North Jersey's next cannabis shop — in converted funeral home — opens this month
HALEDON — Molly Ann Farms will open its doors for cannabis sales this month, its owners said.
The long-awaited arrival of the new business, just the third dispensary to open in Passaic County since licensed dealing of cannabis products began last year, is scheduled for Sept. 30 at noon. A ribbon-cutting celebration is planned. The event will include free food, giveaways and reggae music.
The dispensary is at 265 Belmont Ave., in the former DeLuccia-Lozito Funeral Home.
Gabriella Wilday, who owns the business with her brother, Gian Lombardi, and her father, George Lombardi, said Monday that the mission of Molly Ann Farms is to “spread happy across the communities we serve.”
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“Customers can expect to be treated like friends,” she said in a statement.
Molly Ann Farms will offer a large selection of products at price points to meet every person’s budget, Wilday said.
There are no kiosks in the 8,883-square-foot store. Instead, she said, each customer will be paired with a knowledgeable budtender to guide the shopping experience.
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“We strive to make each visit convenient and seamless by providing ample onsite parking, minimal wait times and a pre-order pickup window,” Wilday said.
Tax records show that a Ridgewood-based limited liability company tied to Molly Ann Farms purchased the 1-acre property from the funeral home for $2.3 million in March.
Twenty-five people were hired to work at the dispensary, Wilday said. Of them, six live in the borough. More than half are women.
Five of the employees, she said, have prior cannabis convictions.
New Jersey became the 13th state to permit cannabis for recreational use when Gov. Phil Murphy signed a series of bills in February 2021. Three months earlier, voters overwhelmingly supported that constitutional amendment through a ballot measure.
But it took more than a year after the legislation was signed for the first 12 dispensaries to open. Among them was RISE on Third Avenue in Paterson.
The second dispensary in the county, Mountain View Farmacy, opened in July in the Newfoundland section of West Milford.
According to the state Cannabis Regulatory Commission, there are now 35 retailers open in 50 locations.
Philip DeVencentis is a local reporter for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to the most important news from your local community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
Email: devencentis@northjersey.com
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Haledon NJ: Molly Ann Farms cannabis dispensary opening soon
