On Wednesday evening, March 27th, 2025, something unexpected happened at our Chillum Mushroom & Hemp Dispensary location in Downtown St. Petersburg’s Grand Central District—and no, it wasn’t one of our usual mushroom workshops or community events.

At exactly 6:04 PM, two young individuals wearing ski masks rushed into our store and executed a quick “grab-and-run” robbery in broad daylight. In the span of mere seconds, they ran in, grabbed two large jars of hemp flower each, and sprinted back out the door.

Security cameras caught the entire incident, which has since been turned over to local law enforcement. The suspects appeared to be teenagers, and thankfully, no weapons were involved and no one was injured.

While this was definitely not the kind of excitement we like to bring to the community, we’re grateful it wasn’t worse. Our owner, Carlos Hermida, shared his thoughts after the incident:

“They stole about a pound of hemp flower, but they didn’t even touch my mushrooms! I am just happy that they ran out after they took what they wanted and nobody got hurt.”

Chillum has been operating in Downtown St. Pete for nearly two years and is proud to call the Grand Central District home. This location is the second in the Chillum family, with our flagship store located in Ybor City, Florida. We’ve spent years building a safe, educational, and welcoming space for people to explore legal hemp, mushrooms, and alternative wellness products—and one grab-and-run isn’t going to change that.

We want to reassure our customers and community that we are working closely with the St. Petersburg Police Department and are fully cooperating in the investigation. We’ve handed over all surveillance footage, and we’re hopeful that the suspects will be identified quickly.

In the meantime, we’re still open, still safe, and still here for you. Our team is unharmed, our doors are open, and our shelves are stocked with everything you’ve come to love about Chillum.

If you have any information about the incident, we encourage you to contact the St. Petersburg Police Department.