Verdi officially opened its doors on Jan. 26, becoming the first legal adult-use dispensary in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood.
In its first couple of months, business at the shop hasn’t met expectations, said owner Ellis Soodak. However, he said, they’re just getting started.
In a Q&A with NY Cannabis Insider, Soodak answered questions about what customers are buying, transitioning from the liquor store business to the cannabis industry and challenges in New York’s legal weed industry.
About how much revenue are you seeing on weekdays and weekends? How does that compare to your projections before opening?
It is very weather dependent right now as most of our customers are coming in through foot traffic. We are seeing about $7,000 on slow days and up to $12,000 on busier days. This is quite a bit below our initial projections, but we are just getting started. A big impediment is that we are not showing up on Google Maps when people search “Dispensary near me.”
How many full-time and part-time workers do you employ?
We have about 15 employees.
What kinds of products are selling the most?
Flower, and prerolls make up the biggest chunk, with over 40% of sales. flower, prerolls , vapes and edibles totals over 90% of sales. Interestingly, accessories account