Cloud 9 Cannabis in Oswego holds grand opening weekend

When customers walk into the newly opened Cloud 9 Cannabis in Oswego, they are greeted by employees who want to know their needs and to educate them about what the store has to offer.

“We talk you through the process,” said Alex Corrao, director of marketing for Cloud 9 Cannabis. “We make it extremely approachable. You’re not going to be fed into a line and kind of wait behind the glass. You’re having that conversation. You’re learning. We have educational materials all around the dispensary.”

Cloud 9 Cannabis, located at 2420 Route 30 in the Townes Crossing shopping center, opened on July 22. It is Oswego’s second marijuana dispensary.

Market 96, Oswego’s first marijuana dispensary, opened in September 2023 at 1144 Douglas Road in Oswego in the Mason Square shopping center.

Cloud 9 Cannabis kicked off a grand opening weekend on Sept. 13 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony organized by the Oswego Area Chamber of Commerce. The grand opening weekend continued on Sept. 14.

Cloud 9 has other locations in Champaign, Edwardsville and East Peoria.

Selling recreational marijuana became legal in Illinois in January 2020. In December 2019, village trustees approved an ordinance establishing zoning regulations for adult use recreational cannabis.

Sleep products are among the store’s most popular items.

“People want to make sure they get to sleep and feel rested when they wake up in the morning,” Corrao said.

Cloud 9 Cannabis doesn’t actually make any of the products it sells.

“It’s important to have conversations with our customers about what kind of products they like,” Corrao said. “If they’re not seeing something on our menu, let us know. We’re based on our customers. We’re not going to totally make all those decisions on our own.”

Business has been going well since the store opened, he said.

Corrao said the store would love to partner with any of the other businesses in the shopping center. Brian Benes, general manager of the store, said business has been steadily increasing since Cloud 9 Cannabis first opened its doors.

“We’ve had lots of return customers already,” he said. “And we’re always seeing new customers.”

Benes said Cloud 9 Cannabis also looks forward to be an active member of the community.

“We want to give back,” he said. “That’s something I am really passionate about.”