OUR STORY
From Humble Beginnings to a New Chapter
Every business has a beginning. Mine started with a dream, a little determination, and a belief that something small could grow into something extraordinary.
Robertsdale, Alabama • Est. 2020
CHAPTER 1
2020: The Beginning
From a small room in my mother's bakery.
My journey into the hemp industry began in 2020 in Robertsdale, Alabama, inside my mother's bakery, Yellow and Baked.
I didn't have a big storefront or a large company behind me. I had a small space, an opportunity, and the determination to build something of my own.
That little setup became Casual CBD, where I started learning the industry, connecting with customers, and discovering just how much potential this business had.
At the time, I had no idea that something so small would eventually grow into The Casual Dispensary, or how much my life would change along the way.
Every big story has a beginning.
This was mine.
CHAPTER 2
The Casual Dispensary
A Dream Turned Into a Storefront.
What started as Casual CBD inside my mother's bakery eventually grew into something much bigger. As the business expanded, I knew I wanted to create something more than just another retail store.
That dream became The Casual Dispensary in Robertsdale, Alabama.
I wanted to build a place where people could feel welcome, ask questions, learn about hemp, and be part of a community.
It wasn't just about selling products. It was about creating an experience and building relationships with the people who walked through our doors.
The shop became something I was incredibly proud of. From the displays and atmosphere to the pool table and the people who supported us, every part of it represented how far we had come from that little room in my mother's bakery.
As the business continued growing, so did my ambitions. I was beginning to see opportunities I never thought possible when I first started.
For the first time, I felt like I was building the future I had always dreamed about.
What began as a small opportunity was becoming something that could change my life.
CHAPTER 3
Growth & Success
Hard Work, Community & Big Dreams.
The Casual Dispensary continued growing, my life began changing in ways I never expected.
What started in a small room inside my mother's bakery had become a successful business. I was building relationships, creating opportunities, and finally seeing the results of everything I had worked toward.
For the first time, I was able to do things I had only dreamed about.
One of those dreams was owning my very own Dodge Challenger. To some people, it was just a car. To me, it represented how far I had come.
I was also able to help people close to me, including purchasing vehicles for others. I wanted the people around me to share in the success.
Looking back, I'll admit I got caught up in the excitement. Things were moving quickly, and I was enjoying the life I had worked so hard to build.
But I never imagined that those same accomplishments would later become part of a much bigger legal battle.
During the legal proceedings that followed, I felt that my success and the things I had purchased were being used to paint a picture of me that didn't reflect the business I believed I was operating.
What I saw as the rewards of hard work would eventually become part of the fight to defend everything I had built.
CHAPTER 4
When Everything Changed
In 2022, the life I had worked so hard to build changed almost overnight. Law enforcement raided my business, property was seized, and I found myself facing criminal charges.
I had spent years building something I believed in. I was proud of what I had accomplished, but suddenly everything I worked for was being questioned.
The consequences went far beyond losing inventory or temporarily closing a business. My financial stability, reputation, relationships, and future were all affected.
Later, another raid took place at our Fairhope location, and my mother was arrested. Watching my family go through the same uncertainty made an already difficult situation even harder.
It was overwhelming. Everything I had built felt uncertain.
Finding Strength Through the Fight
One of the most important people during that time was my attorney, John Fisher.
He helped me understand that the fight was bigger than just my business.
The hemp industry was still developing, and the legal distinctions surrounding hemp products were creating confusion. Instead of giving up,
I chose to fight for my name,
my business, and what I believed was right.
My Day in Court
After years of uncertainty, I finally had the opportunity to defend myself in court.
The criminal case ended in an acquittal. Later, the State's civil asset-forfeiture case was dismissed.
Those outcomes meant everything to me. After years of fighting, I could finally begin looking toward the future.
More Than a Legal Victory
Winning in court didn't magically undo everything that had happened.
My credit, finances, business opportunities, and personal life had suffered.
I had lost things that couldn't simply be replaced.
But the experience taught me something I will carry for the rest of my life: success isn't just about what you build.
Sometimes it's about finding the strength to rebuild when everything falls apart.
And that's exactly what I decided to do.
Chapter 4.1 A PERSONAL SIDE OF THE STORY
Some battles are about more than winning.
They're about the people waiting for you at home.
What I Was Really Fighting For
Behind every legal battle was a family, a future, and two little reasons to never give up.
While I was fighting for my freedom, my reputation, and everything I had spent years building, life wasn't standing still.
Chloe and I were starting our family.
On January 30, 2024, we welcomed our beautiful daughter, Amari, into the world.
Exactly one year later, on January 30, 2025, our son Dominic was born.
Somehow, both of our children ended up sharing the same birthday, exactly one year apart.
Two beautiful blessings in the middle of some of the hardest years of my life.
The Fear of Missing Everything
While most new parents were planning their futures, I was preparing for court dates and facing the possibility of going to prison.
I remember thinking about all the things I could miss.
Their first steps.
Their first words.
Birthdays.
Christmas mornings.
Watching them grow up.
The possibility of losing those moments frightened me more than losing any business, vehicles, or amount of money ever could.
I had worked so hard to build a future, and now I was fighting for the chance to actually be part of it.
It Was Never Just About Me
The legal battles didn't affect only me.
Chloe was there through the uncertainty, the stress, and the challenges that followed us home.
My mother had been pulled into the legal troubles herself.
My family watched everything we worked for become uncertain.
People around me were affected financially, emotionally, and personally.
I wasn't the only person carrying the weight of those years.
And knowing how much everyone else was going through made me even more determined to see the fight through.
My Greatest Reason to Keep Going
There were moments when I didn't know what tomorrow would bring.
But every time I looked at Chloe and our children, I was reminded that I had something worth fighting for that no amount of money could replace.
I wanted to be the father my children deserved.
I wanted to be there for the little moments that become the biggest memories.
I wanted my family to have a future where we could finally live without the uncertainty hanging over us.
And when the legal battles finally came to an end, the greatest victory wasn't getting property back or rebuilding a business.
It was knowing I still had the opportunity to come home, hold my children, and be their dad.
Everything else could be rebuilt.
My family was what truly mattered.
Chapter 5
A New Beginning
Building Through the Storm
Alabama was where everything began for me.
From a small room inside my mother's bakery in Robertsdale to The Casual Dispensary, I had spent years building something I truly believed in.
Even after the raids, arrests, and everything my family had experienced, I wasn't ready to walk away.
In December 2023, my mother was caught up in another raid at our Fairhope location. At the time, my own legal battles were still far from over.
But something unexpected happened during those difficult years.
My attorney, John Fisher, who had stood beside me through some of my darkest moments, became part of my next business chapter.
Together, John and I started East Bay Alternatives.
By the summer of 2024, we were building something new, even while my legal cases were still ongoing.
It's funny how life works sometimes.
The same person who stood beside me while I fought to protect everything I had built was now helping me build something new.
East Bay Alternatives represented more than another storefront. It represented determination, second chances, and my refusal to give up on the industry I had spent years helping build.
But Alabama's changing hemp laws brought another challenge.
New restrictions meant the future of the business I had worked so hard to rebuild was once again uncertain.
Eventually, I made the difficult decision to close my Alabama retail operation and look for a new opportunity across the state line in Florida.
Walking away wasn't easy.
Alabama was home. It was where my dreams began, where I learned some of life's hardest lessons, and where my family and I had fought through so much.
But things were different now.
I wasn't just building a future for myself anymore.
I had Chloe, Amari, and Dominic to think about.
I couldn't afford to give up.
Alabama was where my story began, but it wasn't where my story was going to end.
A Fresh Start
Welcome to Pensacola
Sometimes life doesn't give you the opportunity to start over on your own terms.
Sometimes you have to take everything you've learned, everything you've lost, and everything you've fought for, and find a way forward.
For me, that next chapter began across the state line in Pensacola, Florida.
After years of building businesses in Alabama, facing legal battles, and watching the laws surrounding the hemp industry change,
I knew I needed a fresh start.
But I wasn't starting from nothing.
I had years of experience, relationships I had built along the way, and a family that gave me every reason to keep going.
Through a new opportunity and a collaboration with Flora-Kush, Casual Kush began taking shape in Pensacola.
It was an opportunity to take everything I had learned from The Casual Dispensary and East Bay Alternatives and create something new.
A business built not only on experience, but on resilience, education, and a commitment to doing things differently.
The Birth of Casual Kush
Casual Kush wasn't just another name on a storefront.
To me, it represented everything I had been through and everything I still hoped to accomplish.
I wanted to create a place where customers felt welcome, where education came before judgment, and where people could have honest conversations about hemp and the industry surrounding it.
I also wanted to prove something to myself.
That losing a business didn't mean losing my purpose.
That the hardest years of my life didn't have to define the rest of it.
And that after everything my family had endured, I could still build something we could be proud of.
The location was different. The name was different. My life was different.
But the dream that started in that little room inside my mother's bakery was still alive.
And this time, I wasn't just chasing success.
I was building a future for my family.
More then Just a Store
When I look back at everything that brought me here, it's hard to believe how much life has changed since 2020.
What began in a small room inside my mother's bakery became a journey filled with success, setbacks, legal battles, unexpected friendships, and opportunities I never could have imagined.
I've lost businesses.
I've had to start over.
I've watched everything I worked for become uncertain more than once.
But I've also gained something far more valuable.
I've become a father.
I've learned the importance of family, faith, perseverance, and surrounding myself with people who believe in me.
Casual Kush is part of that journey.
It's an opportunity to keep educating people, building relationships, and creating something meaningful in a new community.
I don't know exactly what the future holds, but I know that everything I've experienced has helped shape the person I am today.
I started this journey chasing a dream.
Today, I'm building something
I hope my children can one day be proud of.
And the story is still being written.
Chapter 6
Faith, Purpose & a New Mission
A New Chapter. A Greater Purpose
Sometimes the most important thing you build isn't a business. It's what you stand for.
Finding a Great Purpose
Looking back at everything I've experienced since 2020, I realize my journey has been about much more than opening stores and building businesses.
I've experienced success, loss, uncertainty, and moments when I questioned what the future would look like. I've fought for my freedom, watched my family grow, and learned that some of the most valuable things in life can't be measured in dollars.
Through it all, my perspective began to change. I started thinking more about faith, purpose, community, and what I wanted my life to represent.
I didn't want everything I had experienced to be for nothing.
I wanted to take those lessons and turn them into something meaningful.
Something that could bring people together, encourage understanding, and give others a place where they felt welcome.That desire became part of a new mission.
A mission that goes beyond the walls of Casual Kush.
