Welcome to Honeysuckle’s New York Retail Dispensary Round-Up! As the Empire State’s cannabis industry evolves, we’re bringing you weekly updates with information on new store openings, events, and other developments that the public needs to know.
As of October 4, 2023, New York cannabis licenses are available to the general public in the Cultivator, Processor, Distributor, Retailer, and Microbusiness categories. But several entrepreneurs issued the Conditional Adult Use Retail Dispensary (CAURD) license are also newly able to open their stores, despite the continued controversy over the legal injunction against the program. This week, five CAURD retailers celebrate grand openings.
How can you party with your neighborhood dispensary teams? Details are below!
North Country And Mohawk Valley Gain Retailers In Elevate ADK And Air City Cannabis
Elevate ADK, which opened on Friday, October 13th in Saranac Lake, has the distinction of being the North Country’s first licensed adult-use dispensary. Located at 622 Lake Flower Avenue, the business is situated on a small shopping plaza along Route 86, just a mile and a half from the heart of the village.
Owner Eli Emery, who has been an organic farming professional in the North Country for many years, had previously been operating Elevate ADK as a delivery-only cannabis business.
“I’m so excited and grateful to be bringing the North Country’s first licensed recreational dispensary to Saranac Lake,” Emery said in a statement released by the state’s Office of Cannabis Management (OCM). “I look forward to everything we can do at Elevate ADK to offer safe access to a wide variety of New York state cannabis products. Being able to bring this plant and its many benefits to our area in this way is a lifelong dream come true.”
Air City Cannabis, located in Rome, New York, also launched on Friday as a delivery-only business. Situated in the Mohawk Valley, it is the first state-licensed retailer in the area. The brand is owned and operated by Courtney Forester, known for her business I-Candies, a fashion boutique and independent women’s clothing store.
For more information about Elevate ADK, visit elevateadk.com. To learn more about Air City Cannabis, follow @aircitycanna on Instagram.
NYC Welcomes TerpBros, Gotham Buds, And CONBUD Dispensaries
This week consumers in the Five Boroughs will enjoy a one-two-three punch of dispensary openings:
TerpBros
On Tuesday, October 17th, TerpBros opens in Astoria, Queens at 3610 Ditmars Boulevard. Owned by Jeremy Rivera, the brand has already built a reputation for its devotion to equity and community benefit. Tuesday’s ceremony will commence with a press conference and ribbon-cutting in the morning, followed by a public opening at 2PM. To commemorate the opening, TerpBros will also unveil a mural painted by world-renowned artist Zaheed Wazed, a Queens-raised multimedia creator known for producing some of the largest murals in New York City. His works have been featured at Arthur Ashe Stadium during the US Open, on Diversity Plaza in Jackson Heights, and Under the Oculus at the World Trade Center among others.
Rivera stated, “It is a surreal feeling to finally begin providing this wonderful Astoria neighborhood with high-quality, regulated cannabis products. Just a few years ago I would have never imagined I would not only own a cannabis dispensary, but also have the opportunity to support my family and give back to my community through this business… New York’s cannabis industry has yet to fully hit its stride but getting our doors open is certainly a step in the right direction. We look forward to playing a role in helping the market reach its full potential and ensuring that New Yorkers have access to safe and legal cannabis products.”
TerpBros begins its festivities with a press conference at 11AM and a public opening at 2PM. For more information, visit terpbrosnyc.com.
Gotham Buds
On Wednesday, October 18th, Gotham Buds opens in Harlem at 248 West 125th Street, only steps from the iconic Apollo Theater. As reported by the OCM, the New York State Cannabis Social Equity Investment Fund facilitated the build-out of the dispensary pursuant to funding authority established in the state’s Fiscal Year plan. The business is owned by Jeffrey Lopez, Omar Tejeda, Gregory Gray, Brian Jones, and Malika Bellamy.
Lopez, a Harlem native, said, “It feels like a dream evolved. “This dispensary is more than business – it’s the creation of our legacy in an industry where we’re carving new paths. Being Black + Brown-owned, Woman-owned, and family- owned isn't just a label; it's our pulse… The pride I feel is overwhelming. Harlem isn't just our location—it's our community, our commitment.”
Gotham Buds begins its grand opening festivities at 10AM on Wednesday. For more information, visit gothambudsny.com
CONBUD
On Thursday, October 19th, CONBUD opens in the Lower East Side at 85 Delancey Street. Owned by Coss Marte, founder of the globally-renowned fitness brand CONBODY, CONBUD is a perfect fit into Marte’s plan to address wellness, community, and social reentry simultaneously. Like CONBODY, CONBUD is staffed by formerly incarcerated individuals, and the store will display videos detailing their personal stories with the plant. (Click here for more about Coss’s journey and the brand.)
Marte stated, “As a New Yorker of color who spent years doing time for cannabis offenses, Thursday’s CONBUD grand opening is a celebration of social and poetic justice. I am unbelievably grateful to OCM, New York City, and New York State for making good on their promise to create an equitable cannabis program, ensuring that businesses owned by New York drug war survivors form the bedrock of the State’s industry. CONBUD stands as a symbol of hope and progress, showcasing a vision for a future where consumers and businesses partner to reduce recidivism rates, rebuild lives, and create stronger, more inclusive communities. It’s been one hell of a road to get here, but just like cannabis, we’re here for good.”
CONBUD begins its festivities at 5PM on Thursday. For more information, visit conbud.com.
“From Saranac Lake to Astoria, New York’s cannabis market is growing,” proclaimed Tremaine Wright, Chair of the state’s Cannabis Control Board. “It is wonderful to celebrate store openings across the State. The New York cannabis market is expanding and being led by entrepreneurs who imbue the values of the MRTA [Marijuana Regulation and Tax Act, New York’s Cannabis Law].”
Office Of Cannabis Management’s Roadmap To Adult-Use Tour
The launch of New York’s cannabis license application portals for the general public have been met in many quarters with excitement, though just as many with confusion as well. To make the process more accessible for all licensing hopefuls, the OCM has developed its Roadmap To Adult-Use Tour, which includes several in-person and virtual workshops taking place throughout the state.
Stay tuned for an inside look at the process, but safe to say the Roadmap To Adult-Use Tour is covering a lot of ground. Kicking off with live workshops in Harlem, Albany, and Westchester last week, the tour’s dates continue through mid-November. That’s just in time for those who need to get their applications in before the December 4th cutoff.
Scheduled dates for the Roadmap To Adult-Use Tour include:
Tuesday, October 17th: Farmingdale, 6-8PM
CNTR Ballroom A
2350 Broadhollow Road, Farmingdale, NY 11735
Wednesday, October 18th: Queens, 6-PM
CUNY School of Law
Auditorium
2 Ct Square W, Queens, NY 11101
Tuesday, October 24th: Virtual, 4:20-6:20PM
Roadmap to AU: Cultivator and Processor Licenses
Thursday, October 26th: Syracuse, 6-8PM
Syracuse Southwest Community Center
401 S0uth Avenue, Syracuse NY 13204
Monday, October 30th: Ithaca, 5-7PM
Tompkins County Public Library
101 East Green Street, Ithaca NY 14850
Wednesday, November 1st: Brooklyn, 6-8PM
Medgar Evers College, CUNY
Dining Room, 2nd floor
1650 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11225
Wednesday, November 1st: Rochester, 6-8PM
Central Library of Rochester & Monroe County
115 South Ave, Rochester NY 14604
Thursday, November 2nd: Buffalo, 6-8PM
Northland Workforce Training Center
683 Northland Avenue, Buffalo NY 14211
Tuesday, November 7th: Virtual, 4:20-6:20PM
Roadmap to AU: Distributor & Retail Licenses
Wednesday, November 8th: Suffolk County, 6-8PM
Middle Country Library
101 Eastwood Boulevard, Centereach, NY 11720
Wednesday, November 8th: Newburgh, 6-8PM
Newburgh YouthBuild
245 Liberty Street
Newburgh, NY 12550
Thursday, November 9th: Utica, 6-7:30PM
Utica Public Library
303 Genesee Street, Utica NY 13501
Tuesday, November 14th: Schenectady, 6-7:30PM
Schenectady County Public Library
99 Clinton Street
Schenectady, New York 12305
Wednesday, November 15th: Virtual, 4:20-6:20PM
Roadmap to AU: Microbusiness License
Thursday, November 16th: Plattsburgh, 6-8PM
Clinton County Mental Health
130 Arizona Ave
Plattsburgh, NY 12903
What Else Should I Know About New York’s Cannabis Retail Dispensaries?
New York State currently has 27 CAURD licensed cannabis dispensaries open and operating. Click here to visit the OCM’s website for specific information about licenses and regulations. Read below for a list of all CAURD retailers now operating. Remember - if a store's not on this list, it's not legal!
If you have CAURD-related news or other dispensary updates you'd like to share, DM us at @honeysucklemagazine on Instagram or email jaime@honeysucklemag.com.
Housing Works Cannabis, LLC
750 Broadway, New York, NY 10003
Smacked Village
144 Bleecker Street, New York, NY10012
Just Breathe
75 Court Street, Binghamton, NY 13901
Union Square Travel Agency
62 E 13th Street, New York, NY10003
William Jane Corporation
119-121 E State Street, Ithaca, NY 14850
Good Grades, LLC
162-03 Jamaica Avenue, Jamaica, NY 11432
Upstate Canna Co
1613 Union Street, Schenectady, NY 12309
Dazed
33 Union Sq. W, New York, NY 10003
Essential Flowers***
Albany, NY
Gotham CAURD LLC
3 E 3rd Street, New York, NY 10003
Elevate ADK
622 Lake Flower Avenue, Suite 7, Saranac Lake, NY 12983
Social Equity CAURD JV LLC***
Richmond Hill, NY
Stage One Cannabis LLC
810C Broadway, Rensselaer, NY 12144
Flynnstoned Corporation
219 Walton Street, Syracuse, NY 13202
Half Island Flavors LLC***
Bronx, NY
Greenery Spot LLC
246 Main Street, Johnson City, NY 13790
Royal Leaf NY LLC (Statis)
817 E Tremont Avenue, Bronx, NY10460
Strain Stars LLC
1815 Broadhollow Road, Farmingdale, NY 11735
Exscape INC (Sacred Bloom)
1308 Vestal Pkwy E, 1st Floor, Set D, Vestal, NY 13850
Dank 716 LLC
501 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 14203
Herbal IQ
6055 Transit Road, Depew, NY 14043
EK Green LLC (dba Canterra)***
Tonawanda, NY 14150
Dosha Farms
76 Main Street, Oneonta, NY 13820
Air City Cannabis LLC***
Rome, NY
Kush Culture Industry LLC (TerpBros)
3610 Ditmars Boulevard, Astoria, NY 11105
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Featured image: CONBUD owner Coss Marte (center) with team members Syretta Wright (left), and Junior Martinez (right) in their CONBUD apparel (C) CONBUD
