A Lenny Bruce poster is pictured. Tim Scoma, owner of Lifted, said he plans to tie pieces of the National Comedy Center into his new shop on North Main Street as well as other Jamestown businesses where applicable.
A pair of state inspections are all that is left for Jamestown’s first state-licensed marijuana dispensary to be open for business.
Tim Scoma received his license during the most recent Cannabis Control Board meeting. His days since then have been spent getting the former Patient’s Pharmacy building ready to open its doors as Lifted, a project that has kept Scoma busy for the past three years.
The dispensary will include several different types of marijuana products and a bud bar where customers can smell the products before purchasing them. State laws are strict when it comes to products being placed where customers are. The bud bars are secure, with purchases kept in a secure area.
Eventually Scoma wants to offer online ordering for quick in-store pick-up and, further down the road, possible delivery services. In addition to marijuana products Scoma said there will be space for some paraphernalia, T-shirts and hats from a local business that is supplying Lifted with product and a selfie station.
“I’m going to be putting a lot more Lenny Bruce items up. And there’s a lot of Lenny Bruce at the Comedy Center,” Scoma said. “I’m going to do a lot of Lenny Bruce but eventually I’m going to have a lot of Lucy stuff in here as well and so just trying to stick with the whole Jamestown vibe here and then trying to stick with other businesses downtown like the Comedy Center.”
Tim Scoma, owner of Lifted, gestures toward his bud bar, where customers will be able to get a whiff of the product before they purchase it. The containers are secured to the wall to meet state regulations.
P-J photo by John Whittaker
Lifted will feature fresh crops grown in New York. Scoma is partnering with growers in the Rochester area as well as local growers like the Fare The Well farm in Jamestown, who will have a display available at Lifted to sell hats, T-shirts and other goods. Scoma said he has also worked regularly with the Releaf Market and Snowball Cannabis, two other Jamestown-based businesses.
Formal approval of his state license has also opened Scoma’s business up to growers throughout the state who now see his dispensary listed as an avenue for them to sell their product.
“What growers have been doing is they’ll go on to the map and they’ll check out who’s getting proximity protection,” Scoma said. “They contact those people. So we’ve been contacted by quite a few growers. They’ve seen the site and I’m already lined up with them to get their product in the door. We just need to get our inspections done.”
Much of the work at Lifted has been done by Scoma and his family, including his father-in-law and his brother-in-law, Ross Donisi. Many of the employees who worked during a two-month growers showcase held at the North Main Street business will return once Lifted opens for good. While Scoma is still finalizing his business’ hours, it’s expected Lifted will be open Monday to Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.
Scoma’s building hosted a two-month growers’ showcase that began in November 2023, with Scoma serving as head manager. The city man said the showcase provided him insight into both dealing with the Office of Cannabis Management as well as information about how much inventory to carry and staffing. But perhaps the most encouraging sign was the turnout from city residents.
Tim Scoma is pictured behind the counter of Lifted, his new business at 320 N. Main St. The business will open once the last of two required state inspections is completed.
P-J photos by John Whittaker
“Yeah we had a line out the door waiting to come in,” Scoma said. “Everybody was very excited and then ever since that first day there wasn’t a day that we didn’t have a good number of customers coming in. The numbers that we had were for, I think, for winter time and downtown Jamestown where not a lot of people are walking around, I think we had a very nice turnout for those two months.”
One thing that will be different is Scoma will have control of the prices charged for goods. During the growers’ showcase pricing was controlled by HerbalIQ, the company that was using the storefront. Once Lifted opens, Scoma will set a price point he hopes allows him to compete with the Seneca Nation’s tax-free products.
“Our prices were very reasonable, but I did not have any control over that. Now I’m in complete control of what I purchase and what I sell,” Scoma said. “So I know what it’s worth. I know what’s a good strain. I know what’s a good flower. I know what’s a good product. If I see a product I wouldn’t agree with, that I personally wouldn’t buy I’m not going to put it on our shelves. … The product you get here, it’s not going to be junk product. If you come and shop here you’re going to be very happy with the product you purchase.”