It was all good in Flatbush last week, when All Good Dispensary opened its doors on Avenue H — just in time for 4/20.
Owners Sean Robinson and Shannon Riley said they’re focused on wellness and safe, high-quality products.
The store’s selection was carefully-curated, they said, and everything sold in the store was grown and produced in New York State — from flower to vape pens and edibles.
Brooklyn was slow to benefit from the legalization of marijuana in New York. Its first legal dispensary opened in December 2023, and by last April, there were only eight licensed weed stores in the borough.
Since then, though, dozens more have opened their doors. But Robinson, who has been in the industry for years as a cannabis grower, said large out-of-state brands dominate the stock in most stores — something he feels isn’t fair to smaller, local companies.
“What I’m really focused on is ensuring that these small farmers and microbusinesses — like The Herbal Confectionery, like Back Home Cannabis — they get an equal stake at the table against these bigger multi-state brands that have come in and pushed their way into every store with aggressive tactics,” he explained.
They also wanted to introduce different methods of enjoying cannabis, Riley said. She was excited to stock items from The Herbal Confectionery, a “long-standing farmer’s market brand,” including farm-fresh gummies and cooking oils.
“I have noticed people are very into the cooking oils,” she said. “We’re trying to show different ways that you can consume that are not smoking.”
Customers have also been excited about cannabis-infused drinks from Ayrloom, which sell for just $5.
Riley and Robinson also want to educate locals about — and provide — safe cannabis products, where none were available before. Robinson, with a decade in the industry under his belt, said most retail marijuana stores “don’t really understand all the science and the procedures and the steps that go into growing really quality products.”
“That’s kind of where I really wanted to step in, to be that informational bridge between the cultivation and the consumer,” he added. “So that they understand exactly what they’ve been buying on the streets, and they understand what they’re getting from us.”
After marijuana was legalized in New York State but before licensed dispensaries were opening, hundreds of “grey-market” marijuana shops opened across the city, most selling illegal products that had not been assessed for safety.
Everything sold at All Good has been tested by a third party in a process supervised by the state, Robinson said.
“I have a high schooler, and knowing how easy it is sometimes to access weed at these illegal shops, and that it’s at a point where New York City high school kids are coming home with fentanyl because it’s such a problem — that’s alarming as a parent,” Riley said. “We need more legal shops open and we’re excited to contribute to the neighborhood.”
They want to go one step further, too, by leaning further into wellness. Riley is a yoga teacher, and plans to offer weekly yoga classes at All Good “for a very low cost.”
“And any ticket price will go toward purchasing a product in our shop,” she added.
The pair said they’ve received a warm welcome from locals since opening day on April 11, and are excited to keep serving the community. All Good’s “budtenders” are all local marijuana aficionados, they said, who can help both experienced cannabis users and newcomers find the products that fit their needs best.
“Our commitment, our mission, is ‘good plants, good people, good life,” Riley said. “So that’s really what you can expect from All Good. We’re giving you the best plants we can, working with the best people, and hope that as a community, we can live our best life.”
