Block Club Chicago
Your Neighborhood News Site
BUCKTOWN — A cannabis dispensary co-founded by a former NBA player and a lifelong Chicagoan who each have extensive experience in the industry will open in Bucktown at the end of June.
Village Dispensary, 1850 W. Webster St., will hold its grand opening June 29. It is taking over the site of a former emissions testing facility near the Kennedy Expressway that has been closed for almost a decade.
The business is helmed by former NBA player Al Harrington and Chicago native Dan Pettigrew. The two founded the cannabis company Viola Brands in 2011 and have expanded it across the country. Retired NBA star Allen Iverson is also a partner in Viola.
The dispensary will be Pettigrew and Harrington’s second location in Illinois. Last summer, they launched Viola CHI in suburban Broadview. The Bucktown location will become Village’s flagship location when it opens.
The opening is a homecoming of sorts for Pettigrew, who grew up in Hyde Park.
“It’s literally a dream come true. My mom passed about five years ago, and one of the things I’m most proud of is she was able to use cannabis while she dealt with cancer in the latter days of her life,” Pettigrew said in an interview last week. “So for her to trust me with that was really liberating. So we just look forward to bringing quality products to the North Side of Chicago.”
Village’s cannabis offerings include flower, topicals, gummies and other products from various brands. Owners are working to create a “drive-in, drive-out” experience at the store where people will be able to pick up products without leaving their car.
Pettigrew got his start in the cannabis industry in Michigan in 2008. Around the same time, Harrington, who played for the Indiana Pacers and several other NBA teams before retiring in 2015, became an early advocate in professional sports for the medicinal use of the drug.
Harrington was inspired after seeing the benefits of cannabis for his grandmother, Viola, who used it to combat pain from glaucoma. That experience of someone he knew and trusted made him see cannabis in a “totally different way,” he said.
“That got me into the space, made me call Dan, made us start this journey,” Harrington said. “As we’ve been on this journey, it’s a lot of twists and turns, but I think that at the end of the day, the main thing is that this is a health and wellness opportunity, and this is also an opportunity for generational wealth.”
Pettigrew and Harrington have grown their company exponentially in numerous states. In 2022 Viola was valued at over $100 million, according to Forbes. Its recent retail expansion into Illinois became possible when Pettigrew and other partners were awarded two dispensary licenses in 2022 through the state’s social equity lottery, according to the Sun-Times.
That process has received widespread criticism as some operators have faced delays and been unable to open. Harrington said while it’s been a challenge navigating the industry in Illinois and across the country, he feels confident about how they’ve grown Viola and Village.
Village’s mission includes offering ownership and employment options for investors and staff members of color at its various companies.
“As you know, regulations continue to change day to day. It hasn’t been easy, but I think that what we’ve been able to build, we built a solid foundation with our brand and with where we’ve been able to get these licenses,” Harrington said. “So we think that the industry will continue to change for the better.”
In Bucktown, the partners see their new store as unique compared to other local dispensaries, with its ample parking and convenient location right off the expressway. The drive-thru section will hopefully be up and running soon, Pettigrew said.
Village is also dog-friendly, and customers are encouraged to bring their pups with them when they buy weed.
“We allow people to bring their animals into the facility, which for us is a no-brainer. But, you know, different people have different policies,” he said. “We are very, very pet-friendly.”
Pettigrew and Harrington hope to open additional dispensaries in Illinois. In the meantime, they’re gearing up to open in Hoboken, New Jersey, this year with plans to expand to the New York market, a spokesperson said.
Village Bucktown’s grand opening party June 29 will feature food trucks, deals and giveaways. Operational updates will be posted on the store’s social media.
“The ability to do this in Chicago, with what we consider the best location in the city, is really meaningful to me, personally,” Pettigrew said.
Support Local News!
Subscribe to Block Club Chicago, an independent, 501(c)(3), journalist-run newsroom. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods. Already subscribe? Click here to gift a subscription, or you can support Block Club with a tax-deductible donation.
Listen to the Block Club Chicago podcast:
Twitter @rquinnmyers More by Quinn Myers
Block Club Chicago is a nonprofit news organization dedicated to delivering reliable, nonpartisan and essential coverage of Chicago’s diverse neighborhoods.