Hii NYC, a new cannabis dispensary, opened in Bay Ridge April 18, drawing large crowds and marking a significant expansion for the brand into South Brooklyn.
The shop, located at 9206 Third Ave., hosted a grand opening that brought a steady stream of customers throughout the day. A line formed shortly after doors opened, while a DJ played music outside and visitors were offered complimentary snow cones, popcorn and sandwiches catered by neighbor Charlie’s Sandwich Shop.
Inside, owner Peter Beznos worked behind the counter filling orders as staff assisted customers navigating a menu that includes cannabis flower, pre-rolls, oils and edibles.
The Bay Ridge location is approximately three times the size of the company’s original Williamsburg storefront, allowing for increased inventory and additional uses for the space, according to Beznos.
Born and raised in Brooklyn, Beznos has worked in cannabis advocacy for over 30 years, in what he describes as “a calling.”
That “calling,” he said, was “driven by belief that prohibition was wrong, that cannabis had legitimate medical and recreational value, and that the people who benefited most from criminalization were never the people who were actually hurt by it.”
The shop is licensed through the State’s Office of Cannabis Management’s Community Access to Regulated Dispensaries (CAURD) licensing pathway initiative. Its purpose is to grant community-owned businesses the power necessary to operate.
Hii NYC’s storefront opened in Williamsburg just one year ago, making it the neighborhood’s first licensed cannabis dispensary.
Co-owner Martin Kamornik said the expansion into Bay Ridge was a deliberate move.
“We’re happy to be in the neighborhood — we’re here to enlighten and enrich the community,” Kamornik told Brooklyn Paper. “The neighborhood has been very inviting, very accommodating to us, and we look forward to years and years.”
Kamornik said the larger location will allow the business to expand beyond retail operations.
“We’re able to hold a lot more inventory at this location,” he said. “We can now look into hosting community events and educating the locals, something that we were unable to do in the first location due to its limited size.”
He added that Hii NYC aims to guide customers as cannabis use becomes more widely accepted in New York.
“Cannabis nowadays is centered around wellness — it’s centered around taking care of your body, it’s centered around being peaceful and being smart and consuming responsibly,” Kamornik said. “So we’re happy to educate and speak to anyone through the buying process.”
Kamornik also addressed concerns about underage access, stating that the dispensary enforces a strict age policy.
“There’s absolutely no one under 21 allowed on premises and we are very strict on that,” he said, noting that identification is checked at the door.
The opening was supported by Bodega Boyz, a New York-based cannabis brand whose products are sold at the store. Co-owner Winky Chhabra said the relationship between cannabis businesses in the city extends beyond typical retail partnerships.
“We’ve seen each other grow from the bottom up, meaning there was no cannabis—there was a dream that you could own a store or own a brand,” Chhabra said. “It was really nice and humbling to see like-minded people go through the same struggle.”
“Our relationship is way deeper than a business transaction,” he added.
Hii NYC joins the growing Bay Ridge cannabis community, which includes Kaya Bliss Dispensary, High Dankery Cannabis Dispensary and FlynnStoned Cannabis Company.
Additional reporting by Paul Frangipane
Olivia Seaman is a reporter for Brooklyn Paper, where she covers all things Brooklyn — from neighborhood news and local politics to culture, community voices and the everyday stories that help shape the borough.
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