On March 31, 2026, exactly five years after Governor Cuomo signed the Marihuana Regulation and Taxation Act, the state's Office of Cannabis Management held a ribbon-cutting on Amsterdam Avenue. The occasion was the opening of Pure Blossoms, which OCM recognized as New York's 600th licensed adult-use dispensary. By the agency's count that day, 623 licensed dispensaries were operating statewide and the market had logged $3.3 billion in total retail sales. The milestone made headlines, but the shop's more durable story is local.
A milestone with a three-year backstory
The owner, Mike Rodriguez (identified as Michael Rodriguez in amNY's coverage), is a longtime Upper West Side resident. In OCM's press release he said he grew up on that block, went to school in the neighborhood and watched Amsterdam Avenue change over five decades, and that he wanted kids growing up there to see someone from the same place building something the right way.
Getting there took about three years, according to amNY. Rodriguez paid rent on the space for roughly a year before opening, dealt with multiple lawsuits, and needed an exemption after the location was found to miss a proximity rule by about 12 inches. He received help from the Bronx Cannabis Hub, a project of The Bronx Defenders that guides justice-involved New Yorkers through licensing; amNY reported that of about 350 applicants the Hub screened, Rodriguez was among 27 who received conditional approval. The shop's posted license, OCM-CAURD-25-000312, confirms it was issued under New York's equity-first conditional retail program.
Between 94th and 95th
Pure Blossoms sits at 716 Amsterdam Avenue, between West 94th and 95th Streets, in a stretch of the avenue lined with small restaurants, dry cleaners and pre-war apartment buildings. The closest subway is the 96th Street station on the 1, 2 and 3 at Broadway, a short walk west, and the M7 and M11 buses run on Amsterdam and Columbus. The shop's own site pitches it to people coming from Riverside Park, the American Museum of Natural History or Columbia University, which gives a sense of the catchment: residents of the West 80s through the low 100s who previously had to walk or ride to Broadway or further south for a licensed purchase.
At the opening, Rodriguez told amNY he wanted the store to open its doors to the community, support local artists and work with small businesses, and he described cannabis culture in terms of music, art and creativity. Those are intentions rather than an events calendar, so watch the shop's channels for what actually materializes.
A small, plainspoken menu
Pure Blossoms describes itself as carrying a curated selection of flower, edibles, vapes and wellness products, all lab-tested, and it emphasizes education and transparency. At the time of writing (October 2026), its website's shop page did not display a public brand list or prices, so we are not naming brands here. If you want to know whether a particular product is in stock, call ahead or ask in store.
For newer shoppers, that education-first framing is useful. Our guide to your first time trying cannabis covers what to expect, and the explainer on THC percentage explains why the highest number on a label isn't always the best choice.
Hours built for the neighborhood's rhythm
Posted hours are generous for a residential block:
- Monday to Wednesday: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Thursday: 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Friday and Saturday: 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.
- Sunday: 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The website did not list a phone number, delivery service, loyalty program or payment details at the time of writing. Shoppers must be 21-plus with ID, and New York cannabis sales generally run on cash or debit, not credit. If delivery matters to you, some licensed Manhattan shops do deliver this far uptown; Dagmar's SoHo-based service, for example, lists coverage up to 110th Street with a $250 minimum.
The Upper West Side's other licensed options
Pure Blossoms is not the neighborhood's only licensed store, but it fills a gap in the 90s. The closest alternative is The Flowery at 2465 Broadway, between 91st and 92nd Streets, which opened in February 2025 as part of a multi-store chain. Further south, Just a Little Higher opened in April 2024 at 157 West 72nd Street near Amsterdam, and Flower Power opened the same month at 22 West 66th Street near Central Park West. The difference is ownership: The Flowery is a chain with several locations, while Pure Blossoms is a single store with a locally rooted, justice-involved owner. Shoppers who care where their money goes may find that decisive; those who want the deepest selection may still prefer a larger operator.
What the 600th opening said about the market
The March 2026 ribbon-cutting doubled as a progress report from the state. In its release, OCM said 56% of licenses were held by social and economic equity applicants, and that $10 million had been committed through the Community Reinvestment Grant Fund, with $5 million already awarded for youth development, workforce training, housing stability and public health in communities hit hardest by prohibition. Acting Executive Director John Kagia, pictured with Rodriguez in front of the green "Grand Opening" banner, framed the 600th store as evidence that growth was being paired with equity.
Wesley Caines, deputy director of The Bronx Defenders and supervisor of the Bronx Cannabis Hub, used the same event to point out that the road to ownership for justice-involved New Yorkers "has not always been easy." Pure Blossoms is a concrete example of what that support looks like on a single block: a local owner, a hard-won license and a storefront on the avenue where he grew up.
One small reality check on the shop's marketing: its website describes the store as steps from Central Park. Amsterdam Avenue is two long avenue blocks from Central Park West, so expect a walk of several minutes, not a few steps.
For uptown residents who previously traveled to Midtown for a licensed purchase, a store at 95th Street shortens the trip considerably.
It also gives Columbia-area and Manhattan Valley residents a closer licensed counter. Until Pure Blossoms opened, the nearest licensed choices for someone living around 100th Street were The Flowery on Broadway in the low 90s or a trip down to the shops on West 72nd and West 66th Streets.
Who it serves best
Pure Blossoms makes the most sense for Upper West Siders between roughly 86th and 110th Streets who want a walkable, neighborhood-owned option, and for first-time buyers who would rather ask questions at a smaller counter. Because public reviews were still sparse at the time of writing, we are not summarizing customer sentiment yet; check back as the shop builds a track record. For comparisons farther downtown, see where to buy in Manhattan right now, or look up uptown shops in the High Today map of licensed stores. The shop's site is pureblossomsnyc.com.