New York State shows off dispensary template with first construction completion
NEW YORK - New York state has completed the first full build-out of a legal cannabis dispensary.
Smacked Village opened as a pop-up shop in West Village before shutting down for the past nine weeks for renovations. It now serves as the template that will be used for all dispensaries across the state.
Showing few signs of original designs, the dispensary shines under strategic lighting. Owner Roland Conner, the first social justice licensee to see sales, is eager to welcome his staff and consumers back to the shop.
"They stuck with us through the ups and downs," Conner said of his team. "They're coming back, and we've all learned a really valuable experience from this whole movement."
It took about $1.5 million to develop the dispensary, paid for in part by former NBA all-star Chris Webber's Webber Willis Ventures Fund.
"Your resolve through this, I really was impressed by, and I've learned a lot about leadership from you, just watching you in this process," Webber told Conner at the celebration.
Each of the 21 stores currently under construction will be customizable versions of the Smacked Village layout, with the space split between a self-serve bodega-style system or the deli-like counter with a budtender to guide consumers through their options. Plus, there is an express window for quick pick-ups.
The Temeka Group designed the dispensary with efficiency and the bottom line in mind.
"How many transactions can you do per POS, per hour, per day, that's how you get to your total gross volume you can do in a year," explained Temeka Group co-owner Paul Nieboer during a tour of the site.
Each room is equipped with key card access and cameras seeing every angle. Product will also be protected by rat- and thief-proof mesh throughout the walls and ceilings.
Through the state's Social Equity Cannabis Investment Fund, licensees take on a 10-year lease, with loan repayments starting after their fourth month of sales.
"This has been a tough go at it," admitted Office of Cannabis Management executive director Chris Alexander, "in terms of the whole market rollout, all the things we've been having to deal with, illicit shops, et cetera, et cetera. We are intentionally building this market."
The state expects the other 20 licensees to complete construction on their dispensaries in the next three months.
While the New York Social Equity Cannabis Investment Fund is available to all licensees, they may also find their own funding to build out their dispensaries.
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