Former NBA player and New Jersey native Al Harrington has launched a recreational dispensary back in his home state: Village, Located at 516 Washington St. in Hoboken. – PROVIDED BY JMARTINVISUALS
13-year veteran of the cannabis space launches Village in Hoboken
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Al Harrington retired from the NBA nine years ago, but the New Jersey native is only just getting started.
After hanging up his jersey in 2015 following 16 seasons on the court, the 44-year-old became a big advocate for cannabis reform and creating opportunities for minorities within the industry.
As part of that mission, he co-founded Viola, the first black-owned multinational cannabis brand in the U.S., with Dan Pettigrew. Now, his efforts are taking him back home to the Garden State with the launch of a recreational dispensary in Hoboken.
Harrington recently spoke with NJBIZ about his transition from the NBA to THC.
As a 13-year veteran of the cannabis space, Harrington believes there’s been significant progress in destigmatizing marijuana and is glad to be part of the movement.
“When I first started and I would have some of these conversations, it was just very taboo. People kind of shy away from, they didn’t want to talk about it,” he said.
“Now, any room that I go into, whether it’s regular entrepreneurs or civilians, they’re all asking and intrigued by the industry just from a business perspective,” he said. “And then from the standpoint of the medicinal side of it, there’s so many people that reach out to me all the time saying, ‘I can’t sleep. I’m struggling with this. Do you think any cannabis products can help me?’”
At his new dispensary, Harrington said he’s looking forward to hearing stories of the plant’s positive impact and being able to “create great experiences for people with the products.”
“It’s helping people and giving people such a better quality of life. That’s excites me and keeps me going and wanting to be part of this industry. I really feel a passion for it and it reminds me of the passion I had for basketball,” said Harrington, whose NBA career includes stints with the Indiana Pacers, Atlanta Hawks, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, Denver Nuggets, Orlando Magic and Washington Wizards.
“It reminds me of the passion I had for basketball. I could have played until I was 80 years old,” said Harrington. “Now, I have something else that kind of fills that gap. Hopefully, I can be in this industry until I’m 80 years old.”
How it all began
After helping his then 79-year-old grandmother treat her glaucoma with cannabis, Harrington teamed up with Pettigrew to start Viola in 2011 to help others in her honor. The brand, named after Harrington’s grandmother, is also available in Oregon, California, Colorado, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Florida and New Jersey.
In 2019, the duo went on to start Village Brands to expand their footprint via their own retail dispensaries. Besides New Jersey, Village has storefronts in Illinois and Missouri.
Located at 516 Washington St. in Hoboken, Village caters to both seasoned cannabis enthusiasts and those curious to learn more about the health benefits. Following its Sept. 21 grand opening, Village is the third dispensary in the Mile Square City. It’s also the first East Coast location for Village, a multistate retail operator developed by Harrington and Pettigrew.
At the 1,400-square-foot shop, the premium lineup includes flower, edibles and vapes, along with products from the Viola brand. Staffed by a team dedicated to fostering a sense of community and wellbeing, Village will also host educational workshops and events that promote a deeper understanding of cannabis.
H/T: njbiz.com
