Apothecarium Confirms Relocation Plans

The Apothecarium, the medical cannabis dispensary in the Castro that is the title sponsor of the CBD's party, will announce Thursday it plans to relocate from its small storefront at the corner of Church, Market and 14th streets up the block to the shuttered Shanghai Restaurant space.

The move is a long expected one, as the B.A.R. disclosed on its blog in September that city zoning officials had concluded that the ground floor space that housed the former eatery at 2029 Market Street could be the site of a medical cannabis dispensary.

This week Apothecarium officials told the B.A.R. that an investment group bought the space for an undisclosed amount at the end of 2015 with the intent to then lease it to the dispensary. (One online listing had it for sale at a cost of nearly $4.2 million.) It has signed a 10-year lease with multiple long-term options to extend it.

"We are really exited about it. It gives us a lot more room to operate," said co-owner Ryan Hudson.

The dispensary's current space at 2095 Market Street is 1,100 square feet, and oftentimes, customers must wait outside to be let in the doors. The Shanghai space is five times the size at 5,000 square feet allowing more room not only for the staff but also to ensure customers no longer will have to wait outside during peak times.

"It is a big space," acknowledged Hudson, that will undergo a "fairly significant" remodel.

Architect Vincent Gonzaga has been hired to work with local interior design firm Urban Chalet on the project, which is expected to maintain the Apothecarium's current neo-Victorian look but with a contemporary twist.

"We are in the process of fleshing all that out right now," said Hudson.

There will be a multi-purpose room as part of the design allowing for the dispensary to hold its classes on-site as well as meetings of its philanthropic board. Since opening in 2011 it has given more than $300,000 to local groups.

"By the end of the year we hope to move into the new space," said Hudson.

The Apothecarium is also moving forward with plans for a second location in the Marina, which is also slated to be open by year's end. And a third location in Berkeley has been proposed on Shattuck Avenue not far from the UC Berkeley campus, though the Apothecarium failed to win the support of the East Bay city's medical cannabis commission last month. The city council is expected to select a fourth, and final, dispensary to operate in the city later this year.

As for the new Castro location, the Apothecarium has already rounded up support from a number of community leaders and residents. In a statement shared with the B.A.R. Jeff Bryant, a homeowner who lives directly above the proposed location, expressed his support.

"For four years the Apothecarium has been a considerate, quiet neighbor down the street. I'm glad they are filling the empty storefront in my building. I'd much rather have a quiet dispensary here than a noisy bar or restaurant," he said.

The city's planning commission is scheduled to vote on the Apothecarium's relocation plans at its April 21 meeting. The dispensary is hosting a community open house at the proposed new location from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 17.