As New York’s Cannabis scene continues to develop and come online a few years after legalization, one of the consistent top dispensaries has been Happy Days in Farmingdale, which is on Long Island. I was excited to figure out what made this store one of the top destinations in the state and decided to visit the team, led by co-owner Paul LaPore.
Scene and Setting
When walking into the store, there are a few ways consumers can interact with the menu: They can go to one of the massive touch screen displays, peruse the aisles or go to the large front desk lined with budtenders who could help guide them down the rabbit hole.
While nearly 40% of their customers do preorders for pickup, those who want to peruse the shelves themselves will find aroma-releasing display cases of all of the flower products in a circular center console you can’t miss. The display allows customers to see, smell and maybe imagine the taste of what they are about to scoop.
The dispensary is well lit, has a very clear customer journey and is a bit like a choose-your-own-adventure where you can’t go wrong
Product Selection
The Happy Days menu has a very solid selection of some of the top products and brands in the state. It seems like a focus on micros is intentional, ensuring that some of the smaller producers have a chance to compete with the larger brands in the state. For example, it was great to see brands like Leadfarmer available, but there was a wide variety of larger brands included, too. They have every major category covered in abundance. I am always looking for an excellent hash menu, and they had a few brands I hadn’t tried before, like Trout & Co., Milkweed and Left Coast, which was exciting.
Vibe and Staff
The vibe is really intentional; it is product- and education-focused. There is bright, crisp lighting, and while it isn’t sterile in design like an Apple store, it is undeniably clean and tidy, giving things a polished and professional appearance without screaming about it.
The budtenders are all very friendly, and they all made sure to ask if I had any questions or needed anything explained. The dispensary is warm and welcoming, and it has good vibes, just like what you’d expect from a shop with such an upbeat moniker
Experience
One of the most important things that was expressed again and again was the importance of dispelling stereotypes and helping properly educate people on Cannabis. To do this, Happy Days really works to go beyond the walls of their building by investing in community events, hosting educational sessions and making sure they are part of the local culture.
The store is easy to navigate and has more than enough people on hand to help answer any questions. Beyond that, the shop gives back to the community, is in a great location, has a superb product selection and is staffed with people who love the plant. That’s all part of the winning recipe for the team at Happy Days.
