Thank You, Arana: Celebrating Equity at The Travel Agency
Black History Month always hits different for us.
Silly Nice was never built from a whiteboard. It was built from lived experience, service, resilience, and community. So when we talk about ownership, equity, and representation in cannabis, it is not theory. It is personal.
This month, we want to pause and say thank you to someone who has helped shape what equity looks like in real time in New York cannabis: Arana Hankin-Biggers, Co-Founder of The Travel Agency.
Building With Purpose
The Travel Agency is not just another dispensary group. With storefronts in Union Square, Downtown Brooklyn, Fifth Avenue, and SoHo, it has become one of the most intentional retail platforms in New York’s legal cannabis market.
Under Arana’s leadership, The Travel Agency has prioritized:
Hiring formerly incarcerated individuals
Creating pathways for legacy operators
Supporting Black-, women-, and LGBTQIA-owned brands
Investing in communities impacted by the War on Drugs
That matters.
Because for many of us, cannabis was once survival. Now it is regulated. Now it is licensed. Now it is taxed. The transition from criminalization to commercialization has not been equal. Leaders like Arana are helping close that gap.
Making Shelf Space Mean Something
In cannabis, shelf space is power.
The Travel Agency has used that power intentionally by carrying and uplifting Black-owned and Black-led brands. That includes brands like:
B NOBLE, founded by Fab 5 Freddy, which donates proceeds to support those incarcerated for cannabis offenses.
Foy, which directs a portion of revenue to The Bail Project.
STAYME7O, created by Carmelo Anthony, blending ownership, culture, and premium flower.
Weekenders, focused on sustainable, outdoor-grown cannabis.
Papa & Barkley, known for solventless, whole-plant wellness products.
And yes, Silly Nice.
We do not take that lightly.
What It Means to Us
Silly Nice is Harlem-rooted. Black-owned. Veteran-led. Small batch. Family built.
We came into this space with intention. We care about quality. We care about craftsmanship. We care about transparency. But we also care deeply about access and representation.
To be carried by The Travel Agency is more than a retail relationship. It is alignment.
It means our products sit alongside other Black-led brands that are building responsibly. It means our story is being told in spaces that value culture and equity. It means customers walking into Union Square or SoHo can see ownership reflected back at them.
That visibility creates momentum.
Design, Education, and Respect
The Travel Agency stores feel intentional the moment you walk in. Clean design. Educated staff. Clear product guidance. No pressure. No gimmicks.
That experience matters for first-time buyers. It matters for experienced consumers. And it matters for brands like ours that want our products presented with clarity and care.
Arana and her team understand that legal cannabis is still new to many New Yorkers. Education is part of the responsibility. So is trust.
Correcting History While Building the Future
New York’s cannabis market was built with social equity written into the framework. But policy alone does not guarantee outcomes. Leadership does.
Arana Hankin-Biggers has helped translate intention into action. Through hiring practices, brand partnerships, and thoughtful retail execution, The Travel Agency is actively participating in repairing harm caused by prohibition.
For brands like Silly Nice, that alignment is powerful.
Because many of us lived through the era when cannabis could cost you your freedom. Today, we operate in a licensed, regulated environment. That shift is historic. It should also be accountable.
From Harlem to Union Square
When a customer shops at The Travel Agency and picks up Silly Nice, they are supporting:
A Black-owned business
A veteran-owned operation
A family-run brand
A small-batch production model
A company built from lived experience
That support moves through supply chains. It moves through families. It moves through neighborhoods.
Retail partnerships that understand that impact help sustain the ecosystem.
Gratitude, Not Just Recognition
This post is simple.
Thank you, Arana.
Thank you for building with intention.
Thank you for making space for Black-owned brands in a competitive market.
Thank you for creating opportunity for people who were once excluded from this industry.
Thank you for elevating cannabis retail in New York with integrity.
And thank you for carrying Silly Nice.
Support Black-Led Brands
If you are shopping in New York City, you can explore Black-led brands currently available at The Travel Agency here: thetravelagency.co/menu/?tags=Black+Led
When you support dispensaries and brands rooted in equity, you are supporting a broader shift in ownership and accountability.
For us at Silly Nice, that matters every day of the year.
But during Black History Month, it feels especially important to say it clearly.
Respect. Gratitude. Forward motion.