A new cannabis dispensary has opened its doors at 440 Niagara Falls Blvd. in Kenmore, near the Amherst border, bringing more than 1,300 products and a staff of eight to a former dance studio that spent six months under renovation. Urban Herb's grand opening caps a winding path for its owners, who originally hoped to set up shop in West Seneca before running into local opposition and pivoting north to Buffalo's suburbs instead.
According to Bee Group Newspapers, co-owner Harvir Ladhar said the business received its license roughly two and a half years before finally opening its doors. The company's original plan to launch in West Seneca fell apart after the owners encountered opposition to their proposal there, prompting them to instead purchase the Buffalo-area property that now houses the more than 6,000-square-foot store.
The reasons behind that West Seneca pushback aren't detailed in available reporting, but the town's cannabis rules are on the books. West Seneca's code, per the Town of West Seneca code, requires any cannabis use to obtain a special use permit regardless of zoning classification, bars cannabis facilities from locating within 1,000 feet of another existing cannabis facility, and mandates that retail dispensaries approved after May 1, 2025, operate out of separate, stand-alone structures. A West Seneca Town Board meeting record shows the board adopted a modification to its cannabis-facilities law in 2025 by a 4-1 vote.
A $400,000 Inventory and a Local-First Pitch
Urban Herb's inventory is valued at approximately $400,000, the store's report notes, with eight employees — two managers and six budtenders — running the floor. Ladhar said the company hopes to support small, locally owned cannabis growers, an ambition that shapes much of what's stocked on the shelves.
Manager Joe Carey, who has worked in the cannabis industry since 2016, said Urban Herb views other dispensaries as complementary businesses rather than competitors. Carey began his cannabis career as a budtender at Verilife before moving into management, later serving as general manager and helping establish the King of Buds location on Walden Avenue and Union Road.
Stocking Shelves With Cheektowaga and Larkinville Growers
The store carries products from 716 Sticky, based in Cheektowaga, and Green Room, which operates an indoor growing facility in Buffalo's Larkinville neighborhood. Carey compared the local cannabis scene to Buffalo's craft beer and pizza culture, framing the push toward small producers as part of a broader local identity.
Carey said Urban Herb aims to give Buffalo customers more variety and selection while putting a spotlight on local micro-producers, with the goal of helping those smaller growers capture a larger share of the market. He added that customer education will be a major focus, with staff expected to be knowledgeable enough to help shoppers navigate the store's offerings and find products suited to their individual needs — without resorting to high-pressure sales tactics or steering customers toward particular brands.
That approach extends to how the shop matches products to its customer base. Carey said the focus is on pairing items with their intended demographic rather than pushing volume, an outlook he hopes gives Urban Herb staying power as Buffalo's cannabis retail scene keeps expanding.
Ladhar said customer response during the opening has been encouraging, with shoppers offering positive comments about the store's selection and variety. The company hopes to become part of Buffalo's growing cannabis retail community, aiming to give both customers more choices and local producers greater exposure. New York's cannabis licensing framework includes options such as the eligible cultivator license, which the New York State Office of Cannabis Management says authorizes holders to package, label, market, and sell their own cannabis flower under their own brand or another New York-licensed third-party brand — a structure that underpins the kind of small-grower partnerships Urban Herb is betting on.
Back in West Seneca, the cannabis retail landscape has continued without Urban Herb. A search of the New York State Cannabis Connect directory lists Green Philosophy 716 Inc. and Smokelada Wholesale, Inc. among the town's licensed dispensaries, though the directory listing doesn't indicate whether either business is currently operating.
