Two cannabis dispensaries coming to Riverhead
Two cannabis dispensaries will open in Riverhead Town, one in a Calverton shopping plaza and one in the long empty commercial building at the corner of Kromer Avenue and Route 58. The two stores will have a positive impact on town revenue, with a 4% local tax being split 25-75 between the county and the town.
Beleaf, at 4462 Middle Country Road in Calverton, is the second store for Michael Reda, who opened the brand’s first location in Brooklyn earlier this month. “I was born and raised on the east end of Long Island, so bringing Beleaf’s safe, tested cannabis to the East End community is extremely exciting for me,” said Mr. Reda. “That was always like my focus for my first store. I would have [wanted Calverton] to have been my first store, but it just happened the way it did, that Brooklyn was the first store. It’s exciting for me to be able to bring this to the local community out here.”
The dispensary will offer in-store shopping, online ordering and express kiosks located in the store. Mr. Reda hopes to open around Halloween, and plans to have delivery within the first three months of opening.
Beleaf’s business, according to Mr. Reda, is based on a mission to give back to the communities it serves. The store will bring employment opportunities and generate tax revenue, but also plans to partner with local organizations for funding and support.
“Beleaf is not only a licensed cannabis adult use dispensary, but Beleaf itself is really hinged on giving back to the local communities. So that’s one of the main goals. Anywhere that we do open a store is going to be linking up with local outreach. That’s very important to us. It’s about giving back. We’re doing the same thing in Brooklyn. That’s one of the pivotal things about us as a whole,” Mr. Reda said.
The other dispensary is also the second store for an established business. Strain Stars, opening around Thanksgiving at 1871 Old Country Road in Riverhead, has their flagship shop in Farmingdale. Yuvraj Singh, CEO of Strain Stars, said this was a natural fit for his family, given their experience running gas stations and convenience stores all over Long Island. “We have businesses in the Town of Riverhead. We know the area pretty well,” said Mr. Singh, “and this area was very forgotten when it came to the legal cannabis industry. Given our background in retail, we thought it was a good area for it,” said Mr. Singh.
Strain Stars Farmingdale was the first dispensary to open on Long Island. It follows a “one-stop shop” model, seeking to provide any product or accessory related to cannabis. The store will also have same-day delivery to all of Long Island. At more than 14,000 square feet, the store will be the largest recreational dispensary in New York and will offer close to 2,000 products.
Cannabis shops are legally allowed to sell products that are grown and produced in New York, and Strain Stars will have a special section that highlights locally-produced cannabis products.
“There are some really good brands that are growing out here in Long Island, and where we want to shine some light on them,” said Mr. Singh.
He hopes the shopping experience will elevate and normalize these products.
“The goal is to destigmatize cannabis in everybody’s eyes,” he said. “We’re opening a store that doesn’t feel like one of your smoke shops down the corner.”
