MOUNT LAUREL – This town’s budding ‘cannabis corridor’ could be getting competition.
A Michigan firm, Hempnotize New Jersey LLC, wants to open a weed shop in a vacant office building on Church Road near Fellowship Road, according to an application before Mount Laurel’s planning board.
That’s less than a mile from a cluster of three proposed dispensaries near Church Road’s intersection with Route 73.
One of those shops would operate from the former Sage Diner at the Route 73 intersection. The others, also on Route 73, would occupy nearby vacancies — a real estate office and a building that last held Oceancrat the Boiling Seafood.
Hempnotize New Jersey plans Mount Laurel site
Hempnotize New Jersey is eyeing an 8,700 square foot building at 4004 Church Road.
It would use almost 4,600 square feet for retail purposes and the rest for storage, according to the application.
The Dearborn-based company estimates it can complete a “flagship location” in four to six months with an estimated budget of $1 million, “plus 20 percent for unexpected costs.”
The store will “be developed in line with Hempnotize’ existing retail facilities and will showcase their retail brand — NAR (formerly Glass Jar).” the application says.
The South Jersey store also will be larger than the company’s existing outlets in Ohio and Michigan, said spokesman Ermal Mandija.
“This location will be state of the art, including but not limited to quick turnarounds with online ordering,” he said.
He asserted the company’s review of New Jersey’s current weed shops found long lines of customers outside, but “minimum point-of-sale systems and not many people actually being serviced inside.”
“As such, our location will integrate substantially more point-of-sale systems than we’ve seen at other facilities,” Mandija said in an email. “We will also integrate quick acquisition systems, including online purchases with quick pickups and have sufficient staff to support the number of point-of-sale systems deployed at the location.”
Mount Laurel cannabis dispensaries approved
The planning board is to consider the application at its May 4 meeting.
The board previously has approved plans for two dispensaries on the Route 73 corridor. The zoning board has approved the third.
The operator of one of the planned Route 73 dispensaries, Daylite Cannabis, said he expects the store to open in mid-June as Mount Laurel’s first dispensary.
“There is currently enough demand for all businesses to do well in the short term,” said Steve Cassidy of Medford.
“Long-term success will go to the businesses that build loyalty through great products, great staff, and an exceptional shopping experience while also having strong community engagement,” he noted in an email.
Jim Walsh is a senior reporter with the Courier-Post, Burlington County Times and The Daily Journal.
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