Riverbend Dispensary opened at 531 Warren Street in Hudson on July 15, 2024, according to Chronogram. It was Columbia County's first legal adult-use cannabis dispensary. The building dates to the 1850s and previously held Riverbend Mercantile, a home-goods and collectibles shop. The owners took over a well-known Warren Street storefront and filled it largely with flower from nearby farms. This profile draws on Chronogram's reporting, the shop's website and public listings. High Today hasn't visited yet.
Two textile veterans and a 1977 conviction
The founders are Rudy Huston and Ed Glickman, longtime friends who met at a textile trade show in 1989, according to Chronogram. Glickman qualified for a CAURD license because of a 1977 marijuana conviction that followed him through his working life. That's the license track New York created for people harmed by prohibition-era enforcement. Riverbend's license number is OCM-CAURD-24-000078, and the shop calls itself one of New York's first fully licensed social-equity dispensaries.
Chronogram reports that 1977 also shows up in the store's design. The interior has a retro 1970s look, and the waiting area is styled as a "TWA lounge." The name Riverbend comes from the earlier shop, and it nods to Hudson's history of growing hemp for rope.
From Riverbend Mercantile to a bud bar
Huston co-ran Riverbend Mercantile at the same address with Laura Powers until it closed in March 2024. The dispensary opened about four months later. Chronogram describes a boutique layout with a bud bar for looking at flower and getting product advice, a separate wellness section of tinctures and edibles, and budtenders who move around the floor instead of staying behind one counter. The Columbia County Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon cutting for the opening. The location matters too. The 500 block is in the middle of Warren Street's shopping district, between the waterfront end near the Amtrak station and the upper blocks toward Seventh Street Park. People walking the street for its galleries and restaurants will pass it without trying.
Seven Columbia County farms on the flower counter
Riverbend's main selling point is where its products come from. At opening, Chronogram counted about a dozen hand-picked growers, seven of them in Columbia County, and said the owners deliberately chose smaller farms that had little shelf space elsewhere. The shop's website says it sources 100% of its products from licensed New York State cultivators and processors, with a focus on Hudson Valley farms. It names Skyrose Farm and VSLNY among the brands it carries.
That makes Riverbend one of the easiest places in the region to buy flower grown within a short drive of the shop. To learn which small New York growers are worth knowing, read our guide to craft cannabis growers in New York. Our explainer on sun-grown versus indoor cultivation covers the difference between farm and indoor flower. Fall is harvest season for outdoor farms, which makes it a good time to shop here. Our Croptober guide explains why.
Testing claims and the all-in price tag
Riverbend's website uses the tagline "Clean Cannabis, Held to a Higher Standard." It says the shop applies its own microbial testing standards that go beyond the state lab minimums. The shop hasn't published the details of that standard, so think of it as a buying policy, not a separate certification. The site also says prices include all taxes, so the shelf price is what you pay.
The menu covers flower (sorted by indica and sativa), pre-rolls, which the shop says is the largest selection in the area, plus vapes, concentrates, edibles, beverages, tinctures, topicals and smoking accessories. Leafly lists cash and debit, an ATM, ADA accessibility and a veteran discount. The website also takes online orders and Dutchie Pay. We found no delivery service advertised at the time of writing (October 2026), even though Chronogram reported in 2024 that the owners planned to add it.
Riverbend is open every day from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., according to Leafly and the store's own materials. The phone is (518) 653-8470. The shop also runs events, including a week of 4/20 promotions in 2025, and offers a VIP newsletter with loyalty rewards.
Shopping the bud bar
A bud bar works differently from a menu board. Instead of choosing by strain name and THC number, you can compare flower side by side and ask which farm grew it, how it was dried and cured, and what terpenes the lab test shows. Chronogram reported that the owners planned farm-representative events, where growers set up displays and talk about their products and dosing. Those give customers a chance to ask cultivators questions directly, which few dispensary formats allow.
For newer buyers, start small. A gram or a single pre-roll from two different Columbia County farms will tell you more than one eighth from a single farm. Riverbend says its pre-roll selection is the largest in the area, so that's an easy way to sample. And because the shelf price already includes tax, it's simple to keep track of spending as you try a few farms.
What reviewers say
Reviews are mixed depending on the platform. The shop's website says it has more than 100 five-star Google reviews, and they mostly mention knowledgeable, friendly staff and a good selection. Leafly has only two reviews: one praised the staff's suggestions and the prices, and the other complained that an advertised deal wasn't honored. That's a small sample, but if you're going for a specific promotion, confirm it with the staff before you pay.
Warren Street company: Gotham and the rest of Hudson
Riverbend no longer has Hudson to itself. The state's verified list now includes Gotham Hudson at 260 Warren Street, closer to the waterfront end of the street, and Gold Leaf Cannabis at 235 Fairview Avenue on the commercial strip north of downtown. Gotham is a polished downtown store. Gold Leaf suits drivers using the Route 9 corridor. Riverbend is the most farm-focused of the three.
Day-trippers browsing the antique dealers and restaurants along Warren can visit two of these on foot. To compare more stores along the river, see our guide to the best dispensaries in the Hudson Valley and the High Today dispensary directory. Current menus and ordering are on the official Riverbend Dispensary website.
Best fit: buyers who want to know the farm
Riverbend suits shoppers who want to buy flower from farms in their own county, Hudson visitors who want a dispensary within walking distance of Warren Street, and anyone who'd rather support an equity-licensed store run by its founders. People who need delivery will need to look elsewhere for now.