Independent Coast Observer: Meet Point Arena's Newest CEO: David Spradlin of Goldenhour Collective

By Chelsea Randall for the Independent Coast Observer

David Spradlin has spent the last several years working to bring cannabis dispensary to Point Arena. That vision is becoming a reality as Goldenhour Collective sets its opening for mid-April — just in time for the annual April 20 celebration.

After over 15 years in the cannabis industry, Spradlin was ready to walk away from California's cannabis market. Instead, he saw an opportunity to return to the origin of his journey: supporting Northern California's legacy farms and medicinal patients. Thus, Goldenhour Collective was born.

"Golden hour is either going to be the first beautiful light of a new day, or it's going to be the last beautiful light before the dark," Spradlin said. Point Arena will be Goldenhour's second location, following its first dispensary in the aptly named city of Weed.

Goldenhour Collective is committed to stocking its shelves exclusively with products from Northern California's mom-and-pop legacy farms. "We're interested in supporting small craft farmers," Spradlin said. "People who have deep roots and connections to their farm and the plant, because I feel deeply that that translates to the final product."

Spradlin's passion for the relationship between cannabis and community has been the cornerstone of his career, he said, which began with a small crop grown with the help of a friend.

While trying to sell his share of the product, Spradlin recalls a formative experience at a "clandestine dispensary" in Oakland. He encountered a woman, visibly frail and upset, who had come to purchase medical marijuana.

"She looked really terrified," Spradlin said. And it dawned on him, "This is not what this is meant to be. There's nothing medical about going down to some dark basement in Oakland with guns around and trying to get your medicine."

That experience inspired him to open his first dispensary. He left his contracting business to open Magnolia Wellness, a medical dispensary located in Orangevale, a Sacramento County suburb. The spot quickly became a community hub and offered cooking classes, legal rights workshops, lectures and a library in addition to cannabis products.

"This is not what this is meant to be. There's nothing medical about going down to some dark basement in Oakland with guns around and trying to get your medicine."

That experience inspired him to open his first dispensary. He left his contracting business to open Magnolia Wellness, a medical dispensary located in Orangevale, a Sacramento County suburb. The spot quickly became a community hub and offered cooking classes, legal rights workshops, lectures and a library in addition to cannabis products.

From 2009 to 2011, Spradlin ran the business while others opened additional stores in the area, which pushed him further into the activist side of cannabis sales. Faced with a pivotal decision to either operate as one of the underground dispensaries or commit fully to community engagement and patient advocacy, Spradlin chose the latter.

Magnolia Wellness thrived as the first dispensary in Sacramento County to join forces with unions and advertise in the local newspaper. It also helped open the Orangevale local bank and hosted community meetings focused on cannabis education and acceptance. At the time, it was just the third dispensary to open in Sacramento County. A year later, the number of dispensaries in the area skyrocketed to over 150.

However, mounting pressure from county and federal officials, lawsuits, raids and landlords forced most of those dispensaries to shut down. By the end of 2011, Magnolia Wellness was the last one standing. Concerned for his employees' well-being, Spradlin made the decision to close. The dispensary went out with a bang — advertising "free pot giveaways" to mark its final day in Orangevale.

Spradlin and his staff relocated to a friend's store within the city limits of Sacramento to provide added security for his employees. Spradlin unionized his workforce through United Food and Commercial Workers, making him the first cannabis retailer to unionize in California. He also opened and subsequently sold a Magnolia branch in Oakland, one of the first eight legal dispensaries in the city.

After the passage of Prop 64 in 2016, which legalized marijuana in California, Spradlin realized that the market was about to experience exponential growth. He raised funds, formed a board of directors and started growing his brand which became Perfect Union.

But, as Spradlin explained, "Big checks sometimes come with big egos and big personalities." When the business grew into Southern California and expanded into New Mexico, he found himself in a corporate environment that was increasingly detached from what he valued most: community.

After a brief stint in Mississippi, where medical marijuana became legal in 2022, Spradlin returned to Northern California in the Emerald Triangle. He was shocked by the decline of what was once a thriving cannabis culture in Humboldt County. When presented with the opportunity to take over a smaller Perfect Union store, he saw it as a chance to return to what he loved — activism, education and community — and to support local growers.

He took over the Perfect Union location in Weed, California, now known as Goldenhour Collective. The store has upended its revenue in less than a year, selling from only local, legacy and family-owned farms.

Spradlin feels he's found the perfect spot for Goldenhour's second location in Point Arena. "There's enormous challenges when opening stores, particularly in counties combative toward the cannabis industry, choosing Point Arena has allowed him to deal with the city directly.

"It's really nice when you bump into a city like Point Arena that's so welcoming and goes out of its way to be supportive to an industry like ours," he said. "It's still rare, really rare in 2025 to find that."

His plans were held up while waiting for approval from the Department of Cannabis Control — during which he had already been paying rent. He says there is a definite need for legislative changes surrounding cannabis industry growers and retailers.

Spradlin looks forward to supporting local partnerships in Point Arena. He foresees cannabis playing a role in local initiatives like food banks and mobile pantry programs, and he's eager to understand the specific needs of the area to make the most impact.

"Point Arena's a beautiful community very in tune with my personal ideals," he said.

With the mid-April opening in sight, Goldenhour Collective is looking to hire locals who understand the coastal community and share a passion for the product and connection to local farmers. To apply, contact Haylee Parker at hello@goldenhourcollective.org.