Female-Led Bloomfield Dispensary Will ‘Bring Cannabis Out Of Shadows’

BLOOMFIELD, NJ — A female-led team of entrepreneurs is on the cusp of opening a recreational marijuana dispensary in Bloomfield, with a big goal in mind: “Bring cannabis out of the shadows.”

Since New Jersey legalized recreational cannabis, Bloomfield has seen several proposals from people and companies who want to bring a dispensary to the township, including the owners of Nightjar, which will be located at 549 Bloomfield Avenue.

Nightjar is expected to open before the end of the year. It’s still awaiting final inspections from Bloomfield’s building department, and a final inspection and certificate to operate from the state cannabis board.

The business was one of 48 that recently earned a combined $12 million in state grants under the Cannabis Equity Grant Program. Read More: NJ Marijuana Businesses Get $12M In 'Equity' Funding

Owned by Soulstar Holdings, the team includes Francesca DeRogatis, COO, her father and executive director, Gary DeRogatis, Amanda Rositano, president, Katie Covett, CAO, and Rosanna Diaz Abrahamse, founder.

The business also has seen support and startup capital from a “handful of friends and family,” Francesca DeRogatis told Patch.

“Soulstar was founded with a mission to chart a new path and carve out space for female, minority and marginalized individuals in the cannabis industry,” DeRogatis said. “With years of experience in east coast cannabis, the team felt compelled to leverage their expertise to build a more diverse and authentic industry, and to own something of their own.”

Here’s what to expect when you enter the dispensary once it’s open, DeRogatis said (article continues below):

“Nightjar will be a welcoming space for regular cannabis consumers and newcomers alike. The store was designed to normalize the cannabis shopping experience, and to make our customers and our team feel at home. The vibe is warm and inviting, eschewing the clinical feeling that can often accompany expanded medical stores. When you walk into Nightjar, we want you to have fun and enjoy yourself, whatever that looks like for you.”

DeRogatis said that Bloomfield was a first-choice location for the dispensary.

“With roots in Essex County, the team wanted to give back and make an impact in the community, and in particular, be a part of its revitalization and growth,” she told Patch.

The location in Bloomfield’s central business district – and in an economic redevelopment zone – will help Nightjar in its mission to “normalize the cannabis shopping experience and bring cannabis out of the shadows,” DeRogatis said.

There is a pressing need for more women in the growing legal cannabis industry, experts say.

A 2022 report, “Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in the Cannabis Industry,” stated that women holding executive positions in the cannabis industry grew by only a percentage point over the past year, to 23.1%. The number is also below national averages for all businesses, according to Jessica Gonzalez, a consultant for the New Jersey Business Action Center’s Cannabis Training Academy.

Various factors have made it more difficult for women to break the "grass ceiling" in the cannabis industry, Gonzalez recently wrote in an op-ed.

One of them has been finding the capital to launch a new business.

“Gender bias in a traditionally white male, dominated industry makes access to funding for female entrepreneurs more difficult,” Gonzalez said, adding that mentorship and networking opportunities are often lacking for women in the industry.

• See Related: The 'Grass Ceiling': NJ Legal Weed Industry Needs More Women (Op-Ed)

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