3 Cannabis dispensaries arriving in Bloomington this fall
Three new cannabis dispensaries are set to open in Bloomington-Normal this fall and winter, with the first arriving in October.
Cookies adult-use dispensary will have its grand opening Oct. 7 at 1006 JC Parkway in Bloomington, near Walmart. This comes after Bloomington City Council's approval in June 2022.
There will be a soft opening Oct. 5, followed by a friends and family day Oct. 6.
"We're excited because the Cookies brand has such a massive cache in the industry that I think it's going to attract a lot of people," said Connor Johnston, a partner with Project Equity Illinois.
Cookies is one of the more recognized cannabis companies in the world, with over 70 proprietary cannabis strains and more than 2,000 products, including cannabis flower, pre-rolled joints, concentrates, vape cartridges and disposables, edibles and beverages, tinctures and topicals.
"If you've ever been to a Cookies dispensary, it's typically around half Cookies-branded projects and half from other vendors," Johnston said.
He said Project Equity Illinois partnered with Cookies on a branding deal to incorporate the brand in Bloomington as well as two other locations in Peoria Heights and the St. Louis region.
The Bloomington location will be open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Sunday, but may adjust hours after the market shows them what customers want, Johnston said.
"Cookies is known for its world-class genetics, and that is the most important facet, is that we bring that world-class flower to Illinois," Johnston said.
This will be Bloomington's second adult-use dispensary location, following the Beyond/Hello dispensary, 118 Keaton Place, which is owned by global cannabis and hemp operator Jushi Holdings Inc.
Cookies will also be the first Twin Cities dispensary since 2020 that is not owned by Jushi, which also owns the former Green Solutions at 501 W. Northtown Road in Normal. Jushi acquired that business in January 2020, and it now operates under the Beyond/Hello name.
Two other adult-use cannabis dispensaries — Revolution Dispensary and High Haven — will be opening in Normal this fall and winter.
Revolution Dispensary, which was approved along with High Haven by the Normal Town Council in May, anticipates opening by Thanksgiving at 1609 Northbrook Drive, joining a strip mall that's currently home to Gloria Jean's Coffee, Normal Maytag Coin Laundry and the McLean County Area EMS System.
The store will be open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.
High Haven hopes to open in January at 106 Mall Drive, the former Mandarin Garden House Restaurant near the Shoppes at College Hills.
"We keep finding new challenges with the property, but we are optimistic that we will get everything done and ready hopefully by January," said Gabriel Judd, chief compliance officer and general counsel with High Haven. "It would be a reasonable goal to have everything done and approved and open, but it's a massive project."
Another hurdle has been a recent lawsuit filed against the Town of Normal and High Haven Dispensary by former town trustee Jeff Fritzen.
Fritzen says in his lawsuit that Normal was required by the town's ordinance to wait a year before deciding on a resubmitted permit, except on the grounds of new evidence or proof of change in conditions.
High Haven's initial application was rejected by the council in February, but in March, in response to public concerns, the business filed for another special use permit after including more security parameters and additional parking.
The lawsuit will be heard in front of McLean County Circuit Judge Rebecca Foley for a summary judgment hearing and a motion to dismiss on Nov. 28.
