Jacob Redmond
Well-Known Member
In a way, it is nothing new: Two guys in their 30s opening a business where people from a variety of backgrounds can come in, relax in a soothing environment, get to know each other a bit, commiserate by sharing a little about their problems, and purchase a substance that will help them feel better for a while. It might sound like Mitch Kahn and Matt Darin are trying to open a bar in Deerfield.
Well, they intend for their venture –Greenhouse –to serve that role in a way, but Greenhouse does not have a liquor license. It has a marijuana-dispensary license. And while their customers can sit for a while in comfortable new seats, and maybe talk to each other a bit about the ailments that brought them to 151 S. Pfingsten Road, state law forbids them from consuming the substance they came for until they get home.
But the two believe they have created an environment that people will enjoy coming to, and maybe opt to spend a little time in.
"This is a medical facility, but many of our customers are going to be here because of problems that have them going to a lot of doctors' offices," Darin said. "So this is a comfortable place. It's people who care about you. We don't want to be another of those places that they dread going to.
"It feels more like a spa than a doctor's office," he added.
Kahn and Darin held an open-house preview of the Greenhouse operation on Saturday, attracting a steady stream of potential clients to check out their offerings. Set in the far-back corner of an industrial complex and facing the Interstate 94 spur, the business will offer cannabis-infused lotions, under-the-tongue tinctures and 15 strains of leaves.
Darin said they are seeking out relationships with the more-established facets of the health and wellness industry, and hope to partner with massage therapists, nutritionists, support groups, yoga practitioners, acupuncturists and others.
"The educational aspect of this is going to be huge," said Darin, a 1998 graduate of Stevenson High School. "We're not looking to be some hidden, secret business in the corner."
They are looking to be a fortified corner, though. The pair and their staff walked their visitors past the bulletproof glass that the secretaries will sit behind; through the doors that are regulated by locks that require a badge to scan, a combination to type in and a thumbprint; under some of the 40 security cameras and up to the concrete vault where the supply will be held. Most of the unit's 4,000 square feet is devoted to well-appointed, dim-lit space for customers, though.
Both Khan and Darin came into the growing industry from backgrounds in commercial real estate. They opted not to speak about price tags, but said retrofitting their unit to meet both the requirements of both Illinois and Deerfield made this the most expensive property they had ever worked with.
"It was an extremely substantial investment," Darin said.
And it is only one of three. Darin and Khan said they expect to open Deerfield's Greenhouse around Jan. 7, but they have two other licenses as well, for Morris and Mokena.
They acknowledged what a far stretch from commercial real estate this budding health-and-wellness venture is, but said they hoped to direct their slice of it toward a friendly, community-type feel.
"How many times in your life do you have the opportunity to be one of the pioneers?" Darin asked.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Marijuana Dispensary Plans To Create Health And Wellness Environment
Author: Ronnie Wachter
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: Chicago Tribune
Well, they intend for their venture –Greenhouse –to serve that role in a way, but Greenhouse does not have a liquor license. It has a marijuana-dispensary license. And while their customers can sit for a while in comfortable new seats, and maybe talk to each other a bit about the ailments that brought them to 151 S. Pfingsten Road, state law forbids them from consuming the substance they came for until they get home.
But the two believe they have created an environment that people will enjoy coming to, and maybe opt to spend a little time in.
"This is a medical facility, but many of our customers are going to be here because of problems that have them going to a lot of doctors' offices," Darin said. "So this is a comfortable place. It's people who care about you. We don't want to be another of those places that they dread going to.
"It feels more like a spa than a doctor's office," he added.
Kahn and Darin held an open-house preview of the Greenhouse operation on Saturday, attracting a steady stream of potential clients to check out their offerings. Set in the far-back corner of an industrial complex and facing the Interstate 94 spur, the business will offer cannabis-infused lotions, under-the-tongue tinctures and 15 strains of leaves.
Darin said they are seeking out relationships with the more-established facets of the health and wellness industry, and hope to partner with massage therapists, nutritionists, support groups, yoga practitioners, acupuncturists and others.
"The educational aspect of this is going to be huge," said Darin, a 1998 graduate of Stevenson High School. "We're not looking to be some hidden, secret business in the corner."
They are looking to be a fortified corner, though. The pair and their staff walked their visitors past the bulletproof glass that the secretaries will sit behind; through the doors that are regulated by locks that require a badge to scan, a combination to type in and a thumbprint; under some of the 40 security cameras and up to the concrete vault where the supply will be held. Most of the unit's 4,000 square feet is devoted to well-appointed, dim-lit space for customers, though.
Both Khan and Darin came into the growing industry from backgrounds in commercial real estate. They opted not to speak about price tags, but said retrofitting their unit to meet both the requirements of both Illinois and Deerfield made this the most expensive property they had ever worked with.
"It was an extremely substantial investment," Darin said.
And it is only one of three. Darin and Khan said they expect to open Deerfield's Greenhouse around Jan. 7, but they have two other licenses as well, for Morris and Mokena.
They acknowledged what a far stretch from commercial real estate this budding health-and-wellness venture is, but said they hoped to direct their slice of it toward a friendly, community-type feel.
"How many times in your life do you have the opportunity to be one of the pioneers?" Darin asked.
News Moderator: Jacob Redmond 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Marijuana Dispensary Plans To Create Health And Wellness Environment
Author: Ronnie Wachter
Photo Credit: None Found
Website: Chicago Tribune