Thomas Howard, a Peoria-based attorney with 15 years of experience helping cannabis retailers obtain dispensary licenses, is preparing to launch his cannabis dispensary. The new venue will be in a historic Pekin building at 359 Court Street. Howard submitted his proposal last month on behalf of Miggy’s Shop LLC. During a recent meeting, the Pekin City Council unanimously approved the special use request, with Council member Lloyd Orrick absent.
“There may be some cannibalization because of the NuEra that’s there, because we will be splitting the market to a certain extent,” Howard said. “There will be two dispensaries instead of one. But the total addressable market will grow because two are there.”
The Economic Impact on Pekin
Howard believes his new dispensary could generate significant revenue for the city. He estimates the dispensary will contribute between $100,000 and $150,000 in sales tax revenue, benefiting the city’s police and firefighter pension funds.
Additionally, Howard plans to support local non-profit organizations, including the United Way of Pekin.
He also intends to use grant funding to help fund downtown building repairs.
“At Collateral Base LLC, the consulting company I work for, we’re versed in how to write these grant applications,” Howard said. “We have a transformative skill where we can also write grants. These R-3 (Restore. Reinvest. Renew) grants are out there, and we’ll write an R-3 grant for the United Way of Pekin.”
R-3 grants are part of an initiative that funds programs in communities affected by violence, excessive incarceration, and economic disinvestment. Howard pointed out that the location for his dispensary is identified as a Disproportionately Impacted Area (DIA) under the Cannabis Regulation and Taxation Act due to its low-income status and high arrest rates before the legalization of adult-use cannabis in Illinois.
Howard summarized the benefits of his dispensary for residents: “We will be helping achieve policy goals of redeveloping those areas. We’ll be bringing more jobs and more business to an area that had been injured by the war on drugs.”
Supporting Historic Preservation and Consumer Safety
The dispensary will benefit Pekin economically and preserve local history. Howard plans to renovate the century-old building, which was initially the Pekin Performing Arts Center, into a licensed dispensary. The project will help maintain the character of the historic structure while bringing new business to the area.
Howard also emphasized the safety of products sold at licensed dispensaries. He pointed out that these products undergo rigorous testing and regulation—unlike hemp products sold at gas stations and smoke shops.
“There are smoke shops that sell stuff that’s stronger than what’s sold at licensed dispensaries,” Howard said. “If I sell a package of gummies with my license, it can have no more than 100 milligrams of THC per package, and no more than 10 milligrams per serving.”
Looking Ahead
Howard has not yet named the new dispensary, but he projects it could open this summer. His plans for the dispensary reflect his desire to bring positive change to Pekin by blending economic opportunity with community support and historic preservation.
