NEW YORK – NYC BUD, the cannabis retailer known for its transit-themed designs, has opened its second dispensary in Hell’s Kitchen at 405 W. 39th St., between Ninth and Tenth avenues. The new shop re-creates the look and feel of Grand Central Terminal, blending New York nostalgia with curated cannabis products.
The store’s centerpiece is a hand-painted replica of Grand Central’s turquoise-and-gold constellation ceiling, created by street artists Jamie Hef and Cern. The mural arches over a central information booth, which doubles as a pick-up counter where customer orders appear on a screen styled like a departure board. A clock tower will soon be added to the booth, which sits alongside a vintage-style phone booth and “tickets” counter. Even the ATM is modeled after a Metro-North ticket machine.
“We’ve very much tried to pay homage to New York City urban culture through the design of our stores and our way of providing our services and delivery. We make the product very accessible to people who want to visit one of our easily centrally located stores,” said Pinto.
Jonpaul Pezzo and co-founder Giancarlo Pinto, longtime friends who bonded over ski trips, opened their first store in Long Island City in 2024. That location was designed as a subway station complete with a train car. For Hell’s Kitchen, they expanded the transit theme “to the next station,” drawing inspiration from Grand Central Terminal.
The partners are also avid cannabis consumers who maintain close relationships with New York farms, including Dank, one of their favorite producers. The menu includes flower, prerolls, vapes, and edibles, all sourced from across the state and compliant with state regulations. Every strain of flower is personally tested by Pezzo before it reaches the shelves.
Both men have strong ties to Hell’s Kitchen. Pezzo, who has worked as a club promoter for more than two decades, hosted his first neighborhood event in 2003 at the now-closed restaurant HK. Pinto has long been a fixture on West 39th Street, recalling the once-thriving Hell’s Kitchen Flea Market that ran on the block until 2018.
“The whole neighborhood’s changing,” Pinto said. “While the area used to be a little bit seedier, we’re looking to seed and sprout a different type of tree for the future of 39th Street.” He added that the dispensary will stand alongside the Port Authority’s new bus facility, now under construction to the west, which will temporarily serve commuters while the main 8th Avenue terminal undergoes renovations.
The dispensary opened Aug. 2 with a ribbon-cutting event featuring street performances, including viral act Buddy the Rat, and a steady stream of visitors eager to take photos beneath the ceiling mural.
NYC BUD’s Hell’s Kitchen dispensary is open daily from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m.
