Amoeba Music Dispensary Coming to the Bay Area

[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]T[/dropcap]he Amoeba Music store in Berkeley, California will soon be selling more than just records. Hi-Fidelity, a cannabis dispensary managed by Amoeba Music, is set to open this April next door to the Amoeba Music store on Telegraph Avenue. Amoeba Music was awarded one of the city’s six cannabis dispensary licenses in 2016, after the city council increased the legal maximum number of dispensaries in the city from four to six.

Originally named the Berkeley Compassionate Care Collective, Amoeba Music has had plans to open its own dispensary as a means to help save the Berkeley storefront, which has seen sales fall as the demand for vinyl records has decreased. Amoeba Music has been working with the city of Berkeley for over five years to secure a license. Amoeba Music Co-owner Marc Weinstein has mentioned that if the dispensary in Berkeley is successful, the other locations in San Francisco and Los Angeles will end up incorporating dispensaries as well.

Amoeba Music plans to infuse its original business model into a cannabis dispensary that features local growers. Assistant General Manager Alex Crittendon said, “We want to support the small farmers and craft brands that aren’t the big corporate guys, but we need to have big brands, too. We want to be a one stop shop for people coming to Telegraph Avenue.” The business will attract new clientele as a result of the dispensary, and there is potential that record customers can purchase cannabis, while cannabis customers could purchase records, further increasing the revenue generation.

Berkeley City Councilmember Kriss Worthington said that Telegraph Avenue was the ideal place for a dispensary because of the “cultural ambience” of the neighborhood, and Amoeba Music was chosen because it has been “outstanding” employers in the neighborhood. Several neighboring businesses voiced their support of the store during the city council’s proposal review period.