NORWALK — Shangri-La’s CEO said the company looks to open its long-awaited recreational cannabis dispensary at 430 Main Ave. in April after getting the Department of Consumer Protection’s 100 percent inspection green light last week.
The 100 percent inspection is an “internal term” meaning the last Department of Consumer Protection inspection before a dispensary will receive its final license, DCP Communications Director Kaitlyn Krasselt said in early March.
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The CEO, Nevil Patel, said that the dispensary’s primary barrier to opening is the wait for a finalized workforce development plan.
Despite this, Patel wasn’t comfortable giving a tentative opening date.
“I’ve given you dates before and I’ve been incorrect,” he said, noting that he didn’t want to falsely raise Norwalkers’ hopes.
Patel estimated a December launch in 2023 and a late February opening throughout early 2024, hoping to beat out local competitor Fine Fettle — which welcomed Norwalk’s first cannabis shoppers at its grand opening on March 21.
“Fine Fettle, they have been established and in the state for much longer than we have, obviously,” Patel said Thursday. “They know some of the struggles that we had to face. They’ve done that before. So they have their pro(fessional)s at it and they’re very good.”
Fine Fettle’s Norwalk dispensary marked its sixth in the state and eighth in New England, with a pair in Massachusetts; on the other hand, Shangri-La’s 430 Main Ave. location will be the company’s first location both in Connecticut and the Northeast region.
Despite the delays in opening, Patel said the dispensary has a full roster of over 20 employees ready for the opening, with at least nine of them Norwalk residents.
Hiring locally is key toward espousing the equitable spirit of Connecticut’s legal cannabis market, Patel said last fall.
Patel said that Shangri-La looks to launch with a customer appreciation week, similar to the discounts Fine Fettle offered on its opening day. Regardless of an opening date, Patel said it will take seven to 10 days to stock up fully on inventory before a launch.
“I want to see everyone happy,” Patel said.
Patel expressed excitement at the prospect of meeting Norwalkers’ cannabis demands by opening the city’s second dispensary.
Shangri-La will also open the city’s third dispensary, a drive-thru location on Route 1, after getting Planning and Zoning Commission approval last summer. The drive-thru shop’s approval maxes out the city’s zoning regulations, making it the final allowable dispensary in Norwalk.
