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‘Hi! People’ owner David Salinas is a Connecticut resident.
DERBY – The city will officially welcome its first retail cannabis store on Pershing Drive this month.
A grand opening for Hi! People is set for 10 a.m. Jan. 25 at the store, located in the former Italian Pavilion building at 90 Pershing Drive.
Mayor Joseph DiMartino is scheduled to welcome the store to Derby with a ribbon cutting ceremony. The event will feature food trucks, a DJ, giveaways and more, according to CEO and owner David Salinas.
Salinas, 44, a Milford resident, recently gave The Valley Indy a tour of the newly remodeled, 3,000-square foot space that features 90 parking spaces. A very tall “Hi! People” sign outside can be seen far and wide from passers-by on Route 8.
Where’s Italian Pavilion?
A smaller version of the Italian Pavilion restaurant is supposed to open in the back of the building. However, it’s not opened yet and there is no opening date scheduled.
Salinas, who owns the building, said it’s been tough to focus on opening Hi! People and the restaurant, so the restaurant took a back seat. On the other hand, he said it’s just a matter of time before a new version of the restaurant will open.
Photo courtesy of Hi People.
The Cannabis Shop
The interior of the cannabis shop features bright, white shiplap walls, with brick accent walls, and laminate wooden floors. A wall of merchandise, featuring the Hi! People name emblazoned on mugs, glassware, tote bags, t‑shirts, hoodies, stands opposite a long checkout counter, accented with emerald green tiles.
“The space was designed to feel comfortable,” Salinas said. “It’s a cool spot where everybody knows your name and where everybody can say ‘hi.’”
Salinas, a married father of three, said he’s excited to be in Derby and to shatter the old stigma that all people who smoke weed are just lazy potheads.
“There’s a misconception that cannabis products are just for stoners and that’s just not the case,” Salinas said. “I know 70-year-old women that use it to sleep, married women who use it because their husbands snore and others who are using it to take the edge off instead of a glass of wine.”
Inside the dispensary.
The store will offer both walk-in and online sales of a variety of adult-use (recreation only) cannabis products including flowers, edibles, vaporizers, chocolate bars, concentrates and even its own line of seltzers and sodas (coming soon), Salinas said.
Customers will be greeted by an employee at a check-in desk. They must provide a valid ID showing they are at least 21 years old. They will either show the employee their pre-order and proceed to the check-out area to pay or can visit one of the “hosts” who will be stationed at ordering areas with iPads to walk customers through the menu of products.
Salinas said while the store will not offer medical marijuana, card holders will be entitled to discounts.
Hi! People is the third retail cannabis store to open in the lower Naugatuck Valley since Connecticut legalized recreational marijuana in July 2021. Rejoice opened in Seymour last October and Zen Leaf, in Naugatuck, opened last May.
Hi! People will be Derby’s first and only state-licensed cannabis retailer. The Derby Planning and Zoning Commission (PZC) voted unanimously last October to limit the number of cannabis shops in Derby to just one.
Salinas said he chose to come to Derby based on the location and high visibility from Route 8. He said renovations took about three months to complete. Salinas gained approval in Jan. 2024 from the PZC to open the facility. The facility passed an inspection by the state Department of Consumer Protection on Dec. 30, giving Salinas the greenlight to open.
Salinas said the store will employ about 30 part-time and full-time employees. He said he received more than 500 applications from people wanting to work there. A home and work delivery service will also be offered, likely starting in February.
Justin Sheridan, who is the store’s co-manager along with Greg Janerico, comes to Hi! People with seven years’ experience in the cannabis industry. He previously worked as a manager at Cura Leaf in Groton.
“I’m super excited to be here and we’re absolutely going to knock it out of the park,” Sheridan said.
With a business degree from the University of Bridgeport, Salinas is an entrepreneur. He is the CEO of cannabis company Let’s Grow Hartford, LLC. He launched Digital Surgeons, a digital marketing agency, in 2007, whose clients included Lady Gaga and Barney’s. Salinas also transformed an old bus depot in New Haven into “District,” a 9‑acre, $25 million campus that is home to 500 startup companies.
“I’ve seen cannabis help people medically and non-medically and I’ve lost people to pretty bad diseases and cannabis was a big help to them in their journey,” Salinas said. “We’re seeing a big shift now. Alcohol is becoming less in favor. People want an alternative.”
Salinas plans to be a good neighbor, too. Not only will Derby benefit from 3 percent of the businesses’ gross monthly sales, but he has teamed up with several local non-profits including St. Vincent de Paul Society and Derby recreation to provide youths with free rec memberships to keep them busy and off the streets.
While Salinas said he doesn’t yet know just how much the city will monetarily benefit from sales, he said the building itself pays $10,000 in annual property taxes, and the new business “will far exceed that.”
“I think we will do very well here,” Salinas said. “We are not owned by any corporations, and we deeply care about the community. I just washed my dog at the pet shop next door and am at Starbucks all the time. We’re here to be part of the community.”
The store will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday – Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday. More information can be found online at Hi! People’s website or on Facebook.
“}]] DERBY – The city will officially welcome its first retail cannabis store on Pershing Drive this month. A grand opening for Hi! People is set for 10 a.m.… Read More
