New dispensary Nice Yield opens in Hunters Point, blending West Coast expertise with Queens roots

Steve Urbano cuts the ribbon at the grand opening of Nice Yield on Jackson Avenue. Photo: Shane O’Brien.

March 18, 2025 By Shane O’Brien

Long Island City just got a little greener.

Nice Yield has officially opened its doors at 10-50 Jackson Ave., becoming the first legal cannabis dispensary in Hunters Point. And in a nod to cannabis culture, owner Steve Urbano fittingly hosted the grand opening at 4:20 p.m. on March 13.

Owner and CEO Steve Urbano, who was born and raised in Corona before moving to California following the legalization of cannabis in the state, said opening a dispensary in his native Queens represents a “lifelong dream.”

Urbano acquired the space on Jackson Avenue last October and set about converting it into an intimate dispensary that caters to both experienced and first-time cannabis users alike.

He said the store aims to create an intimate experience that people might have experienced in a friend’s living room 20 years ago before the legalization of cannabis, stating that customers will not be inundated with limitless options. Instead, Urbano, a proud cannabis user, will provide customers with a curated menu boasting the type of flowers and products that he loves.

Staff at Nice Yield. Photo: Shane O’Brien

He said the introduction of a dispensary providing “clean, legal” cannabis represents an important addition to the local community, helping to break some of the lasting stigma surrounding cannabis and cannabis-based products.

The store, which features a variety of cannabis flowers in addition to cannabis-infused items such as gummies and sodas, will open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week, although Urbano said he may tweak the store’s opening hours going forward.

At Thursday’s grand opening, new customers received 10% discounts at the store, and Urbano provided free ice cream for all customers.

He said he is incredibly excited to open in Long Island City after spending years learning about cannabis retail and flowers on the West Coast. All products sold in the store have been sourced from flowers grown in Upstate New York.

“I learned a bunch of different retail processes and just an array of different techniques of growing and selling weed, and how the industry changed from traditional to legal – and I watched it firsthand in California,” Urbano said. “So then, when it opened up here, it was only right for me to come back home and implement some of the things that I’ve learned over there.

“It’s such an honor to get this open, with so much community support, to get this going, and I can’t wait to put a smile on my neighbor’s faces,” he added.

Nice Yield is the 28th legal cannabis dispensary to open its doors in Queens since cannabis was legalized in 2021 and the 128th dispensary to open in New York City. The store is the fourth dispensary to open in Long Island City and the first to open in Hunters Point.