Peanut butter and jelly. Paul McCartney and John Lennon. A bow and arrow. Salt and pepper.
A cannabis dispensary and art gallery?
A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Saturday morning in Benicia at STIIIZY, and the customers and workers were both hoping that the new cannabis dispensary — the first ever in Benicia — can be a successful combination like the ones mentioned above.
STIIIZY Benicia will contribute over 39 jobs to the area and signals a new era when cities recognize cannabis’ transformative potential and work collaboratively with cannabis companies to positively impact the community, a news release from STIIIZY stated.
The retail space for cannabis will include a 600-square foot art gallery, featuring an exhibition by Arts Benicia Presents that will feature works by artists with studios located in the historic Arsenal District of Benicia, including Paula Boas, Laura Garcia, Joe Garcia, Susan Marcus Sachs and Randall Sextona.
“I think it’s fantastic and classy,” Arts Benicia Executive Director Celeste Smeland said while viewing the gallery. “This is great for Benicia and I’m proud to have another venue to showcase this art.”
Benicia Mayor Steve Young cut the ribbon with a big pair of scissors with STIIIZY Senior Coordinator Victoria Kernen.
“Thank you for being so welcoming to us,” Kernen told the crowd. “We love Benicia already and we look forward to this new partnership with the city and our customers out here.”
Before the big moment, Young gave a speech to the numerous people who had lined up ready to check out the newest venue that took over three years to come to fruition.
“It was difficult at the beginning as there was concern by some about what a cannabis dispensary meant to this community,” Young said. “I’m confident that we chose the right company coming forward. They are the most popular brand in California. They’ve made commitments to the community as far as giving back to the community and the arts. Most importantly, we are close to getting a commitment from STIIIZY that they will move their distribution center to Benicia. This will generate some significant revenue that we can use for a variety of things.”
Young would go on to say that STIIIZY has given a verbal commitment to moving the distribution center to Benicia and it would take around 60 days.
A certificate was also given out to STIIIZY on behalf of state senators Bill Dodd and Tim Grayson.
“This is an important celebration for the community,” Young said. “I am very confident that we’re going to be very pleased with STIIIZY. We’re not going to have any issues with security and things that people were otherwise concerned about. I think this is what we need to do to bring cannabis to Benicia. Benicia has voted in favor of it on three different occasions. Although it took three years and a lot of patience on everybody’s part, we are here today to give thanks to everyone who had a role in this.”
Young was given a tour of the facility before the general public was allowed.
“It’s beautiful. It’s a very modern and clean dispensary that I think will make people feel comfortable about coming in here,” Young said. “It’s not dark and dingy that a lot of people might otherwise expect perhaps from a dispensary. These guys are at the top of the cannabis market and are committed to doing all the things right, including security and I don’t anticipate any problems. I think we can confidently assure the community that they aren’t going to be any issues here.”
“Benicia is an art town,” Young continued. “From what I’ve been told it’s very unique to have an art gallery in a dispensary. But it’s an opportunity for not only artists to show their art for people who might not be familiar with their work but also people coming here with disposable income to help out the artists and sell some paintings which will help out the artists and the community.”
Audie Vergara, the vice president of special projects for STIIIZY, was also excited, saying the grand opening was “a long time coming.”
“Everyone had said that this community really prioritizes art, so we said, ‘Let’s bring art to them with this,’” Vergara said. “When you first walk into the lobby here, it doesn’t feel like you’re going to a typical dispensary. I think many people when they think of dispensaries they think it’s spooky and dangerous. This looks like something from Neiman Marcus. They will be surprised at what they see and then even more surprised when they see the prices. Not only is this place clean and nice but it’s easy on the pocket which helps against the unregulated market.”
Although the ribbon cutting was at 9:45, people where lined up to view the venue as early as 7 a.m. including the dispensary’s first customers Stan and Mel Golovich. Stan was especially enthusiastic, as he claimed he had smoked more than anyone in Solano County.
“I don’t care, I love the stuff,” Stan said, with a laugh. “Look, once you go inside you see all the wonderful architecture. I think this will change people’s minds who are not sure about the issue and weren’t sure about having a business in town that sells weed. But here it is and it’s a good thing. This is more like being inside a jewelry store and not a typical pot shop. This is high class all the way and you get that sense from the moment you walk in.”
STIIZY is located at 160 E. N Street in Benicia.