Borough resident Matthew Hale says he’s looking forward to serving the community through his recreational dispensary on the White Horse Pike.
By Matt Skoufalos | July 23, 2024
Matt Hale at Ginger Hale in Oaklyn. Credit: Matt Skoufalos.
In the two years since the establishment of the recreational cannabis industry in New Jersey, the state has seen more than 100 dispensaries open its doors, and hundreds more applicants seek places to establish their businesses.
In Camden County, retail locations are already online in Bellmawr, Brooklawn, Camden City, Deptford, Merchantville, Mount Ephraim, Pennsauken, Runnemede, and Voorhees, with Collingswood approving its first application this spring, and Haddon Township changing its local laws to authorize cannabis sales.
This Friday, Oaklyn joins the list of communities to welcome a cannabis dispensary with the grand opening of Ginger Hale Dispensary.
Owner-operator Matthew Hale, a Collingswood native and Oaklyn resident, is a retired U.S. Naval officer and CPA with an MBA and a background in finance. He spent nearly two years as the statewide Director of Finance for cannabis operator Curaleaf in New Jersey before exploring options for opening his own dispensary.
In 2022, Hale signed a letter of intent with the owner of the former Wawa storefront in the 800 block of the White Horse Pike, and when the convenience chain moved out in April 2023, started fitting out the space.
In a crowded market, Hale leaned on his community roots in securing an all-important letter of support from the borough government, without which he could not have made his application to the state Cannabis Regulatory Commission.
“They were all about somebody in town trying to do it,” Hale said of local leadership. “I live in this community; I’m involved in the community. I’m in this to make this the best for the town.
“Local knowledge helped me hugely,” he said. “They gave me the letter of support, and we just took off running.”
Oaklyn resident Matthew Hale will open his cannabis dispensary, Ginger Hale, in Oaklyn this week. Credit: Matt Skoufalos.
Hale said his commitment to community is reflected in the hiring of local professionals for the fit-out of the dispensary, from plumbing, painting, and electrical work, to interior design by Oaklyn resident Danielle Lange of Lakeside Drive Design Company.
Lange took Hale’s initial concepts for the décor, and created a comfortable environment with plant walls, a selfie station, and customer education spaces that he hopes will help customers relax and feel welcome.
“We put a lot of effort into the store,” Hale said. “We’re trying to make it a real shopping experience, not where you feel like you have to come in and take out. We want you to browse, take it in.”
With the exception of the peaked roof at its entrance, little remains in the design of the establishment to remind customers that the shop was once a Wawa. New poured epoxy floors, wooden product displays, and modern furniture fills the room.
Instead of the familiar, neutral tones of the long-running convenience store, the dispensary is coated in deep emerald with orange accents, a nod to its brand colors. “Ginger Hale” is both a play on the family surname and a shout-out to their red-headed children, contrived by Kristen Hale, their mother.
In addition to picking up online orders, customers may avail themselves of onsite tablets or an ADA-compliant consultation counter to browse inventory and make selections. The dispensary accepts cash and debit transactions, and houses two onsite ATMs — just about the only vestige of its convenience store past.
Four of the seven Ginger Hale employees hail from the surrounding area, and “most of us can ride bikes to work,” Matthew Hale said, emphasizing its location on the primary commercial corridor in Oaklyn, the White Horse Pike.
Apparel at Ginger Hale Dispensary. Credit: Matt Skoufalos.
“We’re one of the very few [dispensaries] that’s in the heart of town,” he said.
“Everybody else puts them on the fringe.
“We’re very thankful that we are where we are, and that mayor and council have been so supportive.”
Ginger Hale is a fully recreational dispensary that will begin operations as a micro-retailer, limited in terms of its square-footage, headcount, and product volume.
It will return 2 percent of its sales to local coffers through a direct tax.
Retail products include cannabis flower, oils, tinctures, edible products, transdermal products, and vaporizer cartridges. In addition to recreational users, Matthew Hale said the industry is also catering to more and more of the “canna-curious”; i.e., people who either haven’t partaken before or recently.
“We want everybody, but we’re really trying to educate those getting into the game for pain relief, anxiety relief, or mental health,” he said. “Your pot enthusiast, they’re going to come.”
If it’s justified by the volume of business, Ginger Hale could convert to a full annual license after a year of operation. Matthew Hale believes that its location, on a major thoroughfare in a small New Jersey town, will help attract business not only from locals and neighbors, but from traffic along the state highway.
“Every market analysis study that you look at, cannabis is just growing,” he said. “I know traffic’s coming by. We just need to make sure we execute.”
Ginger Hale will celebrate its grand opening Friday, July 26, with a 10 a.m. ribbon-cutting. The business is located at 814 White Horse Pike, Suite C, in Oaklyn.
Hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For more information, call 856-856-HALE (4253) or visit Gingerhaledispensary.com.
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