Zen Leaf Naperville opens recreational pot dispensary
Zen Leaf Naperville, the second of three recreational pot dispensaries coming to the city, opened Saturday at 1516 N. Naper Blvd., with a ceremony attended by Mayor Steve Chirico and the company's executives.
The store, which took the place of a long-vacant restaurant, created 30 new jobs, according to a news release. It sells a comprehensive menu of cannabis products and offers online ordering. Customers must be 21 or older and a mandatory mask policy is in effect.
"Despite the pandemic and economic uncertainty, Zen Leaf is just one of several prominent businesses opening new retail destinations at this Ogden Avenue retail gateway, further elevating its prominence as a thriving, regional retail destination," Chirico said in the release.
The city council approval of recreational pot sales in August after more than a year of heated debates, public input and an advisory referendum in which 53% of 28,968 voters supported the move. The first to begin sales was Rise Naperville, which already had a medical marijuana store.
The store is Zen Leaf's fourth in Illinois. It is operated by Verano, a multistate cannabis company. George Archos, founder, chairman and CEO of both Verano and Zen Leaf, attended Saturday's ceremony. The store's general manager, Nick Salamie, a licensed pharmacist, is a Naperville-native and graduate of Neuqua Valley High School.
More information is at zenleafdispensaries.com.