ITHACA, N.Y.— The owner of the anticipated Dryden Dispensary said the store will open for business April 20 after The Ithaca Voice reported the plans to establish the first cannabis dispensary in the town last year.
The store will operate a drive-thru service, according to an initial mockup provided by Chris Diemand, owner of Diemand Properties in Ithaca and acting landlord and consultant of the dispensary.
While the drive-thru won’t be operational for another few months after the initial opening, Diemand said the dispensary will be equipped with “Chili’s style” pick up spots to increase accessibility in the meantime. The spots will remain after the drive-thru window opens.
After initial research, The Ithaca Voice was unable to locate other dispensaries in the state that operate a drive-thru service like the one proposed here. But New York State law allows licensees to operate a drive-thru service window and/or drive-thru order pick-up lane according to reporting from 2022.
The opening of the new dispensary follows the closure of Tompkins County’s sole other dispensary, William Jane, which is located on the Commons in Ithaca. It closed for renovations Jan. 3 without announcing a projected reopening date.
Diemand purchased the space in October 2023, but he won’t operate the store. His long-time family friends Geneva Riley and Kevin Cossaboon will be responsible for day-to-day operations starting in April.
He also owns a smoke shop in Binghamton called Sugar Mountain, which he described as an “upscale smoke shop” in reporting from last year. That same emphasis on comfort and luxury exists in this new venture, he said.
Dryden Dispensary is aiming to cater to a more “mainstream” customer base — people who are looking for privacy in purchasing marijuana products.
The drive-thru window will be helpful in those efforts, as well as the location of the store, which is on the corner of Route 13 and Irish Settlement Road, set back far enough from the main road to provide customers privacy.
Shortly after Diemand purchased the property, he told The Ithaca Voice the build-out process was about 80-90% finished thanks to him and his “crafty” friends who handled much of the construction themselves.
In a text sent Tuesday, he said the buildout is “pretty much done.” Construction on the parking lot is scheduled to be completed in about two weeks.
Diemand has retail experience, as previously reported by The Ithaca Voice.
He’s opened eight stores over the years, including Ithaca Hemp Company on the Ithaca Commons, which opened in 1997. He called that shop the “J. Crew of hemp” in an interview last year.