Velvet Cannabis, a new dispensary a few blocks west of theb Pasadena border with Eagle Rock, celebrated its official grand opening on a busy Saturday with specials and giveaways.
The store has been open since April 20, a cannabis-significant date. (Marijuana came to be ubiquitous as “420” in slang after the nickname was used by a Grateful Dead roadie and it caught on. As a high schooler the roadie met at 4:20 p.m. with a group of students to moke marijuana).
According to store manager Priscilla Alkais, the store has been received well by its neighbors.
“It’s been a really, really warm welcome. I get the feeling that we’re the store that they have been waiting for,” she said. “It’s comfortable, open, knowledgeable, and friendly. We wanted to wait for the summer to cool down, and just get the name out there, and then have our official grand opening.”
The store is the second for owners Matt Morea and Farid Harrison following the opening of their first store in Martinez, California in 2018.
At the saturday do the store also offered discount specials on all of its inventory, along with product, t-shirt and cap giveaways via its “Wheel of Weed” display.
As for the clientele, said Alkais, “Everyone is our customer. From moms to seniors, and younger people, it’s really across the board, and mostly local.”
Reminded that the store is also near Occidental College, Alkais pointed out that, interestingly, “At least 50% of the store’s customer base is over 50.”
Velvet is at 1118 Colorado Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90041. www.velvetcannabis.com.
