Township Adult Cannabis Retailer Eyes April Opening

What could be one of the township’s first adult cannabis retail stores is scheduled to open in an Easton Avenue storefront in April.

The store, which will be called Leaf Haus, is planned for the currently open space between H&R Block and Diamond Thai restaurant in the Somerset Village shopping center at 900 Easton Avenue.

Leaf Haus’s owner, Shani Madaminova, was notified that her business’s annual license application had been approved by the state Cannabis Regulatory Commission in an October 31 letter.

Madaminova, who is currently in the health care business, has targeted April 2023 for her store’s opening.

Madaminova’s entree into the cannabis business was prompted by a friend.

“My friend heard an ad on the radio and called me if I’d be interested to open one, and I said to myself why not,” Madaminova said.

Madaminova said the cannabis store will receive the bulk of her attention, “until it’s stable and running smoothly.”

The store, a micro-business, will have 10 employees, Madaminova said.

The Weed Stalk on Hamilton Street also received approval for a conditional retailer license. The store is owned by Deborah Madaio, who was formerly a partner with NJ Weedman, an early advocate for legalized marijuana in New Jersey.

Madaio has until the end of February to apply for an annual license.

Also receiving conditional licenses from the state CRC in October was Veronica Harvest, which received conditional approvals for a cultivator’s license and a manufacturer’s license.

The business, whose licensee is Peter Jung of Old Tappan, is set to be located at 14 Veronica Avenue, the former home of Mariano Press.

Jung did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Nearly 60 businesses have expressed interest in opening cannabis businesses of various types – retailer, cultivator and manufacturer – in the township.

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