Last Friday, Labor Day weekend, the second legal dispensary opened in Ulster County. The sun arrived in the afternoon, chasing away a rainy morning, as a steady stream of customers came to the newly opened Royal Blend Dispensary at 2223 Route 32, a mile north of the Rosendale Stewart’s.

The setup was fast. On Friday, August 24, assistance arrived in the form of a group of Housing Works Cannabis Company workers. Housing Works are experts in the fielding, having opened the first legal cannabis store in New York City in 2022. They immediately ran a local employment drive and hired 7 locals to prepare the dispensary for opening while training to be its “budtenders” – a job that’s pretty much what it sounds like.

All of Housing Works Cannabis Company’s proceeds support Housing Works Org., a non-profit, minority-controlled social-service agency serving people with HIV and AIDS as well as those who are homeless or formerly incarcerated. The self-sustained Housing Works also maintains thrift stores and cafes to support their works.

Parking was no problem with usually only four or five customer cars taking spaces. Landlord Ed Parker remained in the background doing landlordly things: renewing a nearby spring well and cleaning up after previous tenants.

The dispensary owners, Jamaican immigrants Sonia and Delaurna Murphy, were there chatting with customers. The couple also own and run the Royal Blend Jamaican & Soul Food restaurant in Poughkeepsie. Delaurna served time for selling marijuana before legalization, in keeping with New York’s policy of expediting licenses for those convicted of marijuana offenses. In the afternoon, they cut a ribbon to signify the opening.

“I’ve been waiting for these premises for nearly two years, since I got my CAURD license [Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensaries],” Delaurna Murphy said. “I’m looking to establish a small Black-owned dispensary that provides a safe place to purchase legal New York State cannabis in Rosendale.”

Royal Blend Dispensary sells products from more than 15 brands including flower, pre-rolls, concentrates, edibles, and beverages. Many canna-curious Rosendale residents showed up. Some found it too pricey for their tastes. Nobody from the town board officially turned up during the weekend. In the evening, after the Murphys had left for the day, Ulster County Executive (and Rosendale resident) Jen Metzger arrived. Metzger was a promotor of marijuana as a NYS Representative before she became the county executive.

“It’s about time dispensaries started arriving,” Metzger said. She said she planned to return the next day to meet the Murphys.

According to store manager and lead budtender Marco Bevilacqua, the dispensary’s top seller was Jack Herer Eighths 3.5g, 27% sativa flower from Back Home Cannabis in High Falls, at $42 a pop. The dispensary accepts cash, pin debit cards and ACH transfers. Credit cards are not accepted. There is an ATM machine on the site. The dispensary currently has no delivery service, although one is planned for the near future. During the four-day Labor Day weekend the dispensary has been open, they served more than 200 buying customers, averaging $78 apiece.

“Exceeded my best notions,” said Bevilacqua.