Greenhouse Marijuana Dispensary Ready To Open To Public In Skokie

SKOKIE, IL — The village's first marijuana dispensary is set to open to the public Thursday. Located across the street from the Old Orchard Mall, the 15,000-square foot recreational cannabis retailer will become the largest location in Illinois operated by Grassroots Cannabis and the flagship of its Greenhouse brand.

The dispensary has received all the necessary licenses from the state to begin selling weed to adults 21 and over next week at the 1000 Skokie Blvd. location, according to regulators. The 63-year-old building formerly housed a clothing store, a furniture seller and, until 2017, a bank.

But over the past several months it has been undergone a multimillion-dollar renovation.

"The entire character of the space has changed both inside and outside, and we think it's going to be an iconic building," Grassroots co-founder and CEO Mitch Kahn told Patch.

Architects Peter Theodore and Stephen Coorlas designed a new exterior to the building, while a new two-level interior was designed by Epoch Design Group. According to the company, the second floor will be dedicated to in-depth consultations with staff and pick-ups of pre-ordered products.

"Our intent was to revive the existing building with digitally enhanced forms that capture motion and flow across the sweeping street corner," Coorlas told Patch. "The façade’s 'lifting' effect allows diffused daylight to enter the double height sales area, and creates a gravity that attracts curvaceous landscape berms and invites customers to explore the building and its product."

Kahn said the company was excited to be located in Skokie, so close to one of the state's largest and busiest malls.

"I think it's going to be great to continue to build on the fact that we've been the dominant dispensary in the North Shore," he said.

There will be 14 point-of-sale stations at the Skokie Greenhouse dispensary, and Kahn said he expected the space to be able to handle a large amount of customers.

"The state is still supply-challenged, so it's hard to gauge yet how quick the supply is going to catch up with demand, and that obviously will have a big impact for every dispensary on how many people you get through the doorway," Kahn said. "But we expect this to be a building the can serve a tremendous number of customers."

RELATED: First Recreational Marijuana Shop In Skokie Planned For Old Orchard Road

Last month, Massachusetts-based cannabis operator Curaleaf closed its acquisition of Grassroots in a deal worth $75 million in cash and $800 million in stock. Curaleaf, which is publicly traded in Canada, is now the world's largest cannabis company, according to a release. In Illinois, the Greenhouse and Windy City Cannabis brands were part of the purchase.

Kahn, a former president and CEO of Hilco Real Estate and principal and CEO of Frontline Real Estate Partners, became the sixth member of Curaleaf's board.

In a statement, Curaleaf Executive Chairman Boris Jordan said that Kahn brought an impressive track record to building Grassroots into the largest private, multi-state vertically integrated cannabis operator in the country.

"Combined with his deep experience across commercial real estate as well as the legal field, Mitch adds significant expertise and insight that will be vital as we extend our market leadership position and drive long-term shareholder value," Jordan said, welcoming Kahn to the board last month.

Curaleaf now has affiliated operations spanning more than 135 dispensary licenses, more than 30 processing facilities and 22 cultivation sites, according to company officials.

Greenhouse also operates a medical cannabis dispensary in Deerfield, but village officials declined to allow it to also sell recreational cannabis in January.

The company expects to be ready to open a location in Northbrook at the corner of Skokie Boulevard and Dundee Road by early October.

Skokie village code permits a maximum of two recreational marijuana dispensaries. They do not require special use permits, but they do require retail sales licenses issued by the village's cannabis commissioner, designated as Mayor George Van Dusen. A village spokesperson did not respond to a request for information about the licensing process Thursday.

Among Skokie's neighbors, a dispensary owned by MedMen at 1804 Maple Ave. in Evanston has sold recreational and medical cannabis since January, while a solely recreational marijuana dispensary operated by Rise Cannabis opened at 9621 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Niles in May.

RELATED: Recreational Marijuana Sales Shatter Previous Record In July

In a review earlier this month, Blair Kamin, architecture critic for the Chicago Tribune, gave the remodel high marks.

"It's no masterpiece, but its energy and presence are undeniable," he said, comparing its curved white facade — made of cut foam covered with an acrylic-based finish — with a curtain as it is being pulled back.

The new Skokie Greenhouse location is hosting a grand opening event Thursday with actor and Chicago native Jim Belushi. Belushi, who owns a marijuana farm in Oregon, has partnered with Grassroots to exclusively sell a line of cannabis products at the Skokie dispensary called "Blues Bothers x Grassroots."

"Cannabis and Blues Brothers are both deeply rooted with great music, mischievousness, and of course, as they say in the film, 'a Mission from God," Belushi said in a statement announcing the collaboration. He said he was thrilled to partner with Grassroots. "Their belief and mindset are aligned so closely with the Belushi's Farm mission."

The dispensary is set to be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays.