SOUTH LOOP — The family behind one of the city’s first Black-owned cannabis dispensaries has taken their talentes further south.
The Grasshopper Club opened their second location Thursday at 58 E. Roosevelt Road, next door to Trader Joe’s. The dispensary took over a former Subway sandwich shop.
Matthew Brewer, brother Chuck Brewer and their mother Dianne Brewer are behind the dispensary, which has a flagship store in Logan Square, 2551 N. Milwaukee Ave.
Ald. Lamont Robinson (4th), a former schoolmate of Matthew Brewer, joined the grand opening to welcome the family-run business to the neighborhood.
Despite having already broken into the predominately white cannabis industry, Matthew Brewer said it was challenging to make the South Loop dispensary a reality.
Neighbors weren’t keen on a dispensary opening in the area, citing safety and traffic concerns. Some attended a public meeting convened by Robinson’s predecessor, Sophia King, last fall, balking at the Harvard University alum’s plan and circulating a petition demanding city officials stop the Grasshopper Club from moving into the empty South Loop storefront.
With time and compromise, Matthew Brewer was able to persuade the naysayers into giving him a chance, and some even apologized for giving him a hard time, he said.
Grasshopper Club hosted a