A marijuana store in suburban Chicago has opened with a liquor license attached to it.
Okay Cannabis and West Town Bakery Cafe + Lounge in Wheeling is combining marijuana retail, baked goods, a cocktail bar and event space under one roof in a move that’s being billed as the first in Illinois and one of the few nationwide.
It’s a concept from The Fifty/50 Restaurant Group and CESAM.
“We’re really trying to create more of a gathering place that people can make a part of their lives whether they are there to buy cannabis or not,” Scott Weiner, co-founder of the Fifty/50 group, said in a news release.
According to the Chicago Tribune, the ownership of Okay Cannabis, a social equity licensee, includes:
- Majority owner Charles Mayfield, interim chief operating officer for Chicago Public Schools.
- Minority owner Ameya Pawar, an Indian American and former Chicago 47th Ward alderman.
The Fifty/50 Restaurant Group and its social equity partners plan to open two more Okay Cannabis locations, one in Chicago’s West Town neighborhood and the other in suburban Evanston.
