{"id":36204,"date":"2021-05-17T12:27:59","date_gmt":"2021-05-17T16:27:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/?p=36204"},"modified":"2021-05-17T13:05:56","modified_gmt":"2021-05-17T17:05:56","slug":"owners-of-smoke-shop-in-malta-laying-groundwork-to-open-cannabis-dispensary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2021\/05\/owners-of-smoke-shop-in-malta-laying-groundwork-to-open-cannabis-dispensary\/","title":{"rendered":"Owners Of Smoke Shop In Malta Laying Groundwork To Open Cannabis Dispensary"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Robin Barkenhagen, who owns a smoke shop in Malta, wants to open a cannabis dispensary.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By Christine Graf<\/p>\n

Local businessmen Robin Barkenhagen and Brian Bronzino, partners in 42\u00b0, a smoke shop and functional art glass gallery in Malta, are pursuing plans to open a marijuana dispensary at 56 Glen St. in Glens Falls. <\/span><\/p>\n

The pair also have a 42\u00b0 store at 206 Glen Street, Glens Falls. In February, they established a new business called Warren County Cannabis LLC.<\/span><\/p>\n

In recent years, Bronzino has purchased several buildings in Glens Falls, including the 5,000-square-foot property at 56 Glen St. <\/span><\/p>\n

Because marijuana has not been legalized at the federal level, dispensaries must be operated out of properties without loans or mortgages from federally chartered banks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But Bronzino \u201cowns the building which is instrumental\u201d in the process, said Barkenhagen. <\/span><\/p>\n

The state Marijuana Regulation and Taxation Act (MRTA) was signed into law on March 31\u00a0 <\/span>and legalizes the recreational use of marijuana for those ages 21 and up. The state Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) was established to oversee the industry, but they have not yet begun issuing licenses for growing, distributing, processing, and selling. <\/span><\/p>\n

When MRTA was enacted, government official estimated that it would take approximately 18 months before the first recreational marijuana businesses would open in the state. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI go on the (agency) website every morning to see if they are licensing, but there is still nothing there yet. But that didn\u2019t stop us from wanting to start the process with the city. Cities and municipalities can opt out, and we want to make sure they are on record of either opting out or not opting out. We\u2019ve heard nothing yet, but I don\u2019t anticipate an opt out,\u201d said Barkenhagen. \u201cWe\u2019re cautiously optimistic, and that\u2019s why we are doing our due diligence now.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

The Glens Falls Planning board tabled the issue on March 5. But the partners anticipated the process will move slowly. They said they haven\u2019t heard any negative feedback from within the community. It was tabled to give the city more time to formulate their approach, the board said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Barkenhagen\u2019s optimism is based in part on the city\u2019s 2018 decision to grant approval for Etain, a medical marijuana company, to build a production and manufacturing facility at Tech Meadows park. The following year, the company decided not to move forward with locating in Glens Falls.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe fact that they okayed it leads me to believe that they will okay this, but you never know,\u201d he said. \u201cThe planning board is the first step of what we believe will be a long process.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Although New York will be offering micro business licenses that would allow owners to operate a small grow operation, a small processing operation and a dispensary all in one site, those licenses are expected to be very expensive. For that reason, Barkenhagen and Bronzino are seeking licensing for a dispensary only. <\/span><\/p>\n

If the dispensary is approved and a license is obtained, the Glen Street property will undergo renovations. <\/span><\/p>\n

Built in 1830, it is the city\u2019s oldest building and was once a blacksmith shop. The property has not had a tenant since Bride & Gown relocated to Saratoga Springs in 2020. Although it does not have its own parking lot, there is a city-owned parking garage just two blocks away. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOne thing we really like about this property is that it is stand-alone. That makes it easier to secure,\u201d said Barkenhagen. \u201cYou have to have major security because it\u2019s an all-cash business. You have to have an extensive camera system and an armed guard and one way in and one way out. This building allows for that fairly easily.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Dispensaries are cash-only businesses because cannabis is federally illegal and the banking system is regulated by federal law. It is for that reason that dispensaries do not accept bank issued credit cards and typically have ATMs on site.<\/span><\/p>\n

Barkenhagen is aware that not all people will be in favor of having a dispensary in the city. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere are always going to be naysayers, and you want to work with them the best you can to make sure that their fears are alleviated,\u201d he said. \u201cBut it\u2019s 2021, and I think we\u2019ve dispelled all the myths about marijuana being a gateway drug. It\u2019s not a gateway drug and when you get it at a dispensary, you are going to know what you are getting and you are going to get it from trained professionals.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

When and if the dispensary opens, Barkenhagen anticipates it will be challenging to find employees. He participates in a weekly phone call with the Warren County Hospitality Group, and the critical labor shortage is number one on the agenda each week.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s bordering on a crisis,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Christine Graf Local businessmen Robin Barkenhagen and Brian Bronzino, partners in 42\u00b0, a smoke shop and functional art glass gallery in Malta, are pursuing plans to open a marijuana dispensary at 56 Glen St. in Glens Falls. The pair also have a 42\u00b0 store at 206 Glen Street, Glens Falls. In February, they established […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":89,"featured_media":36206,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36204","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\r\nOwners Of Smoke Shop In Malta Laying Groundwork To Open Cannabis Dispensary - Saratoga Business Journal<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2021\/05\/owners-of-smoke-shop-in-malta-laying-groundwork-to-open-cannabis-dispensary\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Owners Of Smoke Shop In Malta Laying Groundwork To Open Cannabis Dispensary - Saratoga Business Journal\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Christine Graf Local businessmen Robin Barkenhagen and Brian Bronzino, partners in 42\u00b0, a smoke shop and functional art glass gallery in Malta, are pursuing plans to open a marijuana dispensary at 56 Glen St. in Glens Falls. 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