Tim Dodd, founder and CEO of Sweet Flour, said Fresno is a legal cannabis market that is coming into its own. Photo by Frank Lopez

Fresno recreational cannabis dispensaries are about to hit double digits with two more opening soon.

Sweet Flower, based in Culver City, will be opening its first dispensary on April 13 at 3123 N. Maroa Ave. There will be food vendors, free grab bags and a DJ.

The Fresno location will be Sweet Flower’s eighth location in California. Daily store hours will be 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Tim Dodd, founder and CEO of Sweet Flower, said he is excited to open in Fresno, which is a great market, he added.

“Whenever we go into a market we ask if businesses can support the market and if it’s broad enough,” Dodd said. “Fresno is becoming a market where there is competition.”

Sweet Flower is currently the only dispensary operating in District Seven, Dodd said.

The dispensary currently has about 25 employees, most of them full-time and all from the Fresno area.

Dodd said Sweet Flower has donated about $75,000 to various groups in Fresno including the Poverello House, The California Hmong Business Incubator, The Fresno Metro Black Chamber of Commerce, Community Health Institute in Clovis, and the Fresno Metro Chamber of Commerce.

The space is about 2,000 square feet, which makes it smallest of Sweet Flower’s locations.

Dodd said he wanted the space to have a simple design aesthetic with wooden shelving and a shoebox mural. The cost to renovate the space and purchase fixtures was about $500,000.

“We are geographically different than other shops out here,” Dodd said. “You have like five within a half mile radius on Blackstone, so we look forward to being different.”

Another dispensary will have its grand opening this week featuring some rap music star power.

Dr. Greenthumb’s Dispensary, located at 1264 N. Wishon Ave. in Fresno’s Tower District, will officially open April 6 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Dr. Greenthumb is the brand of B-Real, member of the popular rap group Cypress Hill. He will be attendance for a daylong celebration open to the public to those 21 and over. Saturday’s event includes VIP giveaways for the first 100 guests, food trucks, lowrider car displays, live music, celebrity appearances and more.

Fresno’s Dr. Greeenthumb’s location will be the sixth store in California.

Dr. Greenthumb’s will be the first dispensary of a multi-store partnership with TRP, a retail cultivation and distribution platform.

Along with TRP, Kacey Auston is Dr. Greenthumb’s local partner. She is a long time resident of the Tower District and wants to bring an authentic experience to customers.

“I grew up there, raised a family and built my first business there. I know and love so many people that make the Tower District an important part of Fresno’s character and diversity. Having the chance to provide career opportunities for the community is truly an honor,” said Auston.

Auston is also a partner in the Cookies dispensary that opened near Shaw and Blackstone avenues in mid-December.