Workers are taking care of the finishing touches ahead of the grand opening of the first cannabis superstore in Bridgeport.  

The dispensary is located on Dewey Street and is the first marijuana dispensary to open in Bridgeport.  

 The owner of Affinity Dispensary says they had a lot of obstacles to get to this point.   

Co-owner Ray Pantalena says it took more than a year of holding meetings with the community, zoning officials and other Bridgeport stakeholders to finally get the green light.  

He says Affinity will be a "hybrid retail marijuana seller," which means it will offer both medical and adult-use cannabis.  

"So we're super excited to come here. We're going to be Connecticut's first superstore for cannabis. We're going to be hiring 50+ people with good paying jobs whom we offer benefits to. We're excited we're going to be hiring from the community," said Pantalena.  

The dispensary was built on an old commercial industrial building. The owners say the building will create more than 50 new jobs with benefits. 

The facility will have around-the-clock security and a fenced-in parking lot. 

"We want to reassure the community we're here as a good neighbor; we're here to redevelop this part of town," said Pantalena. 

Consumers will have to show identification and go through a verification process.  

“We're not bringing cannabis to Bridgeport. It's already been here for decades. We're bringing it here in a very safe, regulated manner. Everything is pre-tested," said Pantalena.  

The dispensary’s grand opening will be during the first week of January.