The Village dispensary, which recently opened in Hoboken, is owned by NBA Star, NJ native, and cannabis entrepreneur Viola Brands CEO Al Harrington.
Village had a quiet, soft opening on Monday and is planning a grand opening on Saturday after a ribbon cutting on Friday.
“I’m grateful to have the opportunity to bring my love of and experience in the cannabis industry over the last 13 years to Jersey,” said Harrington. “It’s a full circle moment to open a dispensary in the state where I was stopped and frisked as a kid who had never even touched flower.”
Opening Village Dispensary in Hoboken
According to a Village press release, they will cater to the needs of the many professionals living in the area by providing quality customer service in a timely manner.
The dispensary will feature a wide array of products, including those produced by the duo’s Viola Brands. They also want to be the exclusive provider of certain products.
The store will have strains and brands curated by Harrington himself and cater to the needs of the busy young professionals in Hoboken.
“We’re expecting a really good turnout and just excited to have an impact in the Hoboken community,” he said.
“It’s a just home vibe you’re going to get. We want to be elite,” Harrington said of Village Dispensary.
They’re also going to offer delivery.
“When we get you in there, we want to educate you about all the products,” he explained.
Afterward, people will know what they want when delivering.
“We’re excited to open our first East Coast location. A lot is happening in the industry. And we look forward to continuing to grow our brands in New Jersey and beyond,” said co-owner Dan Pettigrew.
He said the dispensary name reflects their desire to educate and empower the community, especially People of Color.
“It takes a village to be successful,” Harrington declared.
He said an opportunity presented itself in Hoboken and noted it is a hub of young professionals and young people.
Getting to the Finish Line
Harrington said it took three years to open Village dispensary in Hoboken. AH said they lobbied the town a great deal to get open.
“They were really afraid of what it would be like to have cannabis come into the community,” he noted.
Harrington stressed how secure dispensaries are and how successful they are.
He praised their local partner, Yilung Huang, a local businessman, for his help in the process. Harrington noted they wanted a partner whose values included giving back to the community via philanthropy.
Hunag donated to Hoboken 3rd Ward Councilman Mike Russo’s campaign.
Viola will be near the Blue Violets dispensary, which opened in April. They both received Hoboken City Council approval at the same meeting.
Both were delayed by the small MSO Story, which wants another dispensary in the Jersey suburbs but hasn’t opened that one either. They have been accused of playing dirty Hudson County politics.
In addition, it has caused many lawsuits to be filed. Anti-marijuana activists think both are too close to a school. Blue Violets was sued by local politician Liz Urtecho and spent a lot of money fighting them which benefited Viola Brands/Village Hoboken.
Village Hoboken got its dispensary cannabis license from the NJ Cannabis Regulatory Commission needed to open this past May 2024.
Launching Viola Brands
Al Harrington explained he got into cannabis when his grandma, who had glaucoma, visited him while he was in the NBA. He told her he had heard of the power of medical cannabis for healing.
“She didn’t know what cannabis was, by the name of cannabis,” Harrington noted.
“Boy, I ain’t smoking no reefer!” he recalled her saying.
But he was able to persuade her it would help. After she smoked, she cried when she was able to see well enough to read the Bible for the first time in a while.
Harrington then noted his brand is named after his Grandma Viola.
He explained he is a native of Orange in Essex County who went to high school in Elizabeth and got drafted into the NBA right afterward.
Viola made a deal with a large MSO, Green Thum Industries (GTI) Rise, to get Viola products into the New Jersey cannabis market. So they have been in the market.
Viola is a cannabis corporation that is a Global Multi-State Operator (MSO) that operates in Canada and has dispensaries in Illinois, Missouri, and now New Jersey.
Harrington said many came into cannabis and threw money at it with little connection, cannabis expertise, or community ties.
In contrast Viola has made itself known at many sorts of unique cannabis events in New Jersey, including underground legacy markets.
Harrington noted some dispensaries don’t like to feature brands named after stores, so they have a different dispensary brand name.
Advocating for a Diverse and Legal Cannabis Industry
He noted the need to diversify the cannabis industry so minorities can own companies and be able to build generational wealth.
Al Harrington explained when he first entered the industry were few minority-owned legal cannabis companies.
“There was no diversity in most states,” he said. “There’s still a lot of work to do still in 2024. We still having these same issues.”
Harrington lamented many underground legacy operators have not had an opportunity to participate in the legal industry.
“That’s something we’re fighting for,” he said.
Al Harrington and Pettigrew were proud supporters of the NJ CAN 2020 campaign to end marijuana prohibition in New Jersey. Harrington took part in virtual rallies held during the campaign while the COVID-19 pandemic was ongoing.
“First, we were stigma crusaders,” he noted. “It seems our hard work paid off,”
Opening the dispensary is not the end of their goals.
“We’re looking at other opportunities in the state,” Harrington said.
He said they will be debuting new cannabis strains through their Viola brand soon.
