DEPEW, N.Y. — The race has been on to become the first state-licensed recreational marijuana dispensary to open up in Western New York.
There are several candidates with state licenses who are well on their way but on Monday the Village of Depew approved what could be the first one located in the Buffalo suburbs.
The dispensary is called Herbal I-Q and Mike Ortiz is the Chief Operations Officer.
"It's been a lengthy process to get here. We were the 25th applicant to apply to New York State and in this last batch we were approved," Ortiz said.
The Office of Cannabis Management's regulatory board approved Herbal IQ's conditional adult-use retail dispensary (CAURD) license at their May 11 meeting.
The team which includes owner Bradley Kyler of Olean and Ortiz from North Collins hit the ground running and while logistics have been a little challenging he said they were quickly able to find a location thanks to a local connection.
"At first it was almost like we couldn't believe we'd finally gotten here and then we're businessmen and so it was right to go mode. We started to sit down, strategize and create business plans put our key players in place for what we wanted to accomplish," said Ortiz.
Herbal IQ will begin renovating the old Classic Cue Billiard Hall located at 6055 Transit Road just north of French Road. The pool hall opened in 1985 but is making way for new business.
Ortiz said to picture an Apple Store but for cannabis.
"The hardest part was notifying New York State and getting that approved meeting with the Village of Depew and their code enforcement board to make sure that we are in the right spot for the community," Ortiz said.
The Village of Depew board approved the location and Herbal IQ's business plan at their meeting on Monday. Ortiz answered questions from the public and explained how they want to turn the 5,500-square-foot space into the region's "premier cannabis retailer" but also a space where your grandmother would feel comfortable.
Herbal IQ is setting an aggressive timeline to open in just a couple of weeks but with their team's contracting experience, they are confident.
While selling New York-grown and tested cannabis will be their first priority when they open Ortiz said with so much space available opening a cannabis lounge could come once state guidelines are issued.
