John Earp and Thomas Marino sat at a table in the middle of the room, a sign for the interior of The Social Leaf dispensary lying across it, waiting to be installed.
"We're on day 36," Earp said Wednesday. "We're just trying to stay busy and stay patient."
Patience is critical when you're dealing with state regulators, and Earp, Marino and their partners, Bill Hall and Frank Guzzi, continue to dig deep for patience as they await their license from the New Jersey Cannabis Regulatory Commission.
When they receive it, The Social Leaf will be the first operating cannabis dispensary of any kind in Ocean County, and the only adult recreational cannabis retail outlet. It also will be one of the few throughout New Jersey that is locally owned and not part of a larger, multi-state organization.
"We're all part of the community," said Earp, who also owns Bubby's Beanery, the coffee shop on Washington Street in downtown Toms River. Marino owns Signature Barber Lounge on Main Street in Toms River. Hall is a disabled Marine Corps veteran and lives locally, and Guzzi owns Guzzi Masonry and Paving in Toms River.