Weed Is A Plant
Hella Bees Bar
2340 Harrison St.
Oakland
April 20, 2024
The sun showed out as hundreds of people gathered around Lake Merritt, grilling and playing music in celebration of the iconic 420. Legend has it that this ubiquitous day celebrated by cannabis enthusiasts around the world became a thing when high school kids in The Bay met up after school to “puff puff pass” the stress of the day away. 4:20 was the code and time to hook up under the bleachers, behind the gym, or wherever they wouldn’t get caught.
Away from the crowds at the lake and other venues around town, Hella Bees and Hella Plants Market co-hosted “Weed Is A Plant,” a unique and more laid-back way to spend the day. Hella Bees, located in the old Rose Mary Jane dispensary location on Harrison, is a spacious, light-filled haven with a bar and backyard, perfect for a relaxed day party and an ideal setting for a 420 event.
The bubbly and vivacious Janay Masters of Hella Plants curated the Weed is A Plant event, starting at noon with a DJ, a diverse range of vendors, food, and a selection of weed-infused (and non-infused) cocktails.
Masters’ love for plants has blossomed into a thriving business that cultivates and sells a wide array of lush and luxurious plants for all. The website describes Hella Plants Market as a business that “supports local plant brands and hosts engaging workshops, events, and team-building activities” in Oakland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Long Beach, and Ghana.
The Weed Is A Plant event was a testament to this. It showcased vendors like Marley’s Planty Things and Ramsess, local plantrepreneurs; Mad Vegan Company and their mouthwatering baked goods; and Yani Made, handcrafted candles whose scent combinations were simply divine.
Walking into Hella Bees, you first notice plants covering every shelf and countertop. All kinds, imbuing the space with a tropical forest‑y vibe. Giant globe lights hung from the ceiling, and the bartender was mixing strawberry lemonade that you could infuse for five bucks or drink straight. Birra tacos, rich and limey with beef that practically melted in your mouth, and a yummy consommé were available for free as you wandered out to the patio and puffed your preferred 420 party favor.
The sun streamed in from the open garage door behind the bar area, which opened onto a back patio where tables held the pots, paints, and plants for the puff and paint part of the day. This is one of the workshops that Masters facilitates through Hella Plants Market, painting activities where you paint and pot a plant baby of your very own.
Twenty people sat around the tables as Masters issued straightforward instructions: paint your pot. She shared that she didn’t use guided instruction or require everyone to paint the same thing because “I’ve been to paint parties like this where I didn’t like what they had us paint as was not gonna take it home and put it on my wall.” She wants people to express themselves and delve into their creativity, to paint designs that speak to them and that they’ll want to take home and put on a shelf with their new plant buddy.
A table heavy with a rainbow of paints and all manner of brushes was available, but before beginning the painting, Masters told the group about the three types of plants she’d selected for them and described the properties and care instructions for each. The $55 ticket included a plant, a pot, and two “party favors” that helped painters get into the 420 spirit. Everyone approached the pit painting differently. Some sketched ideas, some turned to the web for inspiration, and others just started painting with no real plan in mind. The DJ spun old-school bangers and Oakland faves while stories swirled around the tables as people told their weed and 420 tales of old and one woman danced in the sun.
The plain terra cotta pots transformed into a veritable gallery of new plant homes. Clearly, some people at the Paint and Puff had some artistic pasts because these pots ranged from basic two-color designs, “It’s a carrot,” one woman said of her green and orange pot, to intricate stylized landscapes. Attendees were so into painting their pots that 4:20 came and went with little fanfare. After the pots dried, with the sun’s help, Masters helped the new plant parents repot their baby plants for the journey to their new homes.
This was an enjoyable event. The DJ knew her stuff; she took attendees on a musical journey that served as a backdrop to the afternoon’s events. The food was tasty and took the edge off of your hunger (or munchies), but given that it was a 420 event, they could have had a few more snacks on hand. Masters cultivated an interesting and eclectic group of vendors. I especially liked the macrame plant holders that reminded me of my cousin’s house in 1975 and the African clothing and jewelry. I bought a candle with a rich and savory vanilla scent and a plant that felt more suited to my newly painted pot.
Check out Hella Bees on Harrison and Hella Plant Market (if you can catch Masters, who says this might be her last Oakland event for a few months as she wants to head over to Ghana, where she also creates Hella Plant Market events).
You can find them on IG at @hella_bees and @hellaplantsmarket.
