A husband and wife duo have relaunched their cannabis shop in Flatbush with help from the owners of Queens’ first Black- and woman-owned cannabis dispensary.
Robert Dorsey and Angeline Cornelia had to fight for the retail license to run their shop, Brooklyn Exotic, when a judge temporarily blocked new marijuana licenses last fall.
Michael James Jr., who co-runs Good Grades, a legal dispensary on Jamaica Avenue and works as a cannabis attorney, stepped in to help the pair secure a license. As Dorsey and Cornelia awaited approval, James and his business partner kept the Brooklyn pop-up afloat — and now, it’s the borough’s first legal woman-owned weed business.
“We had the expertise to get the store up and running. That came in handy,” James told Brooklyn Paper. “It was a good opportunity for us to do this together.”
Brooklyn Exotic reopened intending to serve as trusted resources, promoting responsible cannabis consumption and providing educational tools so the community can make informed choices.
“It goes back to supporting jobs in the community, programs in the community which smoke shops aren’t doing. They can’t bring exposure to their businesses the same way we can or want to.”
New York City has seen an overflow of smoke shops opening up since the state created the Cannabis Law in 2021. Most often, the shops are unlicensed but posing as legal dispensaries. According to James, this causes confusion in the industry with customers consuming unregulated products.
“Our products are sourced, tested and regulated. We have protocols in place to keep the product safe,” he said. “There’s a convenience. This is something that the industry hasn’t had.”
Located at 1056 Flatbush Ave., directly across from the iconic Kings Theatre, the Brooklyn Exotic pop-up offers a wide selection of cannabis products and popular flower strains. The shop also sells edibles, vapes and concentrates — all hailing from organic New York-based cannabis farms.
Brooklyn Exotic is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Owners hosted a (green) ribbon cutting at 4:20 p.m. on Thursday.
