How are things going at Utica dispensary Air City Cannabis?

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Air City Cannabis officially opened its doors in Utica on June 19 and launched a delivery service out of the nearby Central New York city of Rome.

In its first few weeks of business, the store has been serving about 70 customers per day, said CEO Courtney Forester. While sales are increasing, current figures are a bit lower than expected, Forester said, largely because of the number of illicit shops in the area.

In a Q&A with NY Cannabis Insider, Forester answered questions about what customers are buying, building a solid retail business and challenges in New York’s legal weed industry.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

About how many customers are you seeing per day?

We’ve been seeing about 70 transactions a day, so that’s about 70 people. We were hoping to have more. I feel that our projections were set higher based on the idea of all of the illegal operations being closed around us — but there’s still a lot that are open. I think once the Office of Cannabis Management gets a hold of all the illegal stores – because they’re flooded in Utica, Rome, everywhere – once all of those are closed, I think our numbers are going to hit a lot higher.

How many workers do you employ?

Currently, we have 11 employees.

What kinds of products are selling the most?

Pre-rolls are our No. 1 seller. I think it’s because people can get a taste for things — they try a variety of different strains, and then they can come back and purchase the specific brands they enjoyed. Flower is our next biggest seller.

What brands are selling the most?

I think we’re doing pretty well across the board. I think that we have about an equal share between brands. I know it’s about 50/50 between people gravitating to lower-price brands, and then the other half going for the higher price point brands.

Which demographics do you see as your target market?

Customers are pretty mixed demographically. We’re getting a pretty even split of males and females across all age ranges. I think it’s a good mix. I don’t think we’re seeing just one group of one kind of person.

Can you describe your business experience outside of cannabis?

I’ve been in retail for about 12 years. I have a woman’s clothing company located in the Sangertown Square Mall, which is about seven minutes from the dispensary. My 12 years experience running a retail store helped me train our team of employees, using everything that I’ve learned throughout the years.

How does that experience translate to running a cannabis dispensary?

It helped me in training and building the team; which was the most important part of creating the dispensary. I really wanted our customer service to shine. We want the experience to be top-tier from the moment you walk in the door. We just wanted the utmost customer service from the bud tenders, and for the store to feel welcoming, inviting, you know? Friendly and informational — we wanted the bud tenders to be very knowledgeable. I think that we were able to create that environment: it doesn’t feel cold and sterile. I feel that we stand out with our service, and we are able to build a team of cheerful, happy employees.

How much of a problem do illicit cannabis shops present to your business?

To us it, the issue of illicit dispensaries hits hard. Our population in Utica is, If I’m correct, about 67,000. When you’re sharing that population with over 20 illegal operations, it knocks down your percentages significantly.

Additionally, people have been accustomed to shopping at these illegal stores for over two years. They just opened their doors and they were utilizing sticker store methods — selling stickers and giving you weed for ‘free.’ It’s wrong, but people got accustomed to going into these stores and purchasing it.

What advice would you give to other entrepreneurs planning on opening dispensaries?

I think creating a team of people who are fully behind you and with you is important. I think you should also educate yourself as much as you can on business and business models. I was able to transition into cannabis easily because I had my other business model for 12 years. It’s the same, it’s retail, it’s just a different product. Stay up to date with all the compliance. It’s very important to be state compliant. Have a legal team to assist you, just so you know, you’re doing everything compliant.

But I also think that cannabis is a fun area to get into, if you can just stick with it — because there are a lot of bumpy roads, and ups and downs. It’s been a two year process for us to finally get open, but now we finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. So if you’re going to get into it, just hang on for the ride.