Yamba Boutique Blog

Leah Samura’s mission is to sell cannabis to your friends, parents and grandparents. Photo courtesy of Leah Samura

 

Harvard Square’s first cannabis dispensary — and its first Black-woman-owned business — is on track to open in September, CEO Leah Samura tells Axios.

 

Driving the news: Yamba Boutique is undergoing architectural review as Samura prepares for its opening.

 

Why it matters: The state’s fast-growing cannabis industry remains predominantly white and male, with Black and brown entrepreneurs mostly shut out of financing and commercial real estate opportunities.

 

Zoom out: Massachusetts businesses collectively surpassed $3 billion in gross recreational cannabis sales in May, less than a year after hitting the $2 billion mark.

 

The intrigue: Samura says Yamba Boutique will cater to women, elders and LGBTQ people.

 

Details: The 12,000-square-foot boutique occupies a former police station, and will include educational events on the second floor.

 

Context: Samura and her husband have broken barriers before.

 

Plus: Samura is also working to open a dispensary in Allston in 2023 with Louis Freese, also known as the rapper B-Real of the hip-hop group Cypress Hill. She is the CEO and majority owner at the dispensary, where she’ll sell Freese’s brand, Dr. Greenthumb’s.

 

What’s next: Samura is awaiting the green light from regulators to move forward with Yamba Boutique, with a decision expected later this summer.

 

Axios Boston | Jun 27, 2022 – Business | Written By Steph Solis