This fall, Gotham Buds, Harlem’s first legal adult-use cannabis dispensary, opened on a historic block of 125th Street. The Black-owned company, comprising a premium dispensary, apparel-making, and soon-to-be media production, was one of the first to apply for a CAURD license in New York State, and after multiple legal hurdles were finally able to open their doors to a smiling crowd (and steady sales all day) on Wednesday, October 18.
The following Monday, the close-knit company’s core executive team, including co-founder and CEO Gregory Gray, Sr., co-founder and CFO Omar Tejeda, majority partner and COO Jeffrey Lopez, and vice president of communications and media Malika Bellamy, spoke with Forbes over Zoom about the company’s goals, its culture and heritage, and execs’ advice for those looking to join the legal cannabis industry.
This conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
JANET BURNS, FORBES: How was opening day? Now that you’ve opened up shop, what’s on your mind?
GREGORY GRAY, SR.: It was a monumental feeling, on that day. I was so much in the essence of it I’m still trying to remember what did I actually do that day.
MALIKA BELLAMY: It’s still surreal, to see it come to life. It’s been so long, and to jump through so many hoops, that we finally are victorious, it’s insane, but a lot of fun. A lot of friends we grew up with were there, our loved ones, our partners; to have family there made it even sweeter.
JEFFREY LOPEZ: I’m thinking about what’s our next level. This is just the beginning, just the foundation. It’s just like constructing a building: you build the foundation and then you keep building up. There’s where my mind is at, and that’s where the team is at.
GRAY: I share the same sentiments. Now that we have Gotham Buds on 125th St., I immediately pivot to scaling Gotham Buds into a brand that’s recognizable not only across New York but across America. Every day the team is thinking about new ways too reach people.
We’re not just a dispensary: we actually have two other pillars that make up Gotham Buds. The first is apparel, Gotham Premium Apparel, or GPA, and then there’s our entertainment pillar, Gotham Media Entertainment Network, or GMEN. That will specialize in podcasting, short films, documentaries; we also have music coming along in reference to the culture of hip-hop. We really want to show the world what the brand is all about, and bring nuances to this culture.
BELLAMY: It’s multifaceted. For us, it’s definitely about expansion. We’re already the first to do this here, and to be the first is a heavy crown to wear. But we do it with pride because we know that having accessible cannabis available to our community, to people who look and walk and talk like us and are from where we’re from, is a really big deal. We wear that as a badge of honor.
To be able to take this to the rest of the world, to the masses is so paramount to us. My favorite tagline as of late is “From Gotham to the World.” That’s something I stand on and believe in: I don’t see why there shouldn’t be an opportunity to find safe, therapeutic alternatives in plant medicines and take that to the rest of the world in a way that helps enrich lives.
LOPEZ: Gotham also wants to do a nonprofit that goes in the direction of supporting all the men who are stuck in the streets, who want to be entrepreneurs, or be music engineers, give grants for artists, stuff like that. To help people who are lost in any form.
GRAY: Gotham would also like to make sure that we cater to the elderly. My mother has Alzheimer’s and colon cancer, and we are definitely very sensitive to older people in the community. We also want to get the work out in reference to what my son is dealing with, in reference to cancer. It’s called renal medullary carcinoma (RMC), and it happens frequently to African-Americans with the sickle cell trait. I have the sickle cell trait, and my son has the trait. When you are highly active, we see this, especially in men. My son was a football player in high school and in college, and was always very active, and training.
We are definitely trying to help support nonprofits to help the community and give the Black community insight into what’s going on. I just found out that Sloan-Kettering just got a few more cases after my son. For the aggressive treatments he needed, I had to relocate my son down to Houston, Texas. We most definitely want to be a pillar in the community in terms of giving people information and help to better everyone’s lives. If we can do it, they can do it.
LOPEZ: In Gotham, we uplift you, we heal you, and we embrace you.
FORBES: What is the origin of your slogan, “A Premium Spark in the Darkest of Times,” or what does it meant to you?
BELLAMY: The name Gotham in general speaks to the sort of dark and mysterious spaces in every city. You think of Gotham in New York, and you think of the darker, more mysterious, gritty parts — the alleyways, the street corners. Born out of that darkness there’s always that light, that streetlight, that light from a car, there’s always something that illuminates even in the darkness. As such, in the beginning stages of Gotham Buds, our licensing application was submitted during the height of the pandemic, a very scary, dark, and uncertain time, especially in New York.
Our idea was to bring something premium, that would help illuminate, and help folks cope and heal, in a safe and accessible way. That spark doesn’t just signify the flicker of a lighter, it signifies sparking creativity, and ideas, and education and destigmatizing, and a new beginning for cannabis in New York and beyond. So that spark signifies a lot, including that light for a path forward, and the torch to carry cannabis to the rest of the world.
FORBES: What advice would you give to people who want to join this industry?
TEJEDA: I would probably recommend for anyone getting into the industry to pick a niche. Be very specific in what you want to do, because your understanding of your field will not only decide if you get in; it will decide if you do well. The competition is there, it’s always going to be there, and it’s only going to get better.
The evolving science of cannabis is an area where I recommend you understand your regulations very well. Familiarize yourself with the requirements, permissions, and limitations of that particular niche, and then try and have a good team. I know that not everyone is going to be as lucky as we have been, with a team, but work hard toward making sure your team is dedicated to the niche with the same passion that you are.
Cannabis can be approached from so many angles, and I’m grateful that New York has opened this door for us and everyone else with the capacity to get in. The more prepared you are for that niche, the more success and luck you’ll have in your endeavor.
GRAY: To add on to that: patience. Staying true to and having confidence in your brand. That will get you over the hurdles.
BELLAMY: Patience is a big one. Like Omar said, knowing your industry. The cannabis industry in New York right now is a niche market. Leaning into those who believe in your vision, and supporting them, is critical … That we’re a family-owned brand I think speaks for itself. Having that village is critical.
FORBES: What’s one of your favorite products, or one you’re excited about?
LOPEZ: My favorite is Electraleaf’s Bubblebath flower.
BELLAMY: That’s a good one.
GRAY: I like the Smokiez Sour Watermelon Gummies. And the matcha chocolate we have.
BELLAMY: For me, probably the Nanticoke Banana Daddy. That strand is so beautifully balanced; it’s great for levelling anxiety and relaxing any tension in the body while still keeping you clear-headed and focused, which is what I look for in most strands. I’m a hybrid girl; I need that balance, generally. There are also a few products I’m exited about bring into the shop that I can’t talk about yet.
TEJEDA: I smoke with purpose. I don’t smoke indica in the morning or afternoon. So I have several, but if I had to pick one favorite, one that is just too much not to mention, is Heady Tree’s… BlueBerry Pancake, I’ll pick one, they have several, but that BlueBerry Pancake sativa turns me from a flashlight to a laser. It serves its purpose with conviction like a Central Park house. I can finish my paperwork in a way where no one can disrupt.
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