Cari Johnson, left, and Kyle Page, owners of Psilly on S. Main. Page says he’s proud of the way Ann Arbor has opened up to the psychedelic business community. | Photo: J. Adrian Wylie
Ann Arborite Kyle Page proved surprisingly amenable to a spontaneous interview at his new mushroom shop, Psilly. “This is bigger than just tripping,” he says. “For the people who haven’t tried it, I want them to have an open mind.”
As fit a fifty-year-old as you’ll find, Page grew up near Whitmore Lake and went to Western Michigan University, where he eventually “crashed out in extraordinary fashion,” he says with a laugh.
His career was in film and TV commercial production, but he “just kind of hated it.” Nearly five years ago he and his sister, Cari Johnson, started a delivery service named with a playful pun on psilocybin, the psychoactive compound in so-called magic mushrooms.
Buoyed by rising interest in their recreational and therapeutic uses, and given leeway to operate by city and county officials, he says “it was very unexpected how quickly it took off.”
Since 2020, when Ann Arbor essentially decriminalized entheogenic plants and fungi, no fewer than ten storefronts have sprung up throughout town—some on the down-low with covert ownership, some at the back of stores selling more established merchandise, and a few that seem undaunted by publicity for businesses that must remain cash-only, given state and federal restrictions.
Page quit his job and is all-in on Psilly, just north of Madison on S. Main. The store vibe is calm and uncluttered, with new vinyl plank flooring, matted and framed custom drawings, and shabby-chic furnishings.
He doesn’t want shoppers intimidated or confused by myriad offerings. The dried mushroom varieties shown in the glass counter are all ones that he and his team or a few trusted growers in Washtenaw County cultivated.
The pricing is straightforward, no matter the strain’s potency: $40 for an eighth, $70 a quarter, $120 a half, and $220 an ounce. Psilly also processes its Melmac strain into gummies, which facilitates dosage control and arguably improves taste.
“We’ve kind of aimed toward the mental health portion of this business,” Page says. “Not that we don’t have people that come in for recreational purposes, but that seems to be kind of our area. We work with some doctors in the area that are doing integrated plant medicine with their therapy.”
Having a storefront makes it easier to consult with customers, though the shop is careful not to offer medical advice. “‘I can tell you what other people have told me’—that’s my line. It’s basically just a sharing of knowledge,” he says. “We have a lot of veterans that come in that are dealing with some pretty big issues and are looking for relief, so that’s been a very satisfying portion of this.”
With the widespread acceptance of cannabis dispensaries serving as both guide and inspiration, “we are really trying to bring legitimacy with this whole entire operation. I don’t mean us, but just the psychedelic community in Ann Arbor,” Page says. “I think we’ve been given a gift here to be able to operate. This isn’t happening all around the country. This is very different, and so I feel pretty honored to be in the space.
“I truly am proud of this city.”
Psilly, 564 S. Main, ste. 300. (734) 661–6411. Mon.–Sat. 11 a.m.–6 p.m. & Sun. 11 a.m.–5 p.m. psillydelivered.com
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