NY Cannabis Dispensary Series: Happy Days – Giving Long Islanders a Happy Daze

Dispensary Name: Happy Days

Dispensary Owner: Paul Lepore and Jay Grossman

Dispensary Location: 105 NY-109, Farmingdale, NY 11735

Website: https://happydaysli.com/

Instagram: @happydayli

Path to Legal Cannabis:

Excerpted from New York Cannabis Insider article:
Happy Days opened in early January, about nine months after the CCB issued a provisional license. Lepore said he and partners had fewer problems in working with regulators to open the store because he made sure to submit paperwork in the format OCM asked for – and contained all necessary details – and paid close attention to every detail of each regulation as they came out.

Being fastidious about paperwork is a key component in opening within a reasonable timeframe because any mistake will likely lead to prolonged back-and-forths with an understaffed regulatory agency, Lepore said. Even putting aside staffing issues at the OCM, most government bureaus demand exact paperwork, and incorrect filings always lead to delays, he said.

“I think it’s similar to submitting any application to any government agency,” Lepore said. “If you go to the DMV and you don’t have the correct form – or something’s not filled out – you go to the back of the line.”

Happy Days Mission:

Excerpted from Long Island Business News article:

Happy Days is owned by three partners: Paul Lepore, a former nutraceutical and pharmaceutical industry veteran, and two restaurateurs, Jay Grossman, who owns Refuge in Melville and K Pacho in New Hyde Park, and Keith Hart, owner of Barrique Kitchen & Wine Bar and Argyle Grill & Tavern in Babylon. Hart also owns The Hart Agency, a marketing firm specializing in the liquor industry. 

While Grossman and Hart provide expertise on hospitality and marketing, Lepore focuses on the more scientific and biological aspects of cannabis consumption. The owners say one of the most important services they provide is dispelling cannabis stereotypes and educating first-time and newer customers on the different forms of the plant and how cannabinoids may metabolize in different people. 

What products you’ll find there:

Excerpted from New York Cannabis Insider article and Long Island Business News article:

We always try to promote local brands and small businesses and minority-owned brands, and we really see that coming through with some of the sales data. Flower is [our] No. 1 [product] by far, then vapes and pre rolls. Flower makes up for anywhere between about 35% to 40% of the total sales at the store.

Happy Days, which carries some products grown here on Long Island, also favors promoting other local businesses, which is apparent by the dispensary’s 4/20 events and collaborations. 

“As born-and-raised Long Islanders, we always look to evolve and support other businesses within our community,” Lepore told LIBN. 

Towards that effort, Sand City Brewing Company, with locations in Northport and Lindenhurst, will be launching its new Happy Days IPA on 4/20, a terpene-influenced beer that Sand City owners Kevin Sihler and Bill Kiernan are introducing to pay homage to the Farmingdale dispensary and Long Island’s budding cannabis industry.

What will NY’s cannabis industry look like in five years? 

Excerpted from Newsday article:

Operators of legal dispensaries — which number only about 100 in the state — say they are glad the state is taking action but wonder just how much attention local authorities will be able to give the issue.

“I think any legislation or increase in enforcement is a step in the right direction,” Paul Lapore, president of Happy Days dispensary in Farmingdale, told Newsday.

“But we really have to see how well it’s executed,” Lapore said. He said he doesn’t “see a lot happening” because local authorities have been cautious about enforcement and they are dealing with many priorities. 

He said the state should create something like the State Liquor Authority with power and staff to go in and shut down illegal actors.