Aurum Botanics dispensary recently held a ribbon cutting to open its doors in the Pine Barrens in Burlington County near Fort Dix.
Pemberton’s Republican Mayor Jack Tompkins spoke at the grand opening before the ribbon cutting.
“I remember coming into this facility years ago when I heard the bar had some of the best cheesesteaks in town,” he noted. “I walked in, and I saw the bar the way it was years ago. During the whole process, I would stop in, and I would talk to the project manager and somebody here to see how things were going, and I was truly amazed at the transformation of the building and everything around it.”
“Outside is beautiful. When you come inside … I can’t say enough good things. We welcome you to the town. I talked to a lot of people in the town. There’s some good buds,” MR joked.
Aurum Botanics Owners Interview
Mike Sarnowski interviewed co-owners Aaron Marks and Stacey Marks for Heady NJ.
“We’re here to find out a little more about you know, what you guys get started. And so, what guys got you into this? What got you started with the whole cannabis store and industry?” Sarnowski asked.
“So my background, my undergraduate from Penn State is Health and Wellness. I’ve always been involved in fitness in and in the industry,” Stacey explained. “When we saw that recreational became legal here in New Jersey, we were excited to bring another alternative wellness product and store to the community. And that kind of embodies my ideology of health and wellness and holistic health.”
“We want to educate the community and anybody who wants to come in, learn about cannabis, and what it can do for you to make you feel better to make you look better and to live your life better,” Stacey explained.
“Enjoy life a little bit more is not, a bad thing at all,” Ms said. “We all want that.”
“Tell us a little bit about the journey like what took you what. Was it hard to get here? How long did it take?” MS asked.
“It’s been about two and a half years. And you have to go through a lot of different steps including permitting and zoning. And obviously building the building and designing the systems,” Aaron explained.
“But it’s something that, it’s not for everybody, right?” he noted.
“I love the store. It’s a beautiful store you guys got here. Tell me a little bit about what makes you feel like it makes it unique?” MS asked. “What’s gonna make you guys stand out?”
Botique Type Dispensary in Pemberton
The place is colorful.
“I mean it’s in the name,” Aaron said.
Aurum means gold in Latin.
“We tried to give it more of a boutique feel,” he explained. “We didn’t want the typical. There’s nothing wrong with the smoke shops and the head shops. But that wasn’t the vibe we were looking for. We were looking for more of an upscale presence that people would come in and be like this the space looks amazing, right?”
“We also hired but tenders and supervisors and our general manager who have a lot of experience in this space and they can educate people,” Aaron added.
Their general manager has been in cannabis for 15 years starting in the medical marijuana program.
“Not only do we have sort of the presence and the and the appearance. But we also have the people who can sort of back our feel,” he said.
“As I’ve got educated in marijuana, I’ve learned a lot more about the highs and the lows, and all that stuff can also be affected by the flavors the Terpenes,” MS noted. “Did your budtenders have a knowledge about some of that?”
“Yeah, they definitely can enhance and and make a product,” Stacey noted. Yes, not only are all of our supervisors and our bud tenders coming from a lot of education and a lot of experience. But they’ve gone through a lot of training in-house as well with our individual and specific products as well.”
Mom and Pop Store in the Pine Barrens
“So you guys told me earlier the only (licensed cannabis) store in the area, right?” MS asked.
“Yeah, we’re the only they so the way that the licensing works is towns can,” Aaron said. “They’re allowed to give out a certain number of licenses. But Pemberton only has two licenses, and we have one of them. There is another store that they’re trying to build out miles down the street.”
“We’re a family store. We’re family-owned. That’s another way we stand out.,” Stacey said. “It’s just, you know, it’s Aaron and I. We plan to be here and be active in the community.”
They then showed Heady NJ around the place, including the back where their cannabis products are stored.
“Everything is color-coded,” Aaron explained about their system.
They were awarded their annual dispensary license needed to legally open in September 2023 by the NJ Cannabis Regulatory Commission (NJ-CRC) as Alchemy Botanics. The NJ-CRC then approved the name change to Aurum Botanics in October 2023.
Aurum Botanics was able to overcome some of the concerns of the town council that have sunk the dreams of similar entrepreneurs. A Public Relations firm helped despite initial hesitations.
Notably, they sell flower from the local grower Niche, and the new infused drink syrup by Major Beverages recently released.
Pictures and interview by Mike Sarnoski.
