Berner's on Haight was arguably the most notable cannabis store in San Francisco when it opened in December 2019. It was the first store to open in the iconic and historically weed-friendly Haight-Ashbury neighborhood, the first to open under the city's social equity program, and a major new location for Cookies, San Francisco's most famous marijauna brand.
But like many of the high hopes of the California legal cannabis industry, Berner's on Haight has run into a costly and untimely demise. Cookies separated from the store's social equity ownership group in 2024, and the store eventually closed. Now, Cookies has been forced to pay out an $8.4 million award to the store's owners over a contractual disagreement.
Cookies cut ties with the store early last year, and Berner's on Haight was rebranded as Blaze on Haight. As the two companies publicly cut ties, a legal dispute was already underway. Cole Ashbury Group filed an arbitration claim against Cookies in September 2023 regarding a contractual dispute where the group said Cookies was required to buy the company and the store for $10 million if certain terms were met, according to court documents filed in San Francisco Superior Court.
The arbitration proceedings continued with a three-day hearing in October last year, and retired Judge David Garcia issued the group a final arbitration award in April for $8.4 million in damages, attorney's fees and costs, according to a final award submitted to the San Francisco Court. The award was first reported by the website Blurred Culture.
Read more at SFGate
