Meet the Latina Moms Teaming Up to Bring the First Licensed Cannabis Dispensary to the Upper East Side

Everyone knows that mom knows best, so who better to lead the way in bringing a licensed cannabis dispensary to the Upper East Side than Mama Verde — a startup owned by two Latina mothers that is laser-focused on providing a safe, legal place for neighbors to shop who want to avoid the seedy unlicensed shops proliferating not only the UES, but all of New York City.

“Our main priority right now is keeping our children safe,” explained Christna Arez, CEO and co-owner of Mama Verde NYC, in an interview with Upper East Site last week, “We want to bring something fun, clean and responsible to the community, so that’s kind of how this all kind of all came together.”

Arez, mother to a 16-month-old, says that while Mama Verde will be intended for all adults (and only adults), it will first-and-foremost be a space where women and cannabis can comfortably intersect — just like Mama Verde’s founders, who plan to apply for a dispensary license as social justice applicants in less than a month’s time.

Christina has been an educator for 15 years, while her business partner, Krystel Bloomfield, who was born in Puerto Rico and juggles the high demands of being a real estate design professional and mother to four children. 

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“I really want our base to be everyone — but women most importantly,” said Arez, noting that she was in part inspired by time spent in Los Angeles, where she was introduced to cannabis products beyond standard flower — unprocessed marijuana buds — and pre-rolled joints.

“I wasn’t a huge pot smoker, but it did introduce me to new things like edibles and oils,” said Arez, who was born and raised in The Bronx, “those are the products that I also want to bring to our store.”

While the Mama Verde team doesn’t have a location locked down just yet, they plan to sign a lease on one of three locations near East 86th Street and Lexington Avenue. Negotiations with the landlords is ongoing.

The bustling area of the Upper East Side was also the location of choice for Uncle Budd’s unlicensed weed bus. Painted bright green and featuring large LED signs to attract customers, it sure did draw attention, and as Upper East Site first reported, was seized by the NYPD after complaints from the community.

The Mama Verde team says their dispensary won’t look anything like 1,400 unlicensed smoke shops, weed bodegas and THC-infused bake shops that have popped up across New York City and exploiting lack of enforcement during New York State’s painfully slow rollout of recreational marijuana licenses.

“I know that illicit markets have been opening up and without any knowledge of the [safety of] products they are selling, who they’re selling it to,” Arez told Community Board 8 during its public session last Wednesday night.

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“We want to be responsible stewards of this type of product in your neighborhood,” she explained, starting the conversation about what is expected to be the neighborhood’s first licensed dispensary.

Upper East Site has learned the storefront at Mama Verde will feature frosted or smoked glass — there will be no flashing lights or colorful bongs lining shelves in the store window display, which many parents have complained draw the attention of their kids.

“You won’t be able to see the products and there’s no plan for consumption on site either,” said Mama Verde Chief Legal Officer Rafael Urena, explaining how while the store will be for adults only, it wont catch neighbors’ eyes for the wrong reasons.

“I tell Christina and Krystal that they look more like they’re selling soap than cannabis,” Urena added.

Mama Verde’s team says the dispensary will not operate unlicensed under any circumstances, so you wont see it open in the short term. However, if all goes as planned, they hope to start serving the Upper East Side by the end of the year.