Cannabis dispensary, restaurant and bar to open in Muskegon Updated: Nov.07, 2022, 4:31 p.m.| Published: Nov.07, 2022, 4:30 p.m.Construction of the four-acre property is scheduled to begin in November, starting with the renovation of the existing 11,000 sqaure-foot building into the dispensary, lounge, restaurant and bar, followed by a 17,000 square-foot greenhouse.(Photo/Spencer Wheelock) NEW! Skyla Jewell-Hammie | [email protected] MUSKEGON, MI – A group of Michigan and Illinois-based entrepreneurs have partnered to launch Fields Cannary, a Muskegon space where people can enjoy food and entertainment while trying the latest cannabis products.
The new business, scheduled to open the summer of 2023 at 420 S.Harvey St., is described as “the first vertically integrated, all encompassing, cannabis hospitality business,” in an Nov.
6 news release.Fields Cannary will include traditional cannabis operations in cultivation, extraction, dispensary, and the latest trend of the industry consumption lounge, plus the hospitality components with the restaurant, bar, event space, and an intimate outdoor amphitheater for live performances.The estimated cost to build the facility is $10 million, the news release said.Muskegon native Cory Roberts and Chicago natives Edgar and Joanne Ramon founded the cannabis company in 2021, shortly after Roberts was released from Michigan’s correctional system, the news release said.Roberts, a third generation cannabis cultivator, met the couple at a Chicago cannabis event in 2020 in an effort to bring on additional partners.Edgar Ramon has 25 plus years in finance and emerging markets, while his wife Joanne Ramon has 20 plus years of hospitality experience and event planning.
“As a strong believer in the plant, I was excited to bring a new concept to the emerging cannabis market,” Edgar Ramon said.“The cannabis industry is no longer new.It continues to expand, and sales continue to set new records, especially in Michigan.Therefore, we needed to do something different.We looked at what wasn’t being done and more importantly what does the consumer want and deserve and that is how we came up with the Fields concept.To date, nowhere will you find anything as unique as Fields.We looked at what wineries and breweries meant to their industry and said we need that for Cannabis and that’s how the CANNARYTM was born.” Roberts researched Colorado, Hawaii and Oregon as possible cannabis markets to invest in.
But after medical and recreational use was legalized in Michigan, Roberts knew his hometown was the best place to start.“Michigan, and specifically Muskegon, will always have a place in my heart,” Roberts said.“When I learned that cannabis was legal to grow and offer to patients, I started the pursuit of getting involved.” Construction of the four-acre property is scheduled to begin this month, starting with the renovation of the existing 11,000 building into the dispensary lounge, restaurant and bar.
Construction on a 17,000-square-foot greenhouse would start soon after that phase.“From day one, we said we wanted an environmentally friendly design,” Joanne Ramon said.“Our mantra is ‘Planet, Plants, People, Purpose.’ Therefore, there was no doubt that we were building a sustainable, friendly facility.In fact, the name Fields came from the love for all plants.We want visitors to have immersive experience as if they were in a beautiful field of vegetation.” The partners have brought on Grand Rapids natives Willie ‘Willie The Kid’ Jackson and Jonathan Jelks for their experience in the entertainment business to help bring the restaurant, bar and lounge vision to fruition.“Fields represents a cross-pollination of community, entertainment and commerce,” Jackson said.
“This is a revolutionary approach in the celebration of legal cannabis consumption.Fields will become a national attraction that will bring attention, tourism and commercial viability to West Michigan like never before.” The business aims to break away from the stigma surrounding cannabis use, the news release said, ensuring advocacy for those who experienced trauma is done mindfully and responsibly.
“It feels good to be a part of a company where the partners are like-minded in prioritizing diversity and social equity by creating opportunities for underrepresented communities that have been adversely affected by marijuana usage and commerce,” Jelks said.“We want to nurture and enrich the talent pipeline in Muskegon, not only through job creation but by training entrepreneurs of the future.” The partners were scheduled Monday, Nov.7 to announce further project details and an upcoming ground breaking at the location, along with the city of Muskegon Mayor Ken Johnson and City Economic Development Director Mike Franzack.
In the coming months, officials says they will be sharing how the business plans to collaborate with the Muskegon community on an authentic level.
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