight up because they came for her they care and it was like it was the merchandise but it was her you know number one you greet them with welcome this is number one number two you don't let them see the merchandise right away you give him coffee not in a goway cup in a mug they will sit and drink and buy on top of the coffee is a piece of cake excuse me a cookie when the stomach is full like I said okay seora now what you want okay give me this give me this give me this give me this give me you know you skip one that is very very good and I don't lie when I say I didn't lie ever in my store if a person bought six or 160 it was the same price maybe maybe a dollar less Maybe I should be very honest but I treat them with love we talk about Tel Nolla we talk about the driver we talk I give them all the time that I have I want them to buy for me I don't want them to go to the next door neighbor and they didn't what do you need leave here the bed what do you need I want to leave you here some money leave it I will never touch it you understand so they trust me I trust them I loved him until maybe a couple years ago they asked me if I been going to open the store again I retired now he's my boss well and one of the things about her being like here now is she never thought she'd be here she just thought she'd just be doing that you know and so and again like her job was building relationships and like loyalty you know and just like treating customers like family you know I because it's it's the truth I mean I remember growing up and she used to be like man I wish I had a bed in the store I don't to come home seriously you know just like you know for what for real hang with yeah that's that's what I'm saying and I mean it's like is he dead that's what I'm say so it's like it was always funny to me because it was like it cuz that comes from it come from her heart you know and so so again I was just like look that's funny but also so I I would be like yo let's do something once a week and she just like what are you talking about you're going to play on your dumb phone with your stupid friends I'm working and and again a lot of the work is just building relationships and uh and so I mean I learned a lot just through that but then when she came when it was just like when it was like lock down she had more to run and then I was just like oh my God I have her and I'm like I'm going to put this out in the world you know and I sold all my store to One customer yeah he know I have good merchandise and whatever I didn't sell he took it for free yeah but again it was the otherwise we beat them today yeah yeah she I mean cuz that's what she likes to do I mean we were saying she likes it she would she would love to be in a booth right now just you know doing the most she wants to action you know well I want to ask that a show of hands um how many people in the what we we call the old way of selling weed when it was illegal the traditional Market or the Underground Market um how many people when they were buying cannabis in the Underground Market had some version of here's a mug of coffee or you know mate or and a nice cookie and let's hang out do you want to listen to this song I just recorded and sometimes it went a little too like I kind of want to just go with my weed go home but that was part of it h and how many people there are great shops and people do the best they can in the in the capitalistic system that they've been pushed into but how many people feel they get that sort of a of a Vibe when they go to buy weed at a at a store and I just think that's a what what store give him the give them the love I like Francisco nice because I would say anybody who's in the retail end of it or if you're a brand and you're going into these places to try to you know sell your product you're you're you're sort of you need this Biddle person you can't sell direct to the consumer a a a at this point uh unlike a lot of other products and it just seems to me such a missed opportunity to create these Community Vibes these neighborhood Vibes it can be hard a lot of places you can't even smell the weed like we got to smell it here that's why people really love this event is it is open you can meet the people who grew the plants um and I would just say we we need as a as a as an industry to push for that because that's how you get loyalty from people and that's how people also feel they trusted you when you said this is good and this is a good price and you've been saying it and it was true for a long time they trusted you and we kind of have to re um build that trust 41 years in the same space that is amazing yeah um what can we I I know you wanted to go on the ferris wheel is there any other Hall of flowers experience yeah for sure what else you want to see wait what else haven't we seen yet now I'm not 52 and a half I'm 26 go this okay but yeah I don't know what we haven't seen yet but we're down to check on everything everything seems so cool so far all right yeah well we've got uh dispensary so if you if you do end up finding those gummies you're looking some people didn't hear what I have to say and I'm not done yet so we're going to go boo we're going to go Booth by Booth with this the microphone the microphone the microphone is good I like it yeah now I hear myself too there you go the only thing I can tell you guys thank you for coming I love you I wish you all the best for my heart a little one for my balls that I don't have you know why because I mean it I'm not giving you a story no I'm straight black or white I'm not in the middle I don't have a filter so if you're going to ask me a question I'm going to answer it Lily's way I draw I'm an artist Lily's way so this is what I am so I wish you all the best I I don't know I had the time of my life I've seen people that are smiling you know so like I said whoever was outside buying the weed now he just miss us but we'll see you we'll see you again I wish you all the best to you too he's a serious guy have a ah Bravo you have a smile on your face you're going to have a good day a smile in the morning remember C said a little smile down I don't want to slow down I want to talk he doesn't let me talk he doesn't I love you guys I wish you all the best guys I wish you that's a beautiful place to leave it I will say star in the morning with a smile aook and with a little ey love booy I'm not going to be able to do that tomorrow but Friday morning I guarantee you uh my personal favorite is when they're on the Candy Line yesterday yesterday speat it up and oh my God all right well let's have a beautiful round of applause and a big welcome to the world of cannabis to Kevin and Lily hey thank you so much and everybody we have two more panels here throughout the day uh and enjoy holif flowers thank you for coming to the event and making it uh a beautiful place in cannabis