A brand new cannabis dispensary is looking to debut in West Town, located at 1914 W. Chicago Ave.
The new dispensary, operating under Canna Ventures LLC, initially hoped to open with a cannabis restaurant, wellness spa, and medical clinic. Following the pandemic, owner Ameya Pawar, former 47th Ward Alderman, says the team has been forced to pull back on the additional features and focus on getting started with the dispensary. Others involved include Fifty/50 co-owner Scott Weiner, Dr. George Chiampas, medical director for the Chicago Marathon, and Nikki Hayes, president of the Laborers International Union.
“Obviously, a spa requires people to be in close contact with others, and there’s a whole different level of personalized interaction that’s involved there and we don’t know what’s going to happen,” Pawar tells Block Club Chicago. “Is there going to be another surge? We obviously don’t want to be in a position where the concept we have can’t be successful because of public health issues.”
The exact opening date of this new dispensary, which has a name but is yet to be revealed to the public. The group is waiting for the resolution of a series of lawsuits that have delayed Illinois from granting nearly 200 cannabis licenses. Pawar says he’s a part of two teams that have acquired three of those licenses, one of which is for the new Chicago Avenue dispensary. The group, almost 70 percent Black- and Brown-owned, will hold a community meeting to discuss the dispensary later this spring.
“We’re excited to get going once these licenses have been released,” Pawar said. “Our hope would be is that if these lawsuits get settled in the next 90 days that we will be off to the races and starting construction the second we get some indication on what the lawsuits are going to be.”
