Unique Atmosphere at Union Square Marijuana Dispensa

When you walk into Union Square Travel Agency (USTA), it feels like you have entered a club. Red velvet ropes create lanes to line up and a bouncer stands by. But this is New York City’s third legal marijuana dispensary and the owners seem to have done a lot to create a special environment.

Daniel Silva lives in the East Village, not too far from the East 13th Street location, and after USTA opened in February, he quickly became a regular. “Union Square Travel Agency is great because of their hospitality and wide assortment of products. As soon as you enter you are greeted with comfort and kindness,” he said.

New York State began issuing licenses for dispensaries in December 2022, and the process has gone slowly. This dispensary opened in February 2023 and it actually operates under a license for the Doe Store, a subsidiary of the Doe Fund, which was given the license. The state law requires that licenses go to non-profits like the Doe Fund, or to people who were incarcerated for marijuana offenses. The Doe Fund may fit both requirements. It provides jobs, training and housing for formerly incarcerated and homeless people.

The non-profit partnered with investors Paul Yau and Arana Hankin Biggers who run the day-to-day operation. Paul Yau, the CEO of USTA explained, “My experience working at a venture firm introduced me to the investing world. Then a couple years ago me and my neighbor (Biggers) decided to team up to enter the cannabis industry. We sent in an application for a CUARD license, and it only took a few weeks for us to receive approval. Our goal was to look for a non-for-profit organization to partner with, and that’s when we came across The Doe Fund. We hope that this partnership will set a great example for the industry moving forward.”

Yau said that he is excited about the potential growth in the New York cannabis market. In April he said, “We only opened about 8 weeks ago, so we are still relatively unknown to the majority of the public. Right now our goal is to get the word out and create long-lasting relationships with our customers. In the future we plan on opening at least three more locations throughout the city.

In the store, after you present a valid driver’s license or ID that proves you are 21, employees offer assistance and explain the products that they offer. There are also a few large electronic touch-screen monitors that provide a menu with detailed descriptions for every product. Customers seem to
appreciate the information.

“Here I can educate myself on the properties and effects each flower, cartridge, or edible provides. When I buy products at other places [unlicensed shops], I have no knowledge of what I am consuming,” customer Silva said.

Danielle Goodwin, a supervisor at Union Square Travel Agency explained that customers can trust what they buy here. “All of our products are from New York State farms. We make sure that we extract all potential hazards such as pesticides, oil, etc, so that the product is safe for our customers,” she said.

Safety may be an issue when you buy weed at an unlicensed store or pop-up. Over 1500 smoke shops and convenience stores throughout New York City are now selling cannabis products without a license, according to the New York Post.

Goodwin understands the impulse to buy weed at any kind of spot. She said, “Personally I think it is very convenient for people who do want to smoke, but it is also very dangerous because you’re not sure where the flower or whatever you are smoking is coming from. It is very unreliable.”