WEST HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) – It won’t be too much longer before you start seeing pot shops opening in Connecticut. One of the first could be in West Hartford.

Derrick Gibbs is cautiously optimistic as he gets set to move forward and open a dispensary in West Hartford. Pairing his cannabis business with a medicinal dispensary, Gibbs was one of the first equity joint venture applications approved by the state.

The business, named “Budr,” would be located at 1037 Boulevard, close to Hartford’s historic west end.

“Very interested in being in the city of Hartford,” Gibbs said. “That didn’t happen, but we are close enough.”

After plans for his dispensary fell through in downtown Hartford, Gibbs and his team set their eyes on West Hartford and acquired the zoning approval necessary. The town will receive 3% of the store’s tax revenue.

Gibbs explained how he hopes to turn the former Subway restaurant into a cannabis store. He said the store would sell all the typical products including topicals, flowers, edibles, and merchandise. They would also make sure to have security guards outside.

Gibbs and his partner are renting the building and they hope to sublease the space to a local restaurant. He said they’ll be bidding out the construction work to a local contractor.

If all goes accordingly, this would be one of the multiple Budr cannabis stores across the state. He is looking to move forward in Norwich and Danbury.

The Department of Consumer Protection has said that the state’s first pot shops would open by the end of the year, but Gibbs said for him it’s a little too ambitious.

“Very ambitious,” Gibbs said. “We still haven’t submitted a building permit. That’s our next step.”

He hopes to complete construction and open his retail store in West Hartford before the spring of 2023. He said his dispensary would be among the first two in West Hartford.