Where are stores, fashion, and engagement going? I think about this daily, and we ask ourselves these questions at Gotham daily.

The luxury fashion industry is going through some serious tumultuous times. Reading about YSL designer Anthony Vaccarello jump ship for Zara is fascinating. Maybe Zach Posen is having so much fun at the Gap that he followed suit.

I watched the documentary Buy Now! on Netflix. The film highlights the hidden facts and shopping conspiracies used by every Etailer, Amazon being the worst, who has finally won the ability to use drones so you can get your purchased in less than an hour. Talk about creating an endless cycle of buying. None of this is surprising. Listening to how to draw customers in to buy, buy, buy is eye-opening, too, because we have each experienced the subliminal seduction. See the physical waste is mind-boggling. To see where products end up, watch the Vik Muniz documentary called Waste Land too.

We will never stop making clothes; we shouldn’t, as the fashion industry is an integral part of the economy and culture. Could Varracello and Posen both be leaders in producing fewer products to put into the world and begin only using recycled fabrics? That would be incredible.

One of my favorite substacks is Blackbird Spyplane. This past week, he wrote an article titled “The Internet is Rigged Against Great Stores.” Does everyone need to sell online? Isn’t going into a small store, touching the garment, trying things on, engaging with the staff, and hoping that the store is part of the neighborhood the best way to shop? I began Gotham because one of my favorite neighborhood stores, and it killed me. It was the landlord who got greedy.

Engagement is changing, too. The influencer game is fascinating to me, although I do get it. Did Balenciaga shoot the entire spring line on an iPhone for the effect of being authentic? What do all of these things point to?

There are subtle hints everywhere. Today, I consume more information from Substack and Puck than standard media. I buy fewer clothes than I used to, but I keep wearing all my old goodies. I still love Instagram, but calculate what I see and respond to. I want to walk the streets and discover, bump into people I know, and see fashion on the streets. I want to put my phone down. I have become more cynical. I understand why people are angry.

Change is in the air. Every generation creates change. Change happens outside, not inside.

I have been to a handful of cannabis farms, although not as many as Gothams‘ weed-buying team. These farms all have different techniques, strains, technology, and branding.

After Thanksgiving, we took a journey up to Stissing House for dinner. Highly recommend. The place is magical. I felt as if I were in old northern England. The food is divine.

On route, we stopped by Back Home Farm, a vegetable and cannabis spot. The land is beautiful. Will, the farmer and owner, has created something unique and authentic. His micro-license allows him to grow and sell at his retail shop. He runs an excellent operation that works for him. Similar to the dispensary business, everyone runs their business differently.

Then, this past Friday, the entire Gotham executive team traveled to MFNY. MFNY is a large-scale operation—impressive, to say. The least—and it has considered every angle, from how it grows its products to how it brands them to how it gets the most out of plants.

The ladybugs are all over the growing area.

We were able to see the entire operation. There is something very Willy Wonka about putting on these outfits to make sure nothing gets contaminated.

Many of us got involved in the tincture machine.

And, of course, lots of goodies to take home. Everyone in the industry asks where this is all going and how it will end up. It will take time to figure it out. Every week is a new lawsuit, a new aha moment, a new regulation but we all continue to move forward with the hope that this industry will eventually become federally legal, and we can have safe banking, and start to operate like the alcohol industry although that industry is a one trick pony and cannabis is multi-layered when it comes to the medical benefits. It is hard work but it is certainly entertaining.

My friend sent me an Esquire article, noting its exceptional writing. He was right. The piece is called The Invisible Man. It was written by Patrick Fealey, a Pulitzer Prize nominee and award-winning journalist born in 1967 and raised in Rhode Island. After leaving journalism, Fealey wrote eleven novels and seventy short stories.

In 1997, manic depression took over his life. He is now homeless, living out of a car in Rhode Island. His piece is powerful. Fealey writes about his daily life and how the system turns a blind eye to being homeless. There are roughly 650,000 homeless people in the US, which is equal to .19% of our country. In addition, 2.5M children are homeless. Mental illness runs deep with the homeless where almost 70% experiencing homeless have mental health disorders.

I keep thinking about the article and the lack of empathy in our country. When we look at the numbers vs the political rhetoric throwing homeless people under the bus, it is not that big. This will likely become a much larger issue in the next few years as rents continue to climb and people’s salaries do not.

When the movie Lead Me Home came out on Netflix a few years ago, I watched it and wrote about it. I still think about this film. After reading Fealey’s piece, I returned to the film. I keep thinking….this is America, this is America? This wealthy country where people can come and rise from nothing, yet we have brilliant journalists with mental health issues living on the street because he can’t afford a place to live. How can anyone think that is okay?

We are still in the calm before the storm when Trump takes office. Based on his “high-quality” picks for each job, from FBI Director to French Ambassador, I wonder are there any level-headed people inside the GOP who will vote against any rando pick? All questionable but time will tell.

This week, formal DEA hearings will take place regarding the rescheduling of cannabis. There will be no audio recordings inside the courtroom; it is first come, first serve to attend the hearings. This is one of a few cogs in the wheel, such as the CSA’s definition of marijuana. There are treaties where cannabis is woven into the fabric of documents that must be addressed. Who knew that the plant ran so deep.

The one question looming is what will Joe Biden do before he leaves office? Let’s be honest, he never really has liked weed as he came into adulthood with the false narrative around cannabis. Although he clearly understands the damage that has been done to the Black and brown communities, and the reality about cannabis being a better product than alcohol, and the yet to be understood medical impact, but will he make the change that he still can?

There are multiple ways that Biden can make the impact starting with pardons and criminal justice reform. Push the DEA and CSA to get this done before he leaves office. Set up productive marijuana reform. If he does it, history might be kinder to him.

Like many of us, I, too, am untrusting of the media these days. Each platform has its narrative; many times, too much of it isn’t accurate but conjectured. It is that way in every industry. Unfortunately, it has become the nature of the beast, and it will evolve like everything else. But, when you are deep inside an industry talking to different participants, it is easier to see reality.

I read this article last week, and I immediately thought I knew this was going to happen. Everyone in the industry knew it would happen, and more of this will happen. The recap is that many people who have been awarded cannabis licenses are going to fail. NYState is at fault for allowing the York Social Equity Cannabis Investment Fund run by Former City Comptroller William Thompson, sneaker entrepreneur Lavetta Willis and retired basketball star Chris Webber create egregious loans for licensees.

Nobody who took that loan can succeed; the numbers do not add up. Those given those loans believed that NY State thought this was a good idea. The whole thing was a complete debaucle and it is only going to get worse. I am sure more journalists are poking around and they should be.

The worst part is that those who own those licenses are mostly previously incarcerated Black and brown people who were given this golden ticket. Too many will find themselves having to close their shops with debt on the books from the loan, but more heartbreaking loans from family and friends, as well as their own entire savings account.

These dispenaries compete with Gotham but the market is big enough for many to succeed. 2025 will be a tough year for many of these licensees, too many will given licenses and never open at all. We can’t roll back time but I do hope that NY State does the right thing by these licensees who took these loans. The amount of money for the state is nothing but for these families, it is their livelihood.

This past week, the Public Housing Community Fund handed out 1500 turkeys and fixings for Thanksgiving. The lines were astounding. The need is real.

There were lines around the block at the Roosevelt Houses. The first-ever turkey giveaway at Kingsborough Houses hasn’t been able to do an event like this since the 80s, although I am not sure why.

Over 800 people came through for turkey and sides pickup at the Melrose Classic Center in the Bronx, across the street from Morrisania Air Rights, Jackson Houses, and Melrose Houses.

CCOP President Danny Barber said, “We are so grateful for Alex (Zablocki the Executive Director of the Fund) and Annie (Valentine, Senior Development Manger from the Fund). We deeply thank the Public Housing Community Fund for all the work they do – when we struggle and wonder where we’re going to get the resources for our communities, the Public Housing Community Fund always comes through for us.”

Because of this work and generosity, 1,500 New York families celebrated Thanksgiving this year with food on their tables. The Community Fund supplied and distributed enough food to feed 10,000 to 12,000 people. 

This work makes me insanely proud of the work we are doing to give back to our community, the community of NYC, every single day. We do make an impact. As you think about where to give this year, think about giving to the Public Housing Community Fund. We are truly making a difference.

My sister-in-law just sent out her quarterly newsletter, which stuck with me. Between Linked-in, social media, and technology, where we don’t even need to speak to a human, the old-fashioned concept of referrals is still the key to business.

Indeed, we hope every customer who comes through Gotham refers our store to their friends. Who better to trust than a friend?

During the holiday season, I am going to spend time thinking about how to continue paying it forward, and it might be through a referral.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Years ago, an investor in the tech world said women should try building businesses besides fashion and beauty. Why? The best entrepreneurs build companies that fill voids in their lives because they understand where the hole is. Men build businesses that appeal to them, too.

I guess the return of the bros was bound to happen after the Me Too era—two steps forward, one step backward. The thing about the bros is how did they get like this? Or, more to the point, how come this behavior repeats itself, and their mother is ok with it?

The behavior begins early on. A recent study in France showed that even at a young age, when kids go to the playground, 80% of the space is taken over by boys. How can we change the face of society when the behavior starts at such a young age? In school, girls who aren’t succeeding in something are told to try something else, but boys are told to keep trying. These are social norms that create bros.

It is the bros who are so dismissive of women while they pump themselves up to be masters of the universe that make me cringe. Day trading, crypto, and sports betting are hotbeds for bro culture, and it isn’t pleasant. Is it me, or are we witnessing the return of the bros? Or did they never really leave but hide out for a while?

I saw bits and pieces of this, but I finally saw the whole thing, and it was so much fun!