Garden State Dispensary – Major Changes For This Marijuana Company
Garden State Dispensary is now owned by Ayr Wellness, which has taken over all the New Jersey locations.
Garden State Dispensary, one of New Jersey’s original six companies that were allowed to legally grow, process, and sell cannabis to medical patients, had changed its name. Garden State Dispensary now becomes Ayr (pronounced Air), with the Miami-based Ayr Wellness company purchasing the dispensary on September 21, 2021, for $101 million.
When Ayr Wellness made the move to purchase the dispensary, Garden State had the largest sales footprint of all the state’s dispensaries.
AYR WELLNESS HAS UPGRADED GARDEN STATE DISPENSARY
Garden State Dispensary’s New Jersey locations are now part of the Ayr Wellness company which also has dispensaries in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania. For rebranding to make sense to not only the company but to patients and customers as well, Julie Winter, Ayr Wellness’s head of New Jersey retail sales and who also happens to be a New Jersey native, says they had to really sit down and map out their plan moving forward.
“We chose Garden State because of their wonderful locations and their stellar reputation in New Jersey,” she said to NJ.com.
Although Garden State Dispensary was one of the more popular dispensaries in the state, Ayr Wellness felt certain upgrades to each of the three Jersey locations could bring even more business. According to the announcement, the Ayr purchase will bring “More than just a new look, the AYR change brings many necessary improvements to the Garden State. New Brands. More Choice. Improved Experiences.”
With that in mind, upgrades can already be seen in all three locations. Out in their North Jersey Shore Eatontown location, their rebrand will take place after the former Garden State Dispensary expands into its newly acquired adjoining retail space. This expansion was necessary because the Eatontown location was by far the smallest.
The other two New Jersey locations, Union and Woodbridge, have already seen vast changes to the former Garden State Dispensary stores. The floor layout and color schemes received their upgrades while the new Ayr name is prominently displayed throughout the store with its blue and white coloring. Additionally, each store is increasing its register count along with an upgraded check-in area that should drastically cut down the wait times.
To help facilitate a quicker purchase and pick-up time for both adult-use customers and patients, the former Garden State Dispensaries will offer online pre-ordering. As the new owners of the dispensaries, Ayr Wellness aims to provide plenty of in-store brand awareness of the products they offer by making their stores much more user-friendly. In that regard, they have begun to introduce large posters throughout their sales floors.
The Union and Woodbridge dispensaries are prime locations for patients and adult-use customers, so the traffic inside the stores has been consistent. It has only been recently that Garden State Dispensary, now Ayr, was given permission to begin selling products for all adult use. And since that time, sales have skyrocketed. During Ayr’s November investor presentation, they reported a 2022 estimated revenue of $790 million.
The evolution of the cannabis industry in the state of New Jersey has been a long time coming. For a long time, it has been strictly centered around patients who were using marijuana for medicinal purposes. Now that New Jersey has officially opened cannabis sales to include adult use, sales have jumped.
GARDEN STATE DISPENSARY HAS THREE LOCATIONS
Before Garden State Dispensary was purchased by Ayr, they were a simple dispensary for patients. They offered a solid selection of cannabis, but nothing like patients or adult users see now. Even though Ayr is now the rightful owner, they still do allow for the Garden State Dispensary brand to live on.
By now, those of you who call New Jersey home might be wondering how to get started with Ayr. The process is simple enough and starts with creating an account. First things first, head on over to the Ayr website.
Once there, the former Garden State Dispensary will ask a couple of important questions. The first thing that they wish to know, and probably the most important, is what type of Ayr customer you will be – adult use or medical. If adult use is what you seek, simply click on the button to move on.
Next, you will be asked to choose one of Ayr’s three New Jersey locations – Union, Eatontown, or Woodbridge. One of these will be your pick-up location. Once you decide which dispensary is the best option, you will move on to Ayr’s adult-use menu page.
From there, it becomes a simple scroll-and-click page where users can select whichever area suits them best. Across the top of the page, off to the right, users will see their pertinent information – a pick-up location, a search function button, a cart, and an account button. Off to the upper left-hand side, users will see a menu button and when clicked, they will then find dropdowns consisting of products, strain type, brands, and specials.
STRAINS INCLUDE INDICA, SATIVA, AND HYBRID
Under “products” users will see selections such as flower, pre-roll, accessories, cartridges, edibles, and the option to view all categories at once. Under “strain type” users will see the three different strain types the former Garden State Dispensary offers – Indica, Sativa, and Hybrid.
Finally, under “brands,” customers can see the numerous brands offered which include Entourage, Curaleaf, Wicked, Secret Orchard, Stix Preroll Co., Rhythm, and of course, the Garden State Dispensary brand.
If customers instead choose to forgo the menu and start scrolling down the page, they will see numerous options that will eventually take them to the “shop now” page. This front landing page is filled with options from Ayr specials to featured products to links that will take customers to specific brands.
For example, under the menu, click on “flower.” Customers are taken to the “flower” page, which shows the 16 different types of flowers that the former Garden State Dispensary sells. Here you will see the flower name (ex: Curaleaf School Lunch #3), the amount they are selling (1/8 oz), and how much it would cost ($60). Customers are also told what type of strain (Hybrid) the flower consists of.
To make the order, simply scroll over the picture of the product you want and it will show you the cart which you can then add it to. Make a purchase and set up a pickup time. It is that easy for each and every product users wish to purchase on the Ayr website.
As cannabis laws continue to loosen across the United States and the supply chain issues abate, one can expect to see more and more shops such as the Garden State Dispensary. Business now is booming and only looks to continue its massive growth.
