Grass Roots Wellness NY is a cannabis business at 350 West Commercial Street in East Rochester that holds four state licenses. Most dispensaries hold one. Its website lists an adult-use microbusiness license (OCM-MICR-25-000233), an adult-use processor license (OCM-PROC-24-000040), and two hemp licenses. That combination explains its pitch: Grass Roots describes itself as an "adult-use cannabis education and retail space dedicated to empowering our community through knowledge," with a counter, a classroom program, and a processing operation all under one name.
One founder, several licenses
The founder is Jessica Shelp, whose name is on the OCM license records and on the business's wholesale page. OCM classifies the business as woman-owned, and a May 2026 Spectrum News report on Finger Lakes cannabis tourism cited Grass Roots as an example of the small, community-based, women-led shops in the region.
The licenses arrived in stages. State records show the processor license under Grass Roots Wellness LLC was issued in June 2024. The microbusiness license under Grass Roots Wellness NY LLC followed on March 24, 2025, and the storefront opened to adult-use customers on June 18, 2025. The OCM microbusiness record also lists indoor cultivation among its activities. A microbusiness license is New York's small-scale, all-in-one license: one company can grow, process, and sell its own cannabis. A distributor license the business held is listed as inactive.
The Legacy Collective and the processing side
The processing arm, Grass Roots Wellness LLC, makes products under the name The Legacy Collective, which the company says are "available at dispensaries near you." Shelp's page describes it as "a woman-owned adult-use processing facility in the heart of East Rochester." The page says it produces its own products and can also help other small businesses bring their product ideas to market. Its adult-use retail page says the store planned to expand its shelves with its own adult-use products once the microbusiness license was granted. That license is now active, so ask in store which items are made in-house.
The website posts lab results and links to a downloadable retail menu. Because that menu is a static file rather than a live inventory feed, we won't list brands or prices from it.
Classes and the education pitch
Education is what most clearly separates Grass Roots from a typical counter. The site advertises classes and resources covering cannabis, hemp, the endocannabinoid system, and holistic wellness practices, plus explainer pages titled "Let's Talk Cannabinoids" and "THC 101" and a "Personal Development" events page. The events page listed no upcoming sessions as of early October 2026, so follow the shop's Instagram or Facebook for class dates.
If you want background before a class, our beginner pieces on CBD vs. THC and the entourage effect cover the basic terms. High Today doesn't endorse health claims made on any retailer's educational pages. Treat them as the shop's perspective, not medical advice. The "THC 101" page is still useful for vocabulary. It explains THC isomers such as delta-8, delta-10, and HHC, which helps when you're trying to tell hemp-derived products apart from regulated adult-use cannabis.
Hemp, shipping, and the in-store mix
The hemp licenses add something unusual. Grass Roots says it can sell hemp products to both in-state and out-of-state customers, and that some hemp items are currently available only through online orders shipped out of state. In the store, the site says, it still carries "a thoughtful selection of hemp products," so call ahead if you're looking for a specific one. Adult-use cannabis is sold only in person to customers 21 and over, with online ordering for in-store pickup through the shop's ordering page.
Hours, loyalty, and planning a visit
The contact page lists Monday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 8 p.m. The hours filed with the OCM show 9 to 9 every day, so check Sunday hours before you go. The phone number is (585) 267-7015. Loyalty runs through a Flowhub digital pass, which you can add to your phone, and the newsletter is where the shop says it sends coupons and promotions.
East Rochester is a compact village between Pittsford and Fairport, east of the city line, and West Commercial Street is one of its main business streets. Most customers will drive in from the eastern suburbs.
Grass Roots is easier to use if you prepare a little. Its lab results page lets you check test results before you go, which is useful if you're comparing house-made products with outside brands. If you want a specific hemp item, call (585) 267-7015 first, since the shop says some hemp products are currently sold only online for out-of-state shipping. For adult-use products, reserve them through the online ordering page and pick them up at the counter with a valid 21+ photo ID.
If you're coming for a class, follow the shop on Instagram or Facebook, since that's where it announces dates. Sign up for the Flowhub loyalty pass at checkout, and add yourself to the Google Form newsletter for coupons. Ask staff which products come from The Legacy Collective or the in-house microbusiness side. Locally processed goods are what distinguish this store from bigger ones, and the posted menu doesn't always say which items they are.
The hemp side differs from the adult-use side. New York regulates hemp-derived cannabinoid products under a separate OCM licensing program, with its own packaging and serving rules, so the hemp shelf and the adult-use counter work under different standards. If you're not sure whether an item is adult-use cannabis or a hemp-derived product, the label will say, and the staff can explain the difference.
East Rochester has a second licensed retailer on Main Street (OCM lists it under Sessco Corp.), so you can compare two stores in the village in one short trip.
How it compares nearby
The Spectrum report noted that Crush Beer & Wine Tours has included Grass Roots on a cannabis-trail tour alongside Sunwalker Farms in Canandaigua and Six Point Flower Shop, a minority-owned microbusiness in downtown Rochester. Six Point and Sunwalker are better known for their own flower. Grass Roots stands out for its classes and its processing side. For a conventional, high-volume menu, Flower City Dispensary on Pittsford-Victor Road in Victor is a short drive southeast. High Today's roundup of the best dispensaries in Rochester covers more.
The right customer for Grass Roots
Grass Roots Wellness suits newer or curious shoppers who want to learn before they buy, people interested in locally processed products, and Rochester-area residents who like supporting a woman-owned, multi-license local business. Experienced shoppers hunting for the widest brand selection may find a bigger store more efficient. For current Rochester-area promotions, see High Today's deals page, and browse the High Today directory for nearby stores.