Ivy Hall sets itself apart from other cannabis dispensaries

Nigel Dandridge, co-founder chief strategy officer for Ivy Hall, during the grand opening of the cannabis dispensary. Photo provided by Ivy Hall.
Nigel Dandridge, co-founder chief strategy officer for Ivy Hall, during the grand opening of the cannabis dispensary. Photo provided by Ivy Hall.

 Ivy Hall sets itself apart from other cannabis dispensaries

By Tia Carol Jones

In November, Ivy Hall opened. The Cannabis Dispensary, which is the State’s first social equity cannabis dispensary, it is located at 1720 N. Damen in Chicago.

Illinois is one of 11 States that has incorporated a Social Equity program into its cannabis legislation. Ivy Hall is 61% African American owned.
 According to the State of Illinois, a social equity applicant must meet one of these criteria: Applicants with at least 51% ownership and control by one or more individuals who have resided for at least 5 of the preceding 10 years in a disproportionately impacted area; Applicants with at least 51% ownership and control by one or more individuals who have been arrested for, convicted of, or adjudged to be a ward of the juvenile court for any offense that is eligible for expungement under this Act or member of an impacted family; For applicants with a minimum of 10 full-time employees, an applicant with at least 51% of current employees who: Currently reside in a disproportionately impacted area; or has been arrested for, convicted of, or adjudged to be a ward of the juvenile court for any offense that is eligible for expungement under this Act or member of an impacted family.

“In the coming months, Illinois is set to more than double the number of cannabis dispensaries, with every single new license holder being a social equity applicant,” Governor JB Pritzker said in a statement. “With equity as our north star, today marks the first step for retail cannabis operations to begin repairing the devastating harm caused by the failed War on Drugs on communities of color. Congratulations to Green Rose and Ivy Hall – and we look forward to welcoming many more social equity-owned dispensaries to our great state.”

Nigel Dandridge is the co-founder and chief strategy officer for Ivy Hall. Dandridge is no stranger to the cannabis industry. He has been in the industry since 2010 and has been writing and applying for cannabis licenses across the country. He started off in Denver, Colo., opening two stores, then selling them.

About three years ago, Dandridge and his father saw the requisites and saw they qualified for an adult use cannabis license. Dandridge put together a team of people in Chicago who were in the industry and submitted an application. Dandridge and his team were awarded the license in 2021 after their application was put into a lottery.

What makes Ivy Hall different than other cannabis dispensaries is that it is a sensory dispensary, with a comfortable vibe and a lounge feel. Dandridge believes the application for Ivy Hall was one of the highest scored because of the experience from a well-rounded group, veteran status, hit social equity.

“It’s pretty rare to have a minority with the experience that I have on the application,” Dandridge said. Since it opened, Ivy Hall has seen an uptick in new and returning customers, pop-up events have been scheduled.

Dandridge would advise others who are applying for a social equity license to research the application process and deadlines. He would also advise people to connect with people who have experience working in the cannabis and dispensary industry. Dandridge started off as a budtender and a grower. It allowed him to learn the cannabis process from both sides. Ivy Hall’s general manager also started off as a part-time budtender and has worked her way up to get experience.

“Don’t look at starting off at the bottom as a detriment. It’s so valuable to get that experience,” Dandridge said. Dandridge wants to expand Ivy Hall across the City and the State. Job fairs have been happening and the goal is to have multiple dispensaries in operation.

Ivy Hall is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday; and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. For more information about Ivy Hall, visit www.ivyhalldispensary.com.

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