The campaign trail swings through the Upper West Side on Monday, Aug. 31, and the candidate has no intention of giving a speech. She’ll spend two hours working the room, accepting pets, posing for pictures, and eating whatever’s handed to her. The rally runs 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., it’s free, it’s open to anyone, and you’re encouraged to bring your dog.
The candidate is Violet, a neighborhood dog running for Honorary Dog Mayor of New York City, and the rally is happening at Good Company, the new cannabis store at 2273 Broadway near West 82nd Street. Violet is one of the shop’s regulars, which is how the whole thing came together in the first place (to be transparent, it’s Violet’s mom, @olivia.bannerman, who does most of the shopping). There will be treats for the dogs and goodies for the humans, and organizers are asking guests to RSVP in advance. Voting in the election opens Sept. 2 at DogMayorNYC.com.
If a campaign rally for a dog sounds like an unusual thing for a cannabis store to host, that’s more or less the point. Good Company opened on June 1 and has spent the summer building itself into something closer to a neighborhood clubhouse than a retail counter.
“We’re building Good Company a little differently from a traditional dispensary,” said one of the shop’s owners. “The idea is to create a true neighborhood gathering place, with a strong focus on hospitality, design, community, and approachable cannabis for both experienced and first-time customers.”
That’s played out as a steady schedule of free events, most of them run with people who live within a few blocks of the store:
- Mahjong nights, including an American mahjong session led by Mahjong With Jamie, a local instructor
- Yoga classes with neighborhood studios and teachers, including a restorative class with Aura Studio on 72nd and Broadway that drew about 25 people
- A record listening party with visiting dealers bringing out special collections, plus DJ Roberto spinning
- A monthly speed-friending social hosted by @theupperwestinsider
- A monthly neighborhood walk starting from the store, led by Rachel of @thebestoftheupperwest
- Yoga with local resident Jenn Yarmis
The full calendar lives on the shop’s events page.
The store itself is set up for lingering. There’s a full listening station for vinyl lovers, where you can sit and play records without buying anything, and a small selection of records for sale that the team is expanding because the response has been so strong. There’s also a curated shelf of books put together by Dancing Star, the independent bookseller that pops up near Westsider Rare & Used Books near 81st and Broadway.
Dogs, as you’d guess from the rally, are a whole thing here. The shop hands out treats to every dog that walks in, keeps an internal channel just for photos of its canine visitors, and stocks Happy Hounds CBD for pets. The team is also looking to carry Dog Rescue Treats, the neighborhood brand sold at Zabar’s.
Business has moved quickly since June. The store sees roughly 100 to 150 customers a day, with Thursday through Saturday the busiest, and it’s holding a 4.9 rating across about 200 Google reviews. Customers tend to single out the selection, the pricing, and the atmosphere, which is the part the owners care most about.
Good Company also operates on a social equity license, one of the New York State designations created for applicants harmed by past cannabis enforcement. One of the shop’s partners on the license served time for a prior cannabis conviction before the law changed. Several of the partners are Upper West Siders too, including one who lives on 78th Street and pushed for this location, and the project’s architect, who lives up on 103rd. Staff is hired locally.
The shop is open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday, with same-day pickup, and free delivery on orders over $50. You can browse the full menu online.
First-time customers can use the code ILOVETHEUWS05 for 5% off their first order.
And on Aug. 31, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., you can go meet a mayoral candidate who has never once dodged a question.
