The former Greenleaf Compassion Center has reopened as the Ascend NJ Montclair dispensary after extensive renovations to serve more patients.
They reopened at 395 Bloomfield Avenue. It is situated across from the historic Wellmont Theater and near the Church Street shopping district. The facility is the newest and only medical-use dispensary (thus far) to open in downtown Montclair.
The space was re-envisioned to provide more space and serve more patients by adding more cash registers.
Ascend NJ acquired the site last May. They will be opening more dispensaries in New Jersey soon, including one in Rochelle Park in Bergen County. But their Chief Revenue Officer Christopher Melillo could not go into details.
Ascend NJ Focused on Medical As Adult-use Cannabis Unfolds
“I’m super excited about the news,” he said regarding the signing of the adult-use cannabis bills.
“I’m watching Arizona now,” Melillo added, noting their adult-use market has opened. “They don’t have enough product.”
“We don’t know the timing. We don’t know the regulatory environment, what it’s going to require,” he said.
Melillo actually lives in Medford, NJ in South Jersey, while the company is based in Massachusetts and operates elsewhere as a Multi-State Operator (MSO). When asked if they want an adult-use license, he said they are focused on serving their patients right now.
Melillo noted every license holder is allowed to operate three cannabis dispensaries. He said they’re “super grateful “to have one of the original six.
Remodeled Montclair Dispensary
More registers, he said, were installed to decrease wait time. The space was redesigned with COVID in mind.
He praised their staff of 25 at the Montclair dispensary.
The building was completely remodeled to create a better experience. It has a modern feel with the aura of a basement with its gray walls and Ascend’s blue logo along with colorful rolling papers and modern cash registers.
The cannabis of the vertical operation is grown off-site.
“It’s a completely different vibe,” another said.
The dispensary was the first cannabis dispensary opened as in New Jersey by a former police officer during the Christie Administration.
People severely criticized its quality and price especially.
“I came here once and asked what the percentage. He was like, “oh, you can look that up online,” an Ascend staffer recounted. “I was like, ok, thanks.”
It was noted Ascend Wellness Holdings is donating money to the Last Prisoner Project to help free long-serving cannabis convicts.
The 1,500-square-foot dispensary will offer customers easy access to a dynamic shopping experience while fulfilling Ascend’s mission to better the lives of its employees, customers, and the communities it serves.
Ascend Wellness Holdings (AWH), the largest privately-held multi-state, vertically-integrated cannabis operator in the United States
A few New Jersey cannabis leaders were invited to the masked re-opening of Ascend Montclair, including Ken Wolski of CMMNJ, Dr. David Nathan, and Dr. Monica Taing of DCFCR, Montclair’s Third Councilwoman Lori Abrams, Councilman Michael Chazukow, and others.
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