Shinnecock open cannabis dispensary on Southampton reservation

The Shinnecock Indian Nation on Wednesday held a grand opening for its Little Beach Harvest cannabis dispensary on its Southampton reservation, ushering in a new avenue of economic development in a facility designed to blend in with the tribe’s bucolic surroundings.

Tribal leaders were on hand to formally launch this newest tribal business following eight years of planning and development. It will sell scores of cannabis and hemp products for recreational and wellness uses for adults over the age of 21.

Tribal leaders and officials from Little Beach said the 5,000-square-foot facility is just the beginning, with plans for an adjacent lounge on the property to expand Little Beach’s wellness business, with space for local entrepreneurs, events and potentially even weddings, said Chenae Bullock, Little Beach’s managing director.

“So many people in the tribe are really big into just wellness and environmental sustainability, and this is a place that brings all that together,” Bullock said. “Before we build a wellness lounge, we’ll be able to use this facility for so many things.” 

The facility is constructed of light, local woods with an open floor plan, high ceilings and large windows that light the facility. A wooden balcony on the second floor overlooks Montauk Highway.

All products sold at the two-story facility are tested, and many are made by Shinnecock or other Native tribal members under a tribal licensing plan that began earlier this year. Several other Shinnecock tribal shops along Montauk Highway in Southampton already sell cannabis products.

But there’s no other cannabis dispensary of the size or design of Little Beach, a wholly tribal-owned facility that was built with the backing of outside investor PowerFunding Holdings and another development partner, Conor Green Consulting.

Bryan Polite, chairman of the Shinnecock tribal trustees, said the long-awaited facility is a point of pride for the tribe, the product of eight years of hard work. He said the cultural-centric facility is emblematic of the Shinnecock nation and also embodies the fighting spirit that got the work done. “Our journey has just begun, and we invite all of New York to visit our beautiful dispensary and experience what Shinnecock has to offer,” Polite said.

Barre Hampe, a tribal member who co-founded of the facility and is a consultant to Conor Green, said the facility could eventually rack up sales of between $250,000 and $500,000 a week, and will employ 16 people, including tribal members and nontribal members. “It will take time to ramp up,” he said.

Brandon Naglieri, assistant general manager, said the facility expects to open a drive-up window in coming weeks. The facility has nine point-of-sale stations for customers to make purchases. It will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day.

The facility also will be home to Shinnecock member products and businesses. Chuck Randall, a Shinnecock tribal member, launched a business called Eastern Botanicals that will sell THC-based gummies, chocolates and disposable vapes, among other products, in coming weeks. Randall emphasized that his is a Native-owned business and its products locally and Native made.

By Mark Harrington

mark.harrington@newsday.comMHarringtonNews

Mark Harrington, a Newsday reporter since 1999, covers energy, wineries, Indian affairs and fisheries.