Raekwon is opening a cannabis dispensary called Hashtoria in New Jersey, and gave his fans a sneak peek of the premises, which he says will open its doors “soon.”
On Sunday (Aug. 27), the Wu-Tang Clan member shared a clip of himself showing off the Newark location, which he says will be a space for cannabis connoisseurs in the community to convene.
“I’m so excited to share with yall the architectural journey of our @Hashstoria Newark location,” he wrote in the post, which was accompanied by a video showing off the largely empty building. “We are located right in the heart of the city so we want to create a space, employment for all community members to gather and witness the finest greenery on the planet. (we have the best professional growers on deck).
“This location boasts over 17000 square feet, a tremendous multi-level space that will be finely crafted by the incredible architects over at @rhgdesign. We are going to be without question the flyest consumption lounge on the East Coast. Get ready cause we about to blowwwww!!” the Staten Island rep added.
In the video, Rae is seen speaking with someone who appears to be an interior designer regarding the color scheme of the inside of the dispensary, with mentions of purple-blue and dark gray as possible options.
Hashtoria’s is among the first cannabis dispensary locations in New Jersey, but has experienced resistance along the way. In April 2023, it was reported that The Chef’s application to open a Hashtoria location in Newark’s Four Corners Historic District was denied, despite receiving the approval of the Landmark and Historic Preservation Commission.
At the time, Rev. Doris Glaspy of Old First Presbyterian Church voiced her opposition of the shop’s opening in that particular location. “I pray that you will put this somewhere else, not in the heart of Newark,” said Glaspy, per nj.com. “We’re not against people smoking marijuana if they want to. But they can put it somewhere else,” the pastor added.
However, Raekwon’s application was later approved by the board in July 2023, opening the door for Hashtoria’s future. The 53-year-old celebrated the victory with an Instagram post, sharing an article reporting the approval.
“THANK YOU NEWARK , NEW JERSEY !!!!!!!!!!and all my Amazing Partners @jeddcanty @bakarisellers @cthagod on this wonderful and culture shifting Endeavor,” he wrote at the time. “@hashstoria is Guaranteed to be the top tier consumption lounge / dispensary to hit the east coast period ! you heard it from chef himself .we will be right in the heart!”
See Raekwon’s Instagram post below.
H/T: www.vibe.com
