Having softly opened for business on January 12, 2024—followed by a grand January 26 ribbon cutting (with local electeds and area stakeholders in attendance), Verdi Cannabis became the first legal, licensed, adult use cannabis dispensary in Chelsea. Doing business in a prime (some would say primo) location—at 158 West 23rd Street, between Sixth and Seventh Avenues—Verdi has largely fulfilled the good-neighbor scenario put forth during  their applicant vetting process, drawing praise from local residents testifying before Manhattan Community Board 4’s Cannabis Task Force. And so, with a year’s experience and then some, we recently quizzed varous members of Verdi’s staff to get their take on how this dispensary, and the industry as a whole, is faring. First up: A Q&A with Kenny Cunningham, Verdi’s Assistant General Manager/Events Coordinator…

Scott Stiffler for Chelsea Community News (CCNews): Please talk about the duties of your job, and work background prior to Verdi.

Kenny Cunningham (Kenny): The duties of my job are varied and can change from day-to-day. They range from general help on the floor throughout the day, supporting my FOH budtenders and BOH inventory staff to helping customers make choices and checking them out at the register; to dealing with the brand reps and setting up budtender training and activation events to booking bands and DJs and artists to helping implement our loyalty and incentivization programs to running donation drives (most recently, for winter clothing and LA wildfire relief)  to dealing with the city and 311 and garbage. Etc etc etc! There is never a lack of tasks to be accomplished, and something always comes up!

My work background prior to Verdi is really all over the place. I think I’ve probably worked close to 50 jobs, but I feel like each job was a perfect stepping stone leading me to where I am now! I worked in retail directly out of college, then spent a few years at a small family-owned publishing company. From there, I spent a number of years early in my career in television advertising sales at Turner Entertainment (TBS, TNT, & truTV). I went from there to digital marketing sales, before leaving the corporate world because it felt soulless. I spent a few years as a theatrical teamster, doing load-ins and load-outs for big concerts, Broadway, and tv. Eventually, I realized that cannabis was where I needed to be, and I saw the shift coming. I’m a little embarrassed to say that I spent the two + years prior to Verdi working in illegal cannabis “dispensaries.” (Both places I worked were nicer than your standard “smoke shops.”) I knew that there was a statute of limitations in that industry, but it was the perfect experience to hit the legal market running!

CCNews: Using the one-year anniversary of Verdi’s opening as a marker, what do you recall ase being some of the standout achievements, challenges, product-related vents, and customer interactions?

Kenny: I haven’t been there since the very beginning, but some of the standout achievements since I’ve been here have been the launch of The Green Room music and arts series in August of last year;  the partnership with Inked [a tattoo parlor located across from Verdu] and the events we’ve done with them and some of our brand partners; the 4-day “Phish Run” around New Year’s Eve, where we had bands here every day; sponsoring the Relix Magazine 50th Anniversary Party at Brooklyn Bowl; the one-year anniversary at Hill Country with 14 of our brand partners; the relationship we’ve built with Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen and the multiple donations we’ve been able to make there throughout the winter; the fundraiser we ran with Rove to raise money for LA wildfire relief. We are working on more of these things to come, and couldn’t be more excited about the future direction of Verdi.

I know it wasn’t really a challenge since I’ve been here, but I know an early challenge for the shop was the continued proliferation of the illegal cannabis market and the smoke shops here in New York City. It’s been a challenge to dial in our processes. We are in the infancy of a multibillion dollar industry, so there’s been a lot of learnings over the last year. 

Some of my favorite product-related events were the rolling contest that we did with the Highline team (Pura and Toast); the tattoo pop-up event with Fernway; the Seinfeld Trivia Night with Eaton Botanicals for the launch of their Serenity Now gummy; the Pet Fashion Show with Happy Hounds. We’ve done so many fun things over the last year, it’s hard to remember them all.

As far as standout customer interactions, it’s hard to point to one in particular. There are so many positive interactions that occur on a daily basis. Our customers have become like friends and family, and that’s exactly the vibe we strive for. We want you to enjoy your time with us, to have your minutes in Verdi be some of the best of your day. Actually, I’ll point to one: As you know, the Selis Manor blind community is across the street, and we have a number of their residents as guests. I won’t use his name, but one of the residents brings joy to the entire shop EVERY TIME he comes in. It’s really an amazing atmosphere in our shop. I love being there!

CCNews: Prior to the arrival of Verdi, how familiar were you with Chelsea as a neighborhood? How do you regard the neighborhood/location now, after a year on the ground?

Kenny: I’m a lifelong New Yorker, born and raised in Stuyvesant Town, so of course I am familiar with Chelsea. Actually, about a decade ago, a good friend of mine lived in the apartment building just a few feet down from the Verdi location, and I could see a bit of the revitalization of the neighborhood happening at that point. Chelsea is a bustling neighborhood, and hopefully Verdi has helped increase the sense of community around us. We’ve tried to create a safe, comfortable, happy space for people to shop and enjoy their time and hear some music and see some art. It’s a great neighborhood, and really offers the perfect cross-section of what New York is. We encounter every type of person, from the 21-year-old college student to the 90-year-old great-grandparent, and every person in-between…. And everyone is welcome here!

CCNews: Please talk about your work as co-creator/curator of The Green Room: How do you book the musical acts and guest artists? How does the performance and gallery aspect of that impact the customer (and staff) experience? What do you envision/hope for The Green Room, moving forward into its second year?

Kenny: I’ve been involved in the live music scene in New York for the last 15+ years, and over that period I’ve seen thousands of shows and met some of the most wonderful people and talented musicians. Verdi had hosted live music performances before I joined the team, but shortly after I started, Ellis [Verdi Cannabis license holder Ellis Soodak] mentioned that he wanted live music to be a more important part of what we do. So I got to work, and over the course of a weekend I had booked music out for 4 months! At first, it was largely friends of mine who are super talented, musically. But as the series has grown, we now get approached almost daily by musicians wanting to perform at our unique and comfortable space. It’s been a whirlwind and so fun to be a part of!

In my mind, having the music there creates an awesome atmosphere. Everyone is happy and smiling. You know you’re a part of something special the minute you walk through the door. When [in warm weather months] we are able to open the doors, the music pulls in people off the street. We consistently have New Yorkers stopping to film from outside the store. It’s been cool to watch. And that kind of happiness trickles down. The customers can feel the vibe, and they enjoy being there. Many will stop and linger inside the store for much longer than they had planned. It’s just a fun place to be, and a fun place to work at!

I would love to continue to see the Green Room grow and improve. Eventually I’d love to move it off-site, create a partnership with a venue, and make it more lucrative for the musicians. Right now, Verdi and cannabis are the main event, and the music is the cherry on top. I want to flip that equation–make the music the prime focus, and Verdi-provided cannabis is the cherry on top!

CCNews: Please talk about some of the special events that have taken place over the past year.

Kenny: I mentioned many of the events and drives that we’ve done above, but I can point to a few more: We hosted a dog painting event, where customers could bring their pups, apply non-toxic paint to their paws, and paint a small canvas. We’ve done a few tattoo pop-up events with different brands. We’ve had DJs and bands. We’ve done brand launch events. We ran a winter-long clothing drive in partnership with Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen. We ran the Rove wildfire relief raffle. We are about to run a raffle in conjunction with Miss Grass and Last Prisoner Project, to donate money to LPP. The 1-year anniversary party at Hill Country BBQ was a wonderful event, where we invited 14 brand partners to sponsor and table at the event, featuring free food and live music. And there is much, much more to come!

CCNews: What have been notably popular products/brands—and do the answers vary —according to “type” of customer/consumer?

Kenny: The products and brands absolutely vary by customer, and the experience that they’re looking for. At the end of the day, that is what we are there for: to guide the consumers to the best possible experience based upon their needs or wants. For the edible users, some of our more popular brands are Off Hours, Eaton Botanicals, and Wyld. But those are just on the gummy side. We have 1906 and Level tablets that users can consume. Or Honey Pot honey. The market is massive, and there really is a product for every consumer.

If you’re looking for vaporizers, again the products are equally as varied, from your 510 carts (which would require a battery) to your disposables, which can have different battery hardware. Every brand is looking for that slight edge over their competition. Some of our most popular brands are MFused, Fernway, E-Jays (which is a relatively new addition to Verdi), and Pax.

When it comes to flower and prerolls, again we have something for everyone, from very affordable to super high-quality. The New York cannabis market has some very nice flower, despite what may be popular belief. Some of our best-performing brands are Umami, Toast, Back Home Cannabis, High Ambitions, Cultured, and Smoke. There’s almost too many to list. 

And we have so many other products, from cookies to drinks to some of the best concentrate in the city and really everything in-between. Our selection is fabulous, and we have the best buyer in the business.

CCNews: Painting in broad strokes—are there “types” of customers? Are there still challenges/opportunities ahead, in terms of expanding your reach?

Kenny: To a certain extent, there are “types” of customers. You will definitely have consumers who prefer one method to another. Many people consume edibles because they don’t want to smoke or inhale anything. Some customers have specific medical issues that they would like to address. And I want to make very clear that we are not doctors and we do not prescribe anything. There are no guarantees! Everyone’s body reacts differently to cannabis, so we can only provide insights and personal experiences. However, I think many of our customers are open-minded and willing to explore different avenues of consumption. 

There are always going to be challenges in expanding our reach. More licenses continue to get approved, which means more legal dispensaries will continue to open. However, I think competition is a good thing, and the best will rise to the challenge. Every challenge is an opportunity, and we are looking to expand and grow. We want Verdi Cannabis to be the best dispensary in New York state, and then the country.

CCNews: What’s the state of relations like with nearby neighbors and others from the area?

Kenny: I would say, in general, the state of relations with our neighbors and the community is very positive. We hear on a near-daily basis how thankful our customers are to have us here. The artists are thrilled to have a space to showcase their work. I hear regularly from musicians who love playing here and who want to play here. We have created partnership deals with some of the local businesses. We will continue our relationship with Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen. We are hoping to create a more extensive relationship with Selis Manor and the Visions community. We did receive a couple of noise complaints on account of the music last summer, but largely everything has been positive and successful, and we hope to continue moving in that direction. 

CCNews: Flowers, vapes, edibles: If I’m unfamiliar with these systems of delivery, what’s the info every novice should know?

Kenny: If you’re a novice, my advice for flower would be: smoke using glass. Find yourself a really nice glass bowl or a nice glass bong (water bong). Keep it clean. You can really taste the terpenes in the flower this way. A water bong will filter your smoke the best. 

For vapes… if there’s a button, five clicks of the button will turn your battery on and off. Three clicks of the button (typically) will change the heat setting and give you bigger (or smaller) clouds. Two clicks of the button will preheat the battery. KEEP YOUR TOPS! Most casual users will throw away the plastic tops. Keep these on your vape. It keeps pocket lint and other dust particles out of the mouthpiece, which could clog your device. For almost every device, if it’s clogged, blow on the bottom of the device. There should be a hole there. It will unclog the air bubble.

For edibles… determine what your desired outcome is. Edibles can be used for a variety of things. There are many different combinations of THC and minor cannabinoids (CBD, CBG, CBC, THC-V, etc) that can change the effect of the edible. So, if you’re unsure, ask your budtenders. Our budtenders are so super knowledgeable and always willing to help. And start slow! Be careful! You don’t want to overdo it. You can always take more… you can’t take less!

Kenny: Unfortunately for me, edibles do not work. I’ve eaten over 200mgs in one sitting, with no effect–except cottonmouth. So, unfortunately, I don’t know what that experience is like. Otherwise, I like it all! I love weed. Flower, vapes, concentrate, dabs, joints. I love it all. So for me, it’s more of a time and place kind of thing. Sometimes a joint is what the situation calls for. I love having a vape for walking around the city. Sometimes I like smoking a bowl or a bong at home, or doing a dab. It really all depends, but it’s all glorious.

CCNews: What’s the impact on business, coming from illegal smoke shops—and has their impact changed in any way over the past year?

Kenny: This goes back to an earlier comment, about the proliferation of illegal smoke shops. I joined right after Operation Padlock to Protect went into effect, so largely many of the smoke shops have been shut down since then. But I think at this point, we don’t notice their effect much. Now that legal and licensed places have become more accessible, more consumers recognize the value of having tested and proven products and prefer buying from a reputable location. 

—END—