Plenty of dispensaries have a backstory. 82-J puts its backstory in the name. Co-owner Omar Price was born on the bathroom floor of apartment 82-J in a housing project on Buffalo's East Side, according to the shop, in an area tied to two of the city's best-known cannabis legacy neighborhoods, East Ferry and Box Street. The store's stated reason for existing is to reclaim that history in a legal, regulated setting, and it does so from one of North Buffalo's busiest commercial strips.
The name, the owners and the license
82-J is co-owned by Omar Price, Nicholas Hall and Ronald Atkinson, according to local coverage of its opening. The entity, 82-J LLC, holds CAURD license OCM-CAURD-24-000148, issued May 17, 2024. The state's registry shows the store opening to the public on December 2, 2024. CAURD was New York's equity-first license category, reserved for applicants with cannabis convictions (or close relatives of people who had them) and business experience.
The shop's about page is direct about why the East Side matters to the founders: it describes a community that faced systemic over-policing and says 82-J was founded to provide "a safe, equitable space" where that legacy can evolve. Its stated vision is to become Western New York's most trusted dispensary through education, social equity and cultural respect.
Inside the old Mulligan's
The store sits at 1673 Hertel Avenue in a building that once housed Mulligan's, a nightclub the shop calls legendary. 82-J's own site says Rick James partied there, Sonny Bono dropped by and Robert De Niro passed through the doors; a Step Out Buffalo newsletter covered the conversion of the former nightclub into a dispensary. Customers quoted on the shop's site mention an open floor plan and a clean, organized room, and the opening coverage described artwork reflecting the Hertel community.
Hertel itself is one of Buffalo's most walkable corridors, lined with restaurants, cafes and the North Park Theatre. That mix of foot traffic and nightlife is part of why a former club building made sense as a retail space, and why the late closing time matters: 82-J is still open after many Hertel dinners end. The shop describes its location as between North Buffalo and Central Park, with access from Delaware Avenue and nearby Routes 5 and 198.
Express window, effects and terpenes
The feature 82-J promotes most is an Express Window for online orders: you order on the website, the staff packages it, and you pick it up without waiting in the main line. The lone Weedmaps review we found said exactly that, praising how quickly a pre-packaged order was handed over. Weedmaps also lists curbside pickup and an on-site ATM.
The online menu lets you shop by effect, sorted into relaxed, creative, energetic, happy and sleepy (labels that describe how products are marketed, not guarantees of how they will feel for you), and the site leans on terpene education, promising budtenders who will match you to a terpene profile rather than just a THC number. If that approach is new to you, our primer on what terpenes are is a good place to start.
Categories include flower, pre-rolls, vapes, concentrates, edibles, tinctures, topicals, accessories and house merch. As of October 2026, Weedmaps counted roughly 200 items on its menu. Google reviewers quoted on the shop's site mention Off Hours gummies and vapes and Ayrloom's cider-style drinks, which suggests the shelf leans on established New York brands.
Loyalty Circle and events
82-J's Loyalty Circle earns one point per dollar, stored in an AIQ wallet and redeemable in store. The shop says the earning rate rises with purchase history and advertises birthday bonuses, invitations to private tastings and events, and priority service during busy periods. It has hosted events too, including an April 20, 2025 celebration at the store.
Hours and how to pay
82-J is open every day from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., which matches state records and is longer than some neighbors. The state issued the license in May 2024 and the store did not open until December, a build-out gap of about six months that is typical for CAURD operators converting an older building. The shop accepts cash and debit cards. The main phone number is (716) 262-0036. Bring a valid photo ID proving you are 21 or older. The shop's FAQ says no medical card is needed, that out-of-state visitors face the same purchase limits as residents (three ounces of flower or 24 grams of concentrate), and that New York law does not limit how many dispensaries you visit in a day, though you should keep your total within those limits. It also reminds visitors that carrying cannabis across state lines remains illegal, a point worth remembering for Canadian travelers and anyone driving home through Pennsylvania.
A directory profile of the store says it runs educational workshops on topics such as responsible consumption. We could not find a current schedule, so ask in person or watch the events page if that interests you.
How it stacks up on Hertel and beyond
Hertel Avenue has two licensed stores, a few blocks apart.
- Premier Earth (1297 Hertel Avenue) opened in December 2023 after its owner's CAURD license was freed by a lawsuit settlement, and WGRZ reported it as one of the first brick-and-mortar dispensaries in Western New York. Its posted hours end earlier, at 8 p.m. most nights and 5 p.m. on Sundays.
- 82-J is the later arrival, with a bigger story about East Side legacy and seven-day, 10-to-10 hours.
Premier Earth's path to opening is its own reminder of how bumpy the CAURD rollout was: Spectrum News reported in August 2023 that its licensee was frustrated by delays while court challenges held up many CAURD stores statewide. Both Hertel shops are products of that program, which means the avenue now has two equity-licensed stores within walking distance.
Farther afield, House of Za opened on Main Street near the University at Buffalo's South Campus in April 2026, and our guide to the best dispensaries in Buffalo right now maps the city's options. If you are weighing flower-focused shops, our Best Budz review covers an Allentown competitor. Every licensed Erie County shop we track is in our dispensary finder.
The right shopper for 82-J
82-J fits North Buffalo locals who want late hours, regulars who will use the express window and loyalty program, and shoppers who care about where their money goes in the equity side of the market. Public review numbers are still thin on the major platforms, so first-time visitors should treat the glowing quotes on the shop's own site as curated. Confirm hours and stock with the store before you go.