The building at 90 Pershing Drive is the future home of a retail cannabis store in Derby.
DERBY – The city’s first retail cannabis store could open on Pershing Drive in December or January.
“(It’s) absolutely being built,” the owner, David Salinas, said in a text message on Nov. 1.
The Derby Planning and Zoning Commission approved Salinas’ site plan for a cannabis retailer in January at 90 Pershing Drive, inside the building that currently houses Italian Pavilion, a restaurant. The restaurant is still scheduled to be in business, albeit with a much smaller footprint. Salinas said they’re having trouble finding staff to run the restaurant.
While it’s been nine months since that approval, Salinas noted the renovations to the building are very much happening.
The parking lot was rebuilt, the building’s exterior was remodeled, the roof was replaced, and new walls were put up inside the building, Salinas wrote in a text message. The site also recently passed an important inspection from the state Department of Consumer Protection, Salinas said.
The business is also in the process of interviewing managerial candidates, security personnel and home delivery drivers.
Salinas also revealed the store’s name: “Hi! People.” Click here to check out the website.
Derby will be the first location for the brand, with plans to open in Hartford and New Haven.
Salinas is an entrepreneur. He is the CEO of Let’s Grow Hartford, LLC. He launched Digital Surgeons, a digital marketing agency, in 2007. The company’s clients included Lady Gaga and Barney’s.
Salinas successfully transformed an old bus depot in New Haven into“District,” a 9‑acre, $25 million campus that is home to 500 startup companies. Click here to learn more.
Salinas is local. He lives in Milford, so he wants “Hi! People” to be involved in the community.
To that end, he posted a survey on Google asking people to list their top concerns or priorities, and the best way to address those issues. Click here to participate in the survey.
Salinas will be the only cannabis retailer operating legally in Derby.
The members of the city’s planning and zoning voted unanimously on Oct. 15 to limit the number of cannabis shops in Derby to just one.
In 2021 the commission set rules on the number and location of cannabis shops. At the time, state law limited Derby to one retail shop.
The state law later changed, allowing Derby officials to approve more shops if desired.
After a few months of discussion, members of the commission opted to keep the number as-is.
A public hearing on limiting the number to just one retailer was held on Oct. 15. The only member of the public to speak was Derby Town/City Clerk Marc Garofalo, who urged the commission to keep the local regulations as is.
Recreational marijuana in Connecticut became legal in July 2021.
“Rejoice,” a cannabis retailer in Seymour, had a grand opening in October. Zen Leaf, in Naugatuck, opened in May.
An image from HiPeople.com
