Union Chill opened the 3rd exclusively NJ adult-use recreational cannabis dispensary and 31st overall in Lambertville in Hunterdon County.
They began taking in-store customers and online preorders and express in-store pick-up this morning.
Union Chill won an annual license from the NJ Cannabis Regulatory Commission (NJCRC) earlier this year. So, they opened up much faster than the hundreds of conditional New Jersey recreational dispensary license winners.
They are majority women-owned
CEO Laurie McHugh has 10 percent, while her partner Kristen O’Keeefe has 41 percent, and her husband Ryan has 12 percent, according to the SEC. McHugh is from the other side of the Delaware River in New Hope, PA. She ran a CBD shop there.
They are already a cannabis corporation that is a Multi-State Operator (MSO). Their website says they are opening in Corning, NY, near Ithaca College.
Union Chill will not be the last cannabis company opening in New Jersey that is chomping at the bit to be big in New York.
“This has been an incredible journey, and I couldn’t be prouder to open our doors and begin serving our community, family, and friends. We believe in the power of the plant to change peoples’ lives and are passionate about the work we do and the role we play in our community,” McHugh said. “We look forward to rising to the challenge of creating a more sustainable, vibrant cannabis environment for all.”
Union Chill calls themselves social justice-minded. According to their Public Relations specialist, they are scheduling a food pantry drive and want to help people with trauma. They are also planning support planning expungement events with Black Cannabis and sponsored an LGBT Pride event in town.
They said they are talking with various people about indigenous people’s equitable access to the cannabis industry. Union Chill also likes patronizing artists.
Union Chill Cannabis Company LLC Open
“We embrace equal access to resources and opportunities and are committed to working with impactful partners and nonprofits to build a more inclusive, sustainable future for all,” McHugh said.
They say they want to have local craft products. But like all the other dispensaries opening in New Jersey for the time being, they must wait for cultivators to open and harvest their cannabis corp. Unfortunately, that process takes a lot longer to open than a store. Thus, the legal cannabis available for sale in the Garden State remains overall mediocre and pricey.
But this will not last forever. More New Jersey cannabis cultivators should be ready to harvest later this summer and fall.
Family Connections Help NJ Recreational Dispensary
“As someone whose family has lived in Lambertville for, at best count, seven generations, I am thrilled to open our dispensary,” Chief Visionary Officer Alexis Berends said.
Union Chill had no problem with highly coveted real estate since Berends’ family has lived on the block of their Lambrtville cannabis dispensary in the Spokeworks Building for those generations.
“We look forward to being a trusted community resource and a beacon for what is right just as we continue to combat the outdated stigmas and effects of cannabis prohibition,” she added.
“No matter where you are coming from, we’ll lean on our local roots and varied experiences with cannabis to meet you exactly where you are,” McHugh said.
Lambertville Cannabis Competition
Union Chill will not monopolize Lambertville cannabis sales for long. Baked By the River recently received its annual NJ recreational dispensary license from the NJCRC. They will be open soon too. They are hosting a Drag Show this Friday for June LGBT Pride Month. Jesse Villars and Cord Schlovohm have been in the cannabis and CBD industry for several years. They are far closer to the Goldilocks ideal cannabis advocates want to see open since they are New Jersey-born and raised small businesspeople with legacy connections.
They have also been involved politically and socially in the cannabis movement. Villars spearheaded Lambertville cannabis dispensaries being allowed in town. They also started Cannabis Equity Employment (CEE) with others. They are very concerned about helping people with records get jobs in the New Jersey cannabis industry.
Jersey Girlz was the third dispensary and final approved in Lambertville.
Lambertville is a small artsy town on the Delaware River. It is a moneyed center of artists and craftsmen with many antique shops, eclectic galleries, and coffee shops.
New Jersey Adult Use Cannabis Dispensaries
The following is a list of the New Jersey recreational cannabis dispensaries currently open:
- Union Chill (an MSO) in Lambertville.
- Earth & Ivy in New Brunswick.
- Nova Farms (an MSO) in Woodbury.
- Holistic Solutions LLC in Atco.
- Valley Wellness LLC in Raritan Twp.
- Sweet Spot (an MSO) in Voorhees.
- Apothecarium Dispensary (an MSO) in Lodi.
- Apothecarium Dispensary in Maplewood.
- Apothecarium Dispensary in Phillipsburg.
- Ascend (an MSO) in Montclair.
- Ascend (an MSO) in Rochelle Park.
- Ascend in Fort Lee.
- BLOC (formerly Justice Grown) (an MSO) in Franklin Township.
- BLOC (formerly Justice Grown) in Ewing.
- The Botanist (an MSO) in Williamstown.
- The Botanist in Egg Harbor Township.
- The Cannabist (an MSO) in Vineland.
- The Cannabist in Deptford.
- Curaleaf (an MSO) in Bordentown Twp.
- Curaleaf in Bellmawr.
- Curaleaf in Edgewater Park.
- Ayr Wellness (Formerly GSD) (an MSO) in Woodbridge
- Ayr Wellness in Eatontown
- Ayr Wellness in Union Township.
- Harmony Dispensary in Secaucus
- MPX NJ (an MSO) in Atlantic City
- Rise (an MSO) in Bloomfield
- Rise in Paterson
- Zen Leaf (an MSO) in Neptune
- Zen Leaf in Elizabeth
- Zen Leaf in Lawrence Twp.
