BATAVIA, N.Y. — Starting Tuesday, August 29 Batavia will have a legal place to purchase marijuana.
A partnership with DANK in downtown Buffalo and six other local marijuana growers and processors will result in a temporary pop-up shop inside of Empire Hemp Co. on E Main street in Batavia.
The pop-up shop will showcase local cannabis growers and will be open every Tuesday thru Saturday from 1:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. throughout the end of 2023.
“After then, we’re hoping this state has done something to get you in a regular shop and start building a relationship with who is going to be there [long term],” said Aaron Vancamp, Owner, DANK.
Last month, Vancamp opened DANK, his own marijuana dispensary in downtown Buffalo.
He shared that the biggest problem he is hearing from his product suppliers is there are not enough stores for them to make ends meet.
“There’s basically only 17 stores and 250 cultivators. The roll out has been a little slow for them… If you grow potatoes, there’s no shortage of Wegmans or Tops. There is a shortage of stores for the people who are cultivating cannabis, and this will make sure they’re in business next year.”
Vancamp will use his license to sell marijuana to create a pop-up shop in Batavia that will provide necessary aid to the local growers that are struggling, like Batavia’s Empire Hemp Co.
Despite applications, Chris VanDusen’s CBD store, Empire Hemp Co., does not have government approval to sell the legal adult use marijuana products that his company makes.
Their THC Gummies, flowers, pre-rolled joints and more can only be sold to the few stores in the state like DANK that have a license to sell marijuana.
With no way to sell his products in large quantities, VanDusen has been left with a surplus and was forced to lay off his 6-person staff at his processing facility in April.
“If it wasn’t for this cannabis growers showcase, we would never be able to sell [our THC products].”
But this pop-up shop could provide the relief his company needs after months of not knowing what to do with their products.
“There’s no legal dispensary in Batavia,” VanDusen said. “So, it’s a great opportunity to get our name out there and show people what we do.”
“It means [the growers] are going to make some money and be able to pay their bills, feed their family and do everything a normal farmer would be able to do,” Vancamp said.
