Garberville is in a bad way.
The collapse of California’s cannabis market has devastated the local economy and left communities throughout Southern Humboldt struggling to stay afloat. Businesses are closing left and right, and residents who have built their livelihoods around the region’s prolific cannabis industry fear they will lose everything.
Communities nestled in the most remote corners of the county have been hit the hardest, but the cannabis industry’s decline is the most evident in Garberville.
You can spot pockets of energy up and down Redwood Drive, but the vacant shops and hints of glory days past are more obvious. There’s a lingering sense of “Now what?” in the air.
Dusty trucks still rumble down Redwood Drive, the unincorporated town’s main drag, on various dirty job missions. Neighbors stop by Getti Up for coffee and chat outside of the Woodrose Café. Christmas decorations still adorn several storefronts, and members of the Southern Humboldt Business and Visitor’s Bureau have festooned light poles with holiday-themed banners and wreaths. Residents are still trying to make the best of a difficult situation.
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