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Lambertville, a tourist town known for its art galleries, antique shops and free spirit, can add another offering: certified adult weed.
Baked by the River, run by entrepreneurs and longtime weed enthusiasts Cord Schlobohm and Jesse Marie Villars, continues to be the premier micro-business in the city.
“This is what we want. This is our baby,” said Villars, her face lighting up as she showed photos on her iPad of what Baked by the River looked like after the completion of renovation of a former firehouse at 8 Church Street.
“Cannabis is the starting point. We really want this city to benefit. It’s exciting to be a part of that,” Villars said.
The couple received a micro-business license from the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission in July, among 314 micro-businesses the CRC has granted so far. The Lambertville Planning Board last month approved the dispensary’s move to set up shop at the 8 Church Street site, and has since applied to the state for an annual license.
The couple believes their former will provide a unique perspective on how to run a herbal medicine.
Schlobohm, 31, and Villars, 30, are each former opioid addicts who have been clean for the past decade.
Both have passed convictions for marijuana. Schlobohm was disbarred last year under New Jersey’s decriminalization law.
Villars, a former certified mental health professional, credits the drug with saving both of their lives by ending their opioid addiction.
“This is an important part of the reason why we became involved in becoming drug prescribers and helping other patients find an effective way to use drugs,” said Villars, who started using drugs. of cannabis a year into his opioid recovery after multiple surgeries. “Using cannabis saved our lives.”
Schlobohm said she turned to marijuana to ease the pain of opioid withdrawal.
“We’re really proud right now,” Schlobohm said. “We are proud to have survived that battle.”
Schlobohm and Villars were drug addicts and educators for years before creating Baked by the River in 2019.
As medical drug users, they taught patients about smart eating and healthy ways to consume drugs through online courses they created and starred on YouTube and Instagram.
“We do a little education for people before they get their prescriptions because we’ve seen a lot of information get lost at that point, especially for people who have quit pot. for a while,” Schlobohm said as he sat next to Villars in one of Lambertville’s trendy coffee houses.
The couple’s online weed courses began in 2020 during the epidemic when people were looking for better ways to use the drug, Villars said. The cooking and infusion courses are very popular.
The couple moved to Lambertville eight years ago and were drawn to its “non-judgemental, progressive, free-spirited atmosphere,” Villars said. “It’s perfect for a drugstore.”
Connected by a bridge to New Hope, Pennsylvania, Lambertville was the site of the first same-sex marriage legalized in New Jersey on September 30, 2013. Rainbow flags can be seen hanging from many Lambertville shops.
Schlobohm and Villars entered Lambertville in September 2020, about five months before cannabis was legalized nationwide. And the two kicked their careers into high gear. They moved their drug education from online to in-person learning across Lambertville.
“We fell in love with this city,” Villars said. “We had a chance to express our desire for cannabis.”
But Villars said the most surprising thing happened last year when the city decided to ban the drug business, even though more than 80 percent of its residents voted to use it recreationally. adults – the second highest support for legal weed in the state, just behind Montclair.
The pair went door-to-door, doing door-to-door inspections and advertising and holding summer music events to educate residents about the benefits of owning a drug business in Lambertville, including the idea of they can increase the values of nearby properties.
“Many people came to the Lambertville city council meetings, and because of the large number of people who attended, the city put the ban up for further review,” said Villars.
The city surveyed residents last year about marijuana, asking for information on where and how many licenses are allowed. Villars and Schlobohm served as quasi-cannabis experts for the Lambertville City Council during the review process.
What they say: “If you ban drugs from this city you are blocking opportunities for local residents and small businesses to participate in this industry,” said Villars. “A micro business license and a conditional license will allow grass roots, local small business owners, like us, to have an opportunity.”
Villars is said to compete with well-connected, deep-pocketed multinational suppliers for drug licenses. These operators currently own and operate 20 stores that sell mature weed in New Jersey since launching nationally on April 21. The newest entry is Curaleaf Bordentown, which launched hard weed sales Nov. 1. Ascend Wellness, another MSO, is expected to launch hard weed in Fort Lee to become its 21st store this month.
Seeing the strong support for drug addiction, the city council reversed course and worked with the public to create a new law requiring four licenses. Then add a requirement if desired two of the four licenses to go to micro businesses, defined by the CRC as having 10 or fewer employees and occupying no more than 2,500-square feet of operating space.
Two other retail licenses were awarded to businesses larger in size and employees than a micro business: Union Chill at 304 North Union Street and Jerzey Girls at 80 Lambert Lane.
All three candidates have received approval from the city, but only Baked by the River received approval from the state CRC, becoming the first dispensary to sell hard legal weed in the city, according to to Lambertville Mayor Andrew J. Nowick. Union Chill and Jerzey Girls are awaiting conditional license applications before the CRC, and are going through the local planning board process.
Currently, the city’s second micro business license is still in play for the public to apply for, Nowick said.
Cord Schlobohm, left, and Jesse Marie Villars, right, stand outside the old Lambertville firehouse, the new location of their Baked by the River pharmacy on 8 Church Street in Lambertville, New Jersey. Villars was the first to open a licensed dispensary to sell recreational weed in Lambertville.John J. LaRosa | About the NJ Advance
With the financial support of two local businessmen, Kevin Byrnes and Tom Ruddy, Villars and Schlobohm bought the two-story building at 8 Church Street last August.
“This is the first time that Cord and I have become property owners – a year ago it was a pipe dream for us,” said Villars.
The plan for the former firehouse is to create 1,700 square feet on the ground floor as a medical facility. And if permitted under drug law, Villars wants to turn the second-floor space into a drug den to feature 15-foot-high ceilings and large windows that look out. to the Delaware River. Cannabis yoga nights, weed education courses, and other events are coming soon.
Villars says he is proud of Baked by the River.
“We are very happy to be independent and locally owned,” Villars said. “That was our main goal in finding funding. We didn’t want to be a monopoly. We wanted to be a women’s business, a local business.
Lambertville Mayor Nowick said his city is excited about what Baked by the River will bring.
“With 80% of Lambertville voters supporting the legalization of recreational drugs here in New Jersey, the city is ready to host Baked By the River,” Nowick said in an email to and NJ Advance Media. “The River will cook and the members of the local community will work, and although there are different predictions, I think that the tax revenue from his (Villars’) business will significantly increase the budget of the town.”
As a cannabis micro-business, Baked by the River must hire 50 percent of its employees from the city.
“We are committed to paying all of our employees a living wage for this area so that the people who work for us can live in this area,” said Villars.
Schlobohm said micro-businesses can emerge as winners of the state’s drug industry because of their close ties to the communities they serve.
“We need to remove restrictions from small businesses so they can move forward and keep the door open,” said Schlobohm.
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Suzette Parmley and up to sparmley@njadvancemedia.com or follow her on Twitter: @SuzParmley
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