Valley Greens (VG), at 939 Central Avenue in Peekskill, was the first of the Peekskill candidates to be granted a state license in the summer of 2023, a year after applying. The owners, Stephen Bond, Dan Berte, and Shane Jackson, a trio of childhood friends who grew up in Cortlandt, officially opened Peekskill’s first conditional adult-use retail dispensary (CAURD) in August, “and business has been good in the weeks since,” Bond shared.
Since VG’s grand opening, Bond said the community has embraced the new business. “We’ve been warmly welcomed, from the Council to the Chamber of Commerce to the community. People are feeling it.”
The most popular product categories in terms of sales have been flour, pre rolls, and vapes, but the owners and staff are conscious of not just being a retail store — the retro-inspired dispensary prides itself on education.
Many of the customers have been local, from Peekskill and the surrounding communities, and some (about 30%, Bond ventures) are even new to the cannabis scene. “We’re seeing a lot of 50 to 60 [year old] people who grew up around the ‘70s, so they saw it be stigmatized and became scared of doing it. To them, it’s like a resurgence. They’re all coming back.” Educating and assisting these new customers, who may not know what they want or where to start, is what Bond believes sets VG apart from other dispensaries.
Although no dispensary in the state is legally allowed to offer a loyalty program just yet, per the Office of Cannabis Management, VG plans to roll one out just as soon as the currently contested bill is passed.
While Peekskill’s rules for opening a dispensary allow for a wider breadth of openings and access — with the standard limitations of a state license, special permit, site plan approval, and school proximity — Cortlandt’s regulations take a much stricter stance, which might allow for just one dispensary: Kings House of Fire.
Town of Cortlandt Supervisor Dr. Richard Becker said that “although the town of Cortlandt ’opted in’ to allow cannabis to be sold in Cortlandt, the Town Board passed significant zoning restrictions for the location of these facilities.”
In accordance with the local zoning ordinances, Becker said, “There is at most one more site that could be accommodated within Cortlandt for retail sales of cannabis; it is conceivable that no other parcels within the entire 50-square-mile Town of Cortlandt would meet these restrictions.
Run by Walter King and his mother Joan, Kings opened in June 2024 at 3006 East Main Street in Cortlandt, the former site of the family’s Kings & Queens Fun Place (which is expected to move into the former Big Lots building).
Walter King described his business as a more luxurious experience than other dispensaries, dubbing it the “Louis Vuitton of cannabis retail,” but “supporting the purchase of cannabis safely and responsibly at reasonable prices.” While Kings hasn’t yet had a formal grand opening, business has been booming, King said.
Like Valley Greens, King is noticing a lot of newcomers to the cannabis scene. “I think a lot of people are new to cannabis,” he said, pegging the newbies at about 50% of the store’s customers. “A lot are just happy to be able to purchase legally and safely after 40 or 50 years.” Kings seeks to assist new customers and help “point them in the right direction.”
The store’s most popular products, in terms of units sold, are vapes, edibles, and tinctures. “There’s so many ways to consume it without smoking and putting that pressure on your lungs,” King noted, adding that the community has been “super welcoming. We’re not trying to convince people why they should consume — we’re just trying to offer a safe [purchasing] space for the people who want to consume.”
Both VG and Kings have their own unique design and customer experience – the former a grocery boutique that feels more retro and relaxed, and the latter a more lavish experience that’s bold and modern.
Cloud 914 is expected to open in Peekskill in the coming months, along with two other applicants who have emerged on a New York State map showing pending license requests — Piffords at 500 Highland Avenue and Brow & Body at 63 Welcher Avenue.
