At Come Back Daily, a new dispensary-style CBD storefront in Manhattan’s bustling TriBeCa neighborhood, anyone who enters the cavernous space is immediately greeted by a bar. There’s no booze to be found here, however; instead, the stout white bar is stocked with various CBD tinctures that any visitor can sample, free of charge.
Waseem Ghattas, director of marketing, Come Back Daily
The message is clear: this isn’t just a space for buying top-shelf CBD products, but a bona fide educational resource for a city edging closer and closer to full-on cannabis legalization. New Yorkers can buy unregulated CBD, which is sometimes contaminated, virtually anywhere in the city, from acupuncture studios to corner stores; Come Back Daily offers a reliable and clean alternative.
For co-owner Steven Phan, who grew up in San Francisco and enjoyed California’s wide range of medical marijuana offerings before he moved to New York City nearly a decade ago, Come Back Daily presents a way of normalizing cannabis to their oft-novice customers. “I wanted to bring the acceptance of the plant to New York,” Phan told me.
“I remember being fifteen, when I went to my friend’s house, he had a shelf in the fridge labelled ‘munchies,’” he reminisced. “He had a bong that [his mom] washed in the dishwasher every day.”
When he moved to New York, Phan was shocked by the lack of cannabis acceptance, even though the city smokes more cannabis than any other in the world. “You could find hard drugs easier than [cannabis] here,” he exclaimed.
A few days after opening in November, Come Back Daily was nearly empty, but was full nonetheless of kinetic energy and the promise of more to come. The main floor boasted a huge open space for visitors to hang out and absorb the effects of the CBD, complete with big couches and a highly-Instagrammable photo booth; the lower levels, adorned with exposed brick. Since my first visit, Phan has begun curating a series of events at Come Back Daily, including a regular CBD-enhanced yoga class and an upcoming CBD-infused brunch this Sunday, January 13th.
The most thrilling element of Come Back Daily, however, was their array of clean, lab-tested offerings. The company is so confident in their products that they offer a full refund to any unsatisfied customer.
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Standout products include Ojai Energetic’s water-soluble 250 mg tincture, Sprig soda’s new 20 mg CBD line, and Wildflower’s classy disposable vape cartridges.
Come Back Daily even sells Tonic’ CBD products for pets, which Chewy, a spunky Shitzhu, was enjoying.
“We want to be the Sephora of CBD,” said Waseem Ghattas, the director of marketing. “Let’s get an option for everyone.”
(Courtesy Come Back Daily)
Phan gets particular enjoyment from seeing novices experience the positive effects of CBD. “I love that face of disbelief [when customers feel it working]—it’s the Zoolander look!”
Governor Cuomo and Mayor DeBlasio have recently signaled that an adult-use market is coming to New York. Soon, businesses like Come Back Daily (and others, like the terrific Hemp Lab NYC, in Brooklyn) may be able to expand their knack for curation to products containing THC as well. When that day comes, Come Back Daily will be ready for it.
“I would have loved to have [done this] in California, but I’m a New Yorker,” Ghattas told me. “I know we can do it here in New York.”
