Kush Connection Cleared For Launch

• Last year radio vets Steve Kingston and wife Patty Steele announced their intention to open a cannabis dispensary in Montclair, NJ. The proposed name of the family-run business, a clever play on the family’s name, Kushner, was just too good to pass up: “The Kush Connection.”

Now, a year and a lot of red tape later, we are pleased to report that the Kush Connection earned unanimous approval from the Montclair Planning Board Monday night. According to NorthJersey.com, the approval was granted one week after the first and only dispensary in Montclair departed for a new storefront in Wharton.

With a provisional license from the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission, and one of only three potential cannabis retail licenses allowed by the township in hand, the board’s approval was one of the few remaining hurdles to opening the new dispensary on a laundry list of requisite state and local authorizations.

“There are so many moving parts that we’re new to,” said Jake Kushner, who will head Kush Connection as its GM. He and his parents — Patty and Steve — hope to be operational by year’s end in their location at Montclair’s Frog Hollow neighborhood.

“It’s important that we make this an interesting destination,” said Patty, referring to the abundant competition across the region. “It’s going to be about the store’s ambiance to start,” Jake added. Utilizing his family’s sizeable cache of musical memorabilia, Jake compared Kush Connection’s customer experience to “a green room backstage” at a concert, with posters and signed guitars hung along the wall. The ground floor will sell cannabis products, while the second floor will be a separate shop with merchandise branded to fit Kush Connection’s musical motif, including a vintage juke box, and a lounge area.

With Planning Board approval, the family now awaits an annual operating license from the CRC and a certificate of occupancy from the township once the build-out is complete. Jake and his mother think the dispensary could open by late fall or winter of this year. The complete story is posted here.

That’s Jake and his dad (seated). Standing, (l-r): Patty Steele, Danni Lawrence-Cohen, Will Kushner and Katie Kushner. [Photo credit: Tariq Zehawi / NorthJersey.com]