BERKELEY – The first recreational cannabis store to open in Ocean County is expected to bring in tons of money for the town and give back to the community.
The Social Leaf opened on Route 9 in South Toms River today, the first of its kind locally since New Jersey allowed the recreational sale of cannabis to those 21 and older.
When you walk in, someone asks you for your driver’s license to verify your age. There’s a South Toms River officer working all hours and there are other security measures in place. The store had a soft opening on July 6, with the full opening on July 7.
They were ready earlier than that. The state took a while to give them a permit, said co-owner John Earp, who also owns Bubby’s Beanery not too far away in downtown Toms River. In fact, all of the delays they had were due to Trenton red tape. All the co-owners said South Toms River has been wonderful to work with.
“They’ve been as helpful as can be,” said Thomas Marino, CEO and one of the founders. He also owns Signature barbershops. He said the state took 41 days to get the OK. He knows this figure without having to look it up. They were waiting day by day for the approval to open.
Mayor Oscar Cradle said that the town will be getting $5,000 a year from the business plus 2 percent of its net profits.
“That’s going to help a town our size quite a bit,” he said.
The business partners met with town officials and the process was very smooth.
“We made a commitment to hire in town as much as possible,” Earp said. “We carry as many brands as we possibly can. There 30 or so allowed in the state while California has thousands.
Although they are not a medicinal cannabis clinic, he said that many recreational users buy it for pain, depression or anxiety.
There are five co-owners, including Jennifer Forsdahl and William Hall. And they all live and own businesses around Toms River and Lacey.
Frank Guzzi, who also owns Guzzi Masonry and Paving, said that they are the third store to open in New Jersey. The shop is open seven days a week, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
When the state approved the sale of cannabis, every town government in New Jersey had to decide whether they were allowing it within their borders. This took several different options, including medicinal or delivery. Lakehurst and South Toms River, both small towns, were the only ones that agreed to a recreational sale location.
Fighting Stigma
Even though cannabis is now legal for those older than 21, the co-owners said there’s still a stigma they have to break through. Part of that is to be a good neighbor.
“We plan on reinvesting into the community,” Guzzi said. “We’ve created 50 local jobs.”
There’s also a stigma coming from people who used marijuana before legalization. Some think of stores as “going corporate” or “selling out.”
Only the black market dealers really think that way, the co-owners said. The black market doesn’t understand how having a business that pays taxes and gets product to people legally is a boon to the community.
Part of the challenge comes from multi-state operations. These have headquarters outside New Jersey and generally don’t care as much about the towns they are in. It’s like a big box store putting a mom and pop shop out of business.
However, Social Leaf is a group of five local people who have roots in this community and intend to give back for many years to come.
