I’ll kick off my dispensary reviews with my hometown dispo, Star Buds in University City, MO.
There is another location of Star Buds in Fenton, MO, but I’ve never been there.
I’m happy to have Star Buds within walking distance of my house. It’s on Olive Boulevard near the intersection with Hanley Road. There’s a Goodwill nearby, a Dollar Tree, and a Walgreens. Across the street is a large Jewish cemetery. An Aldi is not far down the road.
I like Star Buds. The building it’s in has never had a persistent tenant. It once was a bar but as far as I can remember, the building has been empty for most of the last fifteen years. I would point to Star Buds’ tenancy in this previously disused building as one of the early positive impacts legalized cannabis has had on my neighborhood.
There is a small parking lot in front, which is the only place I’ve ever parked. There is additional parking in back but I’ve never had to use it. I go in, go up a few stairs, wait for a bud tender to come to the window, then slide my ID onto the metal tray under the thick window. Then in a moment or two they will call your name and buzz you through the door.
It’s not a big place but I’ve never felt crowded inside. There are two main glass cases/counters in which dozens of glass jars of flower sit.
And this is one of the best things about Star Buds. You can buy by the gram. The flower is not pre-packed. You can see the bud, you can smell the bud. The jars have the names of the strain on them. Supply and variety have both been pretty good.
I’ve had three or four different bud tenders in my several trips to Star Buds. They’ve all been friendly. I walked in one time after Star Buds had been temporarily shut down for recreational sales by U City. They were happy to be back open and they were selling $1 Nutter Budder eighths.
I can’t speak to carts, vapes, pre-rolls, rosin, wax, shatter, butter, dabs, any of that. I’m a flower guy. I do eat gummies and recently I purchased some Robhots 10:1 CBD:THC gummies at Star Buds. I took one of these gummies not realizing that each gummy has 100 mg CBD and 10 mg THC in it. I thought each gummy was 10 mg CBD and 1 mg THC. So I got a little higher than I was planning. Oops!
My favorite flower strains purchased from Star Buds so far have been Lemon Skunk, Black Garlic, GMO, and Blue Dream.
The per gram prices range from $16/g for top shelf down to $12/g for value shelf. If you buy more than a few grams, some sort of volume discount kicks in. My effective cost per gram has often been around $13. On Tuesdays you get 4g for the price of 3.5g.
Turnover among flower options has been pretty strong. If I see something pop up on their menu, I’m going to go in there and get it, or else it will be gone.
Weeds of Grass 