The Metropolitan Wellness Dispensary in Southeast DC is going away, bye bye, kaput. This well known and much loved cannabis apothecary will be closing up shop at 409 8th St SE, Ste 201, by the end of the Winter. That’s because this Spring, they’re changing the view altogether.

“We’re trying to find something, now that we’ve matured in the program, that reflects who we are as well as where,” said founder Corey Barnette. “We’re in situations where people are not really identifying with the actual culture of the dispensary in and of itself. I wanted to change that.”

Changing Brands

Kinfolk Dispensary, the company’s new name, will be opening their new location at 433 Massachusetts Ave. NW, in late Winter/early Spring 2021. So, don’t go to https://mwcdc.com/ because that’s now a dead name, chosen for appearances when registering for a license.

The company has already begun rebranding to Kinfolk, launching their new website at kinfolkdispensary.com in early January. While the website is still being updated for the transition, the information is roughly the same as the previous site’s.

Leaving Behind Metropolitan Wellness Dispensary

The website is clean, beautiful and easy to use but it’s hardly reflective of the big changes that are coming to Metro- oops, I mean Kinfolk Dispensary.

“Right now we are in the world’s smallest dispensary,” says Kinfolk General Manager Vanessa West. “We are up on the second floor. It used to be a tattoo parlor. It used to be one room and we had to put up a few additional walls.”

Becoming Kinfolk Dispensary

The new location will be a huge difference from the small, second-floor Metropolitan Wellness Dispensary space. But that cramped environment has taught the Kinfolk crew efficiency and teamwork to process inventory in the same place where they have to eat lunch.

“We’ve been in this building for seven years, in this 875 square foot closet,” West said. “And now we are moving to a 3,000 square foot building that has two floors and a rooftop. So, yeah, Merry Christmas. We’re very, very excited about the move.”

Aside from elderly customers having difficulty with the staircase to the second floor dispensary, almost every review could care less about the current site. That’s because Metropolitan Wellness Dispensary developed a dedicated, inclusive approach to creating a sense of community. Now that’s Kinfolk’s mission.

Best Ward 6 Weed

As the only dispensary in Ward 6 on the South side of town, this change has customers asking questions. A new name is one thing. Now the staff is telling customers of the impending move, so that becomes the most asked question each day, “When?”

The Capitol Hill neighborhood is just that- a residential area without much government or tourism-oriented sites, but still a lot to see and do. The streets are lined with restaurants medicinal cannabis users can appreciate like Duncan Donuts, Popeye’s and more.

Kinfolk Dispensary is a reflection of this neighborhood; people-centric and family oriented. The staff at the dispensary are renowned as a team for excellent product knowledge as well as being welcoming and passionate about the culture.

Kinfolk Dispensary Customers

According to one 5-star reviewer, Tim Goodson, a Google guides D.C. local, “Great service and very knowledgeable about all the medicine. Seems small but has a lot to choose from. I left this place feeling comfortable with my purchase and will continue to go back.”

The dispensary has been careful during the pandemic. They conform to CDC protocol and require everyone to wear a mask, practice social distancing and enter the store in small numbers, by appointment only.

As the current building is not wheelchair accessible, Kinfolk has offered curbside pickup, online ordering and have been working with DC Home Delivery service too. The new storefront, though, will make all those options easier.

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Current Location

“Right now we’re in a historic building where no modifications can be made,” said West. “We weren’t able to install a chair lift, or an elevator. With this new location, the sales floor will be on the first floor, so it will be ADA accessible.

“We’ve tried to offer curbside, but we are on a very, very busy street. We’re hoping with this new location we’ll be doing curbside more often.”

Until the move happens, the team at Kinfolk is busy taking care of patients and spreading the word about the name change and new storefront. And things are already starting to take shape with rebranding efforts as they leave Metropolitan Wellness Dispensary in the past.

According to Marketing Manager Jamila Livingston, response to the rebrand is positive. “We actually announced the rebrand via social media on New Year’s Day. So it was really like a New Year, new name, new us,” she said.

“And Corey and Vanessa looked up community-centered quotes to come out with apparel to represent and say exactly what Kinfolk stands for. That’s been pretty cool and we’ve gotten a good response to it.”

Why Rebrand Metropolitan Wellness Dispensary

The change away from Metropolitan Wellness Dispensary is meant to represent a dispensary that is passionate about the culture, its clientele and offering the best products and service possible. While the reviews often praise the product, they rave about the service provided by Kinfolk’s people.

“We’ve always prided ourselves as a shop that likes to give good explanations, good recommendations and making sure the patients are educated,” says veteran Product Specialist Jean-Paul Zephir. “And the event space we’re going to have at the new facility is going to allow us to do a lot more for the community.”

Kinfolk Dispensary Products

Like Metropolitan Wellness Dispensary, Kinfolk offers locally sourced products. There’s premium flower, prerolls, edibles, carts, concentrates like crumble and hash, and a wide range of accessories including pipes, lighters, grinders, vaporizers and fun items like journals and coloring books.

Like Metropolitan Wellness Dispensary, the Kinfolk Dispensary also has a rewards program frequently mentioned by customers. They also feature a birthday discount and points for surveys too. Ultimately, this Southside D.C. dispensary wants customers comfortable and part of a culture.

Kinfolk Dispensary Community

“It’s going more of a vibe to it,” says its founder, Barnette. “We want Kinfolk to feel like a home, a place that’s very comfortable and very warm. So we’ll use a lot of warm colors and make it the kind of place where you step out of your living room into our living room.

“You know, welcoming your family into our family and hanging out at our spot.”