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If you were ever confused about a place called the Union Square Travel Agency, we can confirm that it’s decidedly not a travel agency, at least not one that will take you on a traditional trip; it’s actually an iconic cannabis store, and they’re changing their name and expanding to a new borough. Now The Travel Agency: A Cannabis Store is opening a second location at 118-122 Flatbush Avenue in Downtown Brooklyn next week.
The dispensary opened its first location last year near Union Square on the corner of Broadway and East 13th Street in Manhattan. Much more akin to walking into an Apple Store than meeting your dealer around the corner after dusk, The Travel Agency has quickly become known for providing an elevated cannabis experience led by trained experts.
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The newest iteration of The Travel Agency will open on January 29 in a design-forward pop-up until its 4,800-square-foot permanent location just next door is ready to open its doors. The dispensary will also begin to accept orders for delivery throughout Brooklyn.
"We know there is just as much of an appetite for safe, tested, and quality cannabis in Brooklyn as in Manhattan," says co-founder Arana Hankin-Biggers. "We are excited to be able to continue to contribute to the growth of this exciting new industry, by creating more jobs, and helping to educate consumers about the value of shopping legal."
The Travel Agency doesn’t just sell cannabis: It’s also on a mission to dismantle the harmful stereotypes around weed and to play a small part in atoning for the War on Drugs, which has disproportionately harmed communities of color. As co-founders, Hankin-Biggers and Paul Yau strive to prioritize POC, women, and LGBTQ-owned cannabis businesses.
The Union Square dispensary directs over half of the profits to The Doe Fund, which helps provide housing and support services to New York’s marginalized communities.
The War on Drugs hit New York City especially hard. Policies that emerged from the campaign included stop-and-frisk, in which police officers were empowered to randomly stop and search New Yorkers for drugs. From 2003-2022, 90 percent of the people stopped and searched by the NYPD were people of color, according to the ACLU of New York. Considering that recreational use of weed in New York City was only decriminalized in 2021, that means several people are still living with the consequences of weed possession.
The new dispensary in Downtown Brooklyn will sell a variety of products from the weed universe, including flower, pre-rolls, vapes, concentrates, edibles, and infused beverages. Its operating hours will be 9am-11pm from Sunday-Thursday, and 9am-12am on Friday and Saturday. For more information on their products and updates, check out their website.