“That stuff’s been around here since Jesus was of age.”
By Rebecca Rivas, Missouri Independent
Nestled along a bubbling creek at the base of a rolling hill is the Flora Farms Stateline Dispensary—just a third of a mile from the Arkansas border.
On a Sunday afternoon, cars in the drive-thru line wrap around the building and about 20 cars are parked out front. Inside, budtenders at 14 registers never stop moving to keep up with the rush.
“This is actually not that busy,” said Valerie Mattingly, the store’s inventory manager. “We stay busy from the time we’re open till the time we’re closed.”
Since the store opened on January 5, it’s already become one of the highest revenue-generating dispensaries in the state, said company president Mark Hendren.
On the Missouri side, there’s not much near the dispensary. The closest city is Jane, Missouri, a town of about 400 people less than a mile away. The closest major Missouri city is Joplin—an hour north.
However, Arkansas offers a web of rapidly growing cities within a 20 to 30 minute drive.
Across the Missouri border is the city of Bella Vista, Arkansas, a wealthy community with blue-green creeks, several golf courses and
