Green Rose Dispensary in River North Celebrates Black History Month

Chicago, Ill. (February 24, 2023) - As one of the first social equity dispensaries to open in Illinois, Green Rose is hosting a weekend of festivities at its River North dispensary to celebrate Black History Month in a way that is fun, educational, and provides economic opportunities for small black owned businesses. entrepreneurs and entertainers. The festivities run Friday through Sunday at the Green Rose location at 612 N. Wells Street and include lots of live music and entertainment, great food from local neighborhood Chicago chefs, an eclectic variety of products for sale including some from 93 Boyz, Chicago’s first black owned cannabis brand.

“At Green Rose we want to celebrate Black History Month by helping to make history for small Black entrepreneurs. As a Black man working in the cannabis industry, I think it is important to celebrate Black History Month in a way that provides economic opportunities,” said Todd Patterson, Assistant General Manager at Green Rose. “It’s hard for small minority owned businesses and entertainers to get exposure to the downtown market due to the high cost of retail space in this area. That’s what we are providing. We are a social equity dispensary so we have a special responsibility in this regard.”

Green Rose will donate $5 for every GTI product purchased starting Friday and continuing throughout the weekend to two local Chicago non-profits, The Loveland Therapy Fund and Chicago West Community Music Center. Unlike other dispensaries in downtown Chicago, Green Rose is not owned by a large multi-state cannabis company. It isn’t conflicted with trying to push its own wholesale products so it can provide more opportunities for smaller vendors.

“Green Rose is an independent boutique dispensary and has the flexibility to stock its shelves with a wider variety of products including those from smaller Black owned businesses. We think it is an advantage for us and our customers because they get access to a wider array of great products and it provides opportunities for smaller Black owned businesses as well,” said Ross Morreale, operations manager at Green Rose Dispensary.

Green Rose looks forward to helping small minority and black owned social equity craft growers and infusers by carrying their products at the dispensary and giving them a retail platform to compete in the marketplace. Two thirds of the management and staff at Green Rose are Black and Latino.

The rundown of weekend events includes the following:

Friday the 24th:

2-3:30 - Kute Cookies – bringing food

3-6 – Artist performing live art - Jazmine @Venusvirgo

4-6 - Flame, Body, and Soul Soy Hand Poured Luxury Candle Pop-Up

6-8 – Music - DJ Kahli Melon

Saturday the 25th:

12-2 - Food - A Mano Y Mente will provide vegan Mexican food

12-2 - Rebuild the Hood Educational Pop-Up

1 – Music – Davo Sounds

2-3 - Music – Bianca Shaw

2-4 - Trading Races Interactive Educational Card Game Pop-up

3 – Music – Viano

4 – Music - Danny Barz

5 – Music - TBD

6 – Music - Zae Connie

Sunday the 26th:

12-3 - 93 Boyz-Chicago’s first black owned cannabis brand with DJ Icey

3-5 - Food: Sip and Savor coffee and treats

3 - Music – Toika B

3:30 - Music – Kat Karasi

4-6 Live art performance- Cujodah

4 - Music – Jaz Starr

5 - Music – Boifrnd

5:30 – Music – Jamo Lareese

6 – Music – Sharmon Jarmo

ABOUT GREEN ROSE (https://www.greenroseil.com) Green Rose is a Chicago based cannabis company with an experienced Veteran, Female, Black and Latino ownership team committed to providing our customers with top line products and an exceptional customer experience. Our promise is to offer an environment that empowers customers with in-depth knowledge and access to a wide variety of products using the most innovative platforms in a beautiful and welcoming space. Our company culture is driven by our commitment to being a strong advocate for inclusion and the elevation of diverse voices.