A Year in the Legal Cannabis Industry: A Look at Just Breathe
Just over a year after opening Fox 40 Reporters spoke to Just Breathe CEO, Damien Cornwell about how business has been.
The dispensary was the fourth in the state to open, thanks to New York State's Seeding Opportunity Initiative which prioritizes providing licenses to people with a prior cannabis conviction or a close relative of someone with one, and non-profits that serve justice-involved individuals.
Cornwell says the shop has stayed busy since its opening on February 10th last year, in part due to the connection the store has built with the community.
"We're always busy not just because of transactions in the store, but how we try to reach out to the community and find a place in the community to create value and do events at the store so people can make memories there," said Cornwell.
With the steady business, the stores' selection has taken huge strides in its expansion.
Cornwell says, "We had maybe seven vendors at the start. Today we have 59 vendors and 300 SKUs, which is an awful lot for a small town like Binghamton, which speaks to the appetite of a small town like Binghamton."
New legislation passed recently approving over 100 new licenses for cannabis dispensaries and opening the first non-conditional licensing window.
Cornwell says being among the first pioneers of the industry in the state, motivates him to help other start-up businesses.
"You'd be amazed how many people have that dream or aspire to just have a retail dispensary. I mean, they love the plant, they love the lifestyle; and to work in that field to talk about it, to help other people, you know, around cannabis is something people really aspire to do. So every chance I get when people call, I try to answer the questions and help them out," said Cornwell.
Two other cannabis dispensaries have opened in the area following the opening of Just Breathe, but Cornwell says he doesn't think of them as rivals or competitors, instead, he wants to practice comradery and togetherness to further grow the legal cannabis industry as a whole throughout the state.
To further show his support for his cannabis peers Cornwell said, "If anything, we try to work hard to make plans to do events and work together to kind of just educate consumers across the community. Educate them on why buying from a shop is not only better, but safer."
With the continued growth of Just Breathe, it seems that they've not only marked their place in history here in New York State but also continue to pave the way for other businesses like it in the future.
As for future plans for Just Breathe, Cornwell said he looks forward to growing even more in the next year working with the OCM and other dispensaries on well-thought-out regulations for the industry.
Just Breathe is located at 75 Court Street in downtown Binghamton.