The Green Room is a chain of hemp stores in New Jersey offering unique CBD, CBG, CBN, D8 THC, THCV, and THCP products in a curated space.
The Green Room Founder Darek Wajda said they have excellent products. They include edibles, drinks, vape cartridges, tincture oils, pre-rolls, and pain relief cream. While carrying other products, most are Green Room branded.
Recently, Wajda has been focused on creating new blends of cannabinoids for his products. He is a native New Jerseyan and a former journalist. Wajda was eager to strike out on a new career path and be his own boss with the Green Room. Their slogan is “Making the Garden State Greener.”
Wajda emphasized the modern, diverse nature of his 20 team members representing cannabis communities.
“This team represents what New Jersey’s cannabis community looks like around our incredible state. We’re a huge melting pot of like-minded thinkers all uniting under the same roof with love towards the same plant,” he said.
The Green Room has also partnered with a company to create an NFT collection that The Green Room customers can purchase for discounts.
Green Room Open in New Jersey’s Hippest Towns
The Green Room’s locations are now open in Hoboken, Montclair, Red Bank, Jersey City, Westfield, New York City, and Asbury Park.
Wajda worked very hard at the beginning of COVID to keep his Hoboken location afloat. His store by City Hall came with a window that opened, which was perfect for the safety measure put in place to stop the spread of the pandemic in the early days.
In February, he opened The Green Room in Westfield, a town wary of adult-use cannabis. While selling CBD and hemp products, Darek said they were welcomed into the community.
Wajda is especially happy with his new Asbury Park location, which includes a backyard where consumers can come and enjoy hemp-based products like drinks and/or pre-rolls.
Expanding by the Shore
He was especially eager to open and sell CBD in the hip beach town. Wajda had been looking in Asbury Park for almost two years and was happy he waited to find a great location with a backyard to enhance the experience.
“Asbury Park was one of the administratively easiest towns to open in,” DW said. “Town Hall was great. They provide new businesses with a ‘How To Open’ manual for Asbury Park. The landlord Pat has been a fan and consistent supporter as well.”
He noted that residential tenants in the building like them.
“It’s a blessing to be in a town when we can be at The Stone Pony in a few minutes … then hit the beach. I’m so grateful for this. I’m in love with Asbury Park and Ocean Grove,” Wajda said.
His favorite spot in Asbury Park is the bridge between Ocean Grove and Asbury Park. Like many towns, the otherwise progressive Asbury Park has been wary of being one of the first to embrace adult-use cannabis.
“The music scene is great here. We’re going to start hosting open mic sessions and even cookouts in the backyard,” Wajda said.
The 10th location set to open is in Newark. In the future, Wajda wants to open a few more locations. He mentioned towns like Morristown, Princeton, Summit, and Englewood were on the radar. These are all within the model of progressive, walkable New Jersey towns where the other existing Green Rooms stores are located.
“This is a dream come true. I’m living the American Dream.” Wajda said.
The business has grown to several locations selling CBD that require oversight. But he prefers being behind the counter himself.
Pivoting to Adult-Use Cannabis
In the future, he would like to create a new line of cannabis products with a New Jersey recreational cannabis license. He wants to sell these products in dispensaries and have a presence in both markets. He is still waiting for a response regarding his application.
Wajda does not like the stringent security parameters required at adult-use dispensaries. He feels they would hurt the fun, playful atmosphere he has created at his The Green Room stores.
“These stores are designed to look, smell, sound, and act like a cannabis store should feel like. The Green Room represents a symbol of change and we hope cannabis stores can operate like other traditional retailers.”
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