A small group gathered April 12 at 3340 N. Halsted St. to celebrate the grand opening of a historic new Northalsted business.
SWAY, Illinois' first queer and BIPOC-owned cannabis company, marked the opening of its dispensary with a few words from co-owners and elected officials along with a ceremonial ribbon cutting. Afterwards, folks were welcomed in to begin shopping the store's selections of cannabis products and related items.
The co-ownership is a collaboration between cannabis equity advocate Edie Moore and Sidetrack co-owners and husbands Art Johnston and José "Pepe" Peña, along with entrepreneur Kevin Hauswirth. The partnership highlights Black, brown and queer communities' shared history in the sphere and the need for safe spaces in the community.
The speaking portion of the grand opening began with thank you's from Moore to everyone who has made the company possible, including SWAY team members, friends and legislators who have supported her as a Black woman in the industry. Johnson and Peña followed with comments about how the business been a dream of theirs for many years, including a Spanish language address from Peña.
Johnston also spoke on the queer community's history with cannabis.
"SWAY dispensary is the logical next extension of the work that we've tried to do in Lakeview East all these years," he said. "The entire history of legalized cannabis begins with the gay community in San Francisco whose friends were impacted by HIV. They were not about to let the fact it was illegal stop them from taking care of their friends."
He also highlighted how Black and brown communities have been disproportionately affected by the criminalization of cannabis, emphasizing how it is "more than proper for [the] dispensary to look like the communities [it] serve[s]" and be a safe place for all to enjoy.
During his remarks, Ald. Bennett Lawson (44th Ward) recalled a conversation he had with Johnston nearly a decade ago about Johnston's idea to open "a Sidetrack dispensary." The final comments came from Northalsted Business Alliance's Bradley Balof, who is also the general manager of Sidetrack. He also emphasized the importance of the business being BIPOC- and queer-owned.
"It is a wonderful step in breaking down barriers, and it's a one-of-a-kind—for now—business that exists here in the city," Balof said. "Its owners and managers have literally demonstrated the adage, 'Be the change you wish to see in the world.'"
