Mar. 18—CHAMPAIGN — Cloud9 Cannabis, Champaign’s newest recreational cannabis dispensary, is nearly ready to open.
The company’s Director of Retail Brandon Smith said a state inspection is coming up Tuesday, and if all goes well, the shop at 505 Town Center Blvd. will likely open during the last week of March.
Cloud9 will be Champaign-Urbana’s fourth cannabis dispensary, including one Sunnyside dispensary in Champaign and two NuEra locations in Champaign and Urbana.
Champaign will be Cloud9’s first dispensary to open. The next one, in Edwardsville, is nearing its opening, and the company is working on a few additional locations in Peoria, Schaumburg and Oswego that it hopes to open this year, Smith said.
Cloud9 Cannabis is a new venture of Jeffrey Rehberger, also CEO of Chicago-based Lucky Lincoln Gaming.
“We’re really excited to come into the market here,” Smith said.
Cloud9 describes itself as “an upscale, community and education-focused cannabis dispensary.”
The company is putting a lot of thought into its buildings to make them welcoming and fit Cloud9’s customer service model, according to Smith.
There will be employees on the floor, explaining the products and answering questions, creating an experience that is “less quick stop in and go that I think people are used to,” Smith said.
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