Embarc opens Riverside's first dispensary on Magnolia Avenue

The Raincross Gazette: Embarc opened Riverside's first permitted cannabis dispensary in March, on Magnolia Avenue, closing out a fight that ran the better part of a decade. Founder and CEO Lauren Carpenter told the Gazette the company ran a local listening tour before applying and leaned on customer education to win community trust.

The path was slow by design. Riverside imposed a moratorium, then voted 5-2 in February 2023 to allow retail sales, but disputes over location and permit allocation held things up. The city released its RFP in November 2023; Embarc applied that December and tied with STIIIZY, with both moving forward. In July 2025, the council cut the program from a planned 14 dispensaries to one per ward.

That one-per-ward cap is the real shape of Riverside's cannabis market — a deliberately thin buildout rather than an open field. Embarc is already planning a second Riverside store, on University Avenue.