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County residents would be forgiven for thinking they’ve entered a hip and trendy health spa when they walk into Purple Owl Dispensary in White Plains.
Reclaimed barnwood paneling and antique farm tools accent the softly lit walls, each of which sports a short-throw digital projector to turn the entire room into an immersive, 360º video environment. Currently, it’s a lakeside park — wind and gentle birdsong waft out of the speakers over calming lo-fi hip-hop. You’ll find no blacklight posters of red-eyed Looney Tunes characters here. The vibe is markedly suburban, with a tinge of friendly mom-and-pop hospitality.
Just two minutes down the road from Bloomingdale’s (and with plenty of free parking), Purple Owl shares more in common with White Plains’ other upscale boutiques than it does vintage head shops.
Photo courtesy of Harry Marketing.
“It’s very much a neighborhood store, like years ago when my grandparents owned an Italian deli down in Little Italy,” says co-owner Beth Smith, who opened the shop in November 2024.
Smith, an Ossining resident and White Plains native, is a local special education teacher and very by-the-book. She hasn’t consumed cannabis herself since the ’90s (personal choice). While her co-owner Juan Alverio is the product expert, Smith focuses on operations — building relationships with local growers and distributors and making sure Purple Owl maintains its welcoming and educational space in a way that destigmatizes legal cannabis use.
“What I’d like to do is work with the senior center, because I find that population would really benefit from an educational component,” Smith says. “I’d like to invite seniors and have growers come and educate on terpenes and cannabinoids and what they can do for mood and pain and sleep.”
Photo courtesy of Harry Marketing.
White Plains Mayor Tom Roach welcomes the new dispensary, noting, “I am pleased to see that the Purple Owl Dispensary has found a home in White Plains. I would like to congratulate Ms. Smith on the opening of the store and thank her for her investment in our community.”
For curious customers, Purple Owl’s staff is always up front with warm smiles and relaxed, helpful explanations of strains, forms, and dosages. Finding something that meets a customer’s needs is always the goal here. The online shop displays strain descriptions, common effects and sensations, and available weights. It even has the ability for consumers to browse products by desired effect, a godsend for those whose formal knowledge of cannabis caps out at “indica — in da couch.”
Owned and operated by a woman and person of color, Purple Owl was the recipient of one of the original 11 retail licenses issued by the New York Office of Cannabis Management, under the office’s social and economic equity purview. Smith, a slight Caucasian woman in her middle years, is using her social privilege to reassure customers that cannabis culture doesn’t have to be intimidating or subversive. The stigma is lifting for everyone, and that can include, say, suburban moms who own “It’s wine o’clock! 🍷” throw pillows.
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“Last night, I had a woman who came in with her friend — she’s never tried cannabis before,” Smith says. “‘I’m really nervous. What if I pass out?’ [she said,] and all I said to her was, ‘If you were going to drink a bottle of wine, where would your kids be?’ She said, ‘Oh, I’d probably send them to my mother’s or I’d have a babysitter, and my husband and I are going to hang out and watch a movie and drink wine.’ It’s exactly the same thing.”
The shop sells raw flower and pre-rolls, edibles and oral tinctures, and a wide variety of vape products, all from familiar and trusted local brands like Rove and ayrloom. Products come from premium, licensed New York State producers, are lab tested, and are available in-store and for online pickup. Can’t make it out to the shop? Purple Owl also offers same-day delivery seven days a week to the entirety of Westchester County, plus Brewster and Carmel for a modest $5 delivery fee ($100 minimum required).
Purple Owl Dispensary
405 Mamaroneck Ave, White Plains
914.297.2443
Hours: Mon-Thurs 10 a.m. – 8 p.m.; Fri-Sat 10 a.m. – 9 p.m.; Sun 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Related: The Cannabis Industry Has High Hopes for Westchester County
“}]] The new Purple Owl Dispensary targets the suburban consumer with cozy, family business vibes in Westchester. Read More
