May 13, 2024
Shaw Local
NewsSubscribeSportseNewspaperThank You First RespondersNewsletterThe SceneObituariesEvent Calendar

Crystal Lake’s first marijuana dispensary to hold ribbon cutting Thursday

Dispensary is McHenry County’s second following a RISE location in Lake in the Hills

By Aaron Dorman
Crystal Lake's first dispensary, Ivy Hall, will open with a ribbon cutting on Thursday morning, Feb. 2, 2023, company representatives announced in a press release.

Crystal Lake's first dispensary, Ivy Hall, will open with a ribbon cutting on Thursday morning, Feb. 2, 2023, company representatives announced in a news release. (Provided by Ivy Hall)

Crystal Lake’s first marijuana dispensary is set to hold a ribbon-cutting to mark its official grand opening Thursday morning, the company announced Wednesday.

Ivy Hall Crystal Lake – the company also has a location in Chicago – will host a tour of the facility at 8:30 a.m. and a ribbon-cutting at 9 a.m., with coffee, donuts and local leaders in attendance, including Mayor Haig Haleblian, the company said in a news release.

The dispensary – which opened its doors Jan. 21 – is McHenry County’s second with the first opening in 2021 in Lake in the Hills.

Ivy Hall Crystal Lake received its state license to operate through the state’s social equity initiative, which gives applicants extra points for hiring at least six employees who come from areas with high rates of poverty or marijuana arrests or who had prior minor marijuana convictions.

The company describes its business as a “sensory dispensary” and “friendly neighborhood boutique,” which a spokesman said is meant to contrast to the sterile, “DMV-style” environment of many dispensaries.

Ivy Hall invested more than $1 million in renovating the facility – the interior includes a terpene bar and flower wall – and will have created 30 new jobs, the company said in the release.

The dispensary, located at 501 Pingree Road at the site of a former Culver’s, was first approved by the Crystal Lake City Council in October 2021 under the business name AmeriCanna Dream.

The Crystal Lake location was chosen as a way to regionally serve the city and McHenry County as a whole, a company spokesman said.

Crystal Lake Chamber of Commerce President Randy Leggee said the Chamber was excited to have Ivy Hall as a new member.

“They did some amazing revisions to the interior,” Leggee said. “It’s a really beautiful space. We are looking forward to it opening.”

Ivy Hall Crystal Lake will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays to Thursdays, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sundays.

Information is available at ivyhalldispensary.com.

CORRECTION: This article has been updated to correct when the store is opening. It opened on Jan. 21 and is set to host an official grand opening Thursday.