After a prolonged closure, staff at the Cookies cannabis store at 7916 SE Division Street have turned on the open sign and hung a “Now Open!” banner in the front window ahead of the shop’s August 16th grand opening. It closed its doors in late 2023, with the site initially developing signs of neglect. The original owners posted a temporary construction-closure notice, and people cleaned up the site after some initial complaints. However, the storefront did not reopen as planned and sat empty with paper up in the windows until the new owner took over the space earlier this year. The people behind the Cookies location on SE 7th Avenue will reopen the SE Division Street store with Cookies’ products and a selection from local producers.
Nate McCormick is the manager of the store, and Joseph “Joey” Mangione leads the business through a new company called GC3 LLC. McCormick explained that the new organization took over the SE Division Street location from its previous operator, TRP Co., as part of an agreement to rebrand the 621 SE 7th Avenue store from Gräs Cannabis to a Cookies franchise location. Part of the transfer of the Cookies brand use rights included the eventual expansion into the SE Division Street location. The takeover was supposed to be a turnkey move-in. However, McCormick said it required hours of work to get the store back into shape, along with other maintenance tasks needed during the store’s time closed.
This shop will make the third Cookies location in Portland, but a different group owns the one on NE Halsey. This variation in ownership is due to the brand’s bifurcation. The cannabis breeding and marketing operation remains separate from the retail arm that employs a light franchise model. That allows the store to use the color scheme, logos, customer furnishings, and sell branded merchandise. Most notably, the store will feature the renowned Cookies created cannabis. “It’s either a strain, for instance, ‘Girl Scout Cookies’. That is a great strain, and there are a lot of great lineages that come from that strain. But Cookies was originally known for breeding, started by a guy named Berner (Gilbert Milam Jr.),” explained McCormick. “He was pretty big in the cannabis industry down in San Francisco, and he created strains that went viral, I guess you could say. So Cookies is a strain, but it’s also a mix of different strains that are bred by a team of Cookies breeders. For instance, ‘Georgia Pie’ and ‘Gary Payton’ are strains that are created by Cookies.”
Because the store is a local chain using the national Cookies brand, the shop managers have the flexibility to sell other cannabis flower from local growers and feature products from vendors of their choosing, including the treat producer Sweet and Salty PDX. Nate McCormick explained that the store will veer away from prepackaged marijuana by adopting a deli-style showroom where bud tenders store each flower type in bulk within large glass jars and the staff portion out what the customer asks for. McCormick explained that this is a feature of quality dispensaries with well-trained staff who are used to serving discerning patrons in a competitive marketplace. “People want to see what they’re purchasing before they actually take it home. The [product] also smells different when it’s in the jar,” said McCormick. Cookies’ branded stores all have a display table with the shop’s selections represented in little labeled jars. People can twist open a vent on the bottom to smell the flower, but McCormick says customers will have the best purchasing experience when picking specific flower from the large storage jars. However, he noted that people enjoy the self-exploration found at the display table when the shop is busy or if they do not want to talk with the staff.
Although employees sell their cannabis flower deli-style, the store’s range of edible products and vape products are pre-packed for consistency and convenience. The store works with P3 Distributing for packaging. They partner with that supplier to offer a recycling program to reduce waste. People can bring back empty mylar bags, glass drams, plastic drams, and the cardboard boxes some products come in for recycling. McCormick wishes they could recycle disposable vape products with batteries, but the program is limited to packaging at the moment.
McCormick explained that they want this location to have a lasting positive impact on its customers, offering more than intoxicants. The store will feature products from local artists, including Nug Nips apparel made by one of their bud tenders. People can also expect to see more events featuring a food cart and music on the property. They also have many products aimed at more of the wellness side of the cannabis industry, with products to reduce stress, help people sleep, or reduce pain with low-THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) items produced so people can stay alert.
Having a new owner at the property is a welcome change for many residents and former employees who were not happy with the first launch of the SE Division Street location. Brandon Johnson leads Cookies Retail (CRE) and also co-founded the Los Angeles-headquartered TRP Co., the former operator of this location. The difference between CRE and TRP is blurry, according to a June 17th MJBizDaily article detailing the outcome of a court battle between the main Cookies brand owner and one of its largest store operators. This recent brand dispute was just the most recent challenge for TRP, particularly when it came to this location across the Street from Portland Community College’s Southeast campus.
Problems at this location began before it opened, with past employees describing a troubled point-of-sale equipment rollout and supply chain issues. The original staff worked to build a fitting Portland representation of the national Cookies brand, but said they were laid off and rehired as the former management addressed roadblocks. After the slow start, they were able to finally open the location. However, a car crashed through the storefront in November 2022, forcing customers to enter the store through makeshift plywood doors. The owners added additional bollards to protect the entryway, and a former patrol vehicle with Green-Way Medicinal markings began appearing frequently at the site. Not long after, the store closed for repairs that occurred almost a year later. An “opening soon” sign appeared in January 2024, but the location remained closed until July 2025, when the new operators opened the store with limited hours for a soft launch.
The new owners want people to know that they are bringing a new approach to this store while also building on the Cookies brand. McCormick said that consumers think of Cookies as a premium product, but he said they will keep pricing competitive and have items for nearly any price point. They also have a customer loyalty program that helps keep pricing low for frequent shoppers. Their team has operated the SE 7th Avenue Cookies for a year and a half, and this expansion is a substantial endeavor for the small, locally owned business. They anticipate people at the Jade International Night Market will walk across the street to visit them on the August 16th grand opening. However, they will be open daily for people 21 years or older to stop and shop with them whenever convenient. Follow their Instagram account for more details.
