spencer belz

so to start -- do you have any 420 plans or rituals?
we have a variety of events stretching from 4/12 to 4/27 for 420 celebrations. being on a monday this year, it's not going to be a huge day -- so instead, we're making the best of it for the week before and after.
where in atlantic city do you feel most like yourself?
i am myself, or whoever i need to be, wherever i go. obviously the lounge is home in atlantic city.
what does a normal day look like for you right now, like actually?
i'm usually at the shop from 10am to 6pm, keeping things running. i'm working on new events, connecting with new brands, keeping my team happy, and ensuring we continue to provide something of value for the city.
you've been in this before it was legal -- what did weed feel like back then vs what it feels like now?
they're different worlds, honestly. being in the traditional market was like being a cowboy or outlaw. there were plenty of rules and codes of conduct you abided by all while consciously breaking federal and state law -- and as long as you weren't hurting anyone, there's no guilt.
starting my career in the legal medical market was the most fulfilling thing -- you saw the impact this plant has on people and how it's truly a medicine. i saw the potential for a career on my first day. this was much bigger than just selling weed.

now, being in the recreational market is like playing monopoly where the rules change mid-game, new players start randomly, and the board gets shifted in between turns and you're somehow playing chutes and ladders. but in all seriousness -- being on the ground floor of a multibillion dollar sector, and running one of the first consumption lounges on the entire east coast -- it's nothing short of exhilarating, challenging, and everything i could ask for in life.

did legalization feel like a clean shift or more like a slow, weird transition?
cannabis is a game of "hurry up and wait" and that's exactly what it was like. some things got ripped off like a bandaid while others are still not fully fleshed out. as ready as we were to transition, we had no idea what to expect. it was pretty surreal that first week where you had to grapple with "this is the new norm" -- and it just didn't stop.
opening the first lounge in nj felt far more illegal than selling to anyone 21+.

when did it actually hit you that this was going to be real?
part of my decision to work with sunnytien full time was the fact that the lounge was part of the original business model. i've been in retail since i was 12 at heritage surf shop during their summer sales. i've been in cannabis retail for 8 years. i had no intentions of running another dispensary until the idea of the lounge was in play.

it got real on april 2nd, 2025 when we were finally able to apply. july 24th, our first day, felt illegal. standing there watching a dozen people smoke weed inside blew my mind. still feels taboo till this day because we've been so conditioned against it.
what felt harder than you expected getting it open?
honestly, i had so much time to plan the opening -- 1.5 years -- i felt like i was able to take my time plotting every step and detail. floorplan mapped out, SOPs written, furniture picked out, accessories ready to order.

the hardest part was the timing. we got little to no communication from the CRC throughout the process, so it was like staring at a line of dominoes waiting until you can knock the first one down. hiring new staff, buying furniture and bongs, marketing campaigns -- all strategy was out the window as we operated in the dark.
what felt easier than you expected?
honestly, the whole process. it was stressful, there was a lot to do, lots of unknowns -- but there was something that felt natural about it. it all came together one way or another. i'm grateful to have years of experience in event management, hospitality, and retail, which all came together to create the lounge. the hardest parts were the things out of your control.

was there a moment where you were like -- oh, this might not happen?
from november 2023 to july 2025. first we had to wait for the actual regulations, then wait for the CRC to create the applications, then open the application period, then review the applications, on-site inspection -- it felt like there was no end in sight. the day we got the email with our approval, we had to check it twice. we didn't think it was real.

atlantic city is kind of its own world -- why here?
ac is its own world, and that's part of the benefit of it. it has everything you need, you just need to know how to use it. i would have never chosen to open a business in ac, but when the universe hands you exactly what you want, you take it. i wouldn't have done it if i didn't grow up here and have an understanding of what i was getting myself into. which i still don't understand, yet here we are.

do you think a place like sunnytien only works in a city like this, or could it exist anywhere?
sunnytien would probably be 1000x more popular if it was on the mainland -- it's hard as hell to get people to travel all the way down south. but at the same time, i built sunnytien to serve its purpose in ac. we're different in a variety of ways, and that's the point. we're not for everybody, and that wouldn't change no matter where we are.

tourists vs locals -- what's the real difference when they walk into the space?
the locals understand that we're more expensive than other stores, but they get the value out of it. a clean, comfortable environment, a knowledgeable and passionate staff, a curated selection of high quality products. they come here because they want to -- lord knows there's plenty of options in ac.

the tourists are a shot in the dark. many have seen us on the news, many find us from googling "dispensary near me" from their hotel room in the trop. we don't have a huge marketing budget, so we'd rather invest in word-of-mouth to bring in the right people and make a killer first impression on them once they're here.

with nowhere to really smoke legally outside, does the lounge end up feeling like a necessity or more like an experience?
the lounge is purely an experience. there is very little enforcement and accountability for smoking in public -- plus, legal weed is expensive. so the lounge is a destination more than an outlet for people. it's more of a cannabis event space than anything else right now. we look forward to it becoming not only a necessity, but an added value to people's lifestyle.

there's no alcohol in the lounge -- does that change the energy more than people expect?
totally, and we love it. the lounge curates its experiences for cannabis consumers -- that's our demographic. we've been able to create a safe, comfortable space that gives people more room to be themselves, enjoy the products, and connect with the community. without anyone being obnoxious, rowdy, or disrespectful, we can really focus on what we're here to do. you can get alcohol anywhere. the lounge is our cannabis bubble.

what kind of vibe are you actually trying to build in there?
there's a lot of things i focus on to build the foundation: being a safe space, being comfortable for people to explore cannabis, providing a full-service experience. but honestly, the lounge is a blank canvas and i run it as such. whether you want a zen environment for cannabis yoga, or a bumpin' themed y2k brunch with kito spinning hit after hit -- the vibe is what we want it to be when you provide the right space and the right people.

what makes a night feel successful to you now?
everyone leaving with a quality experience. i don't care how packed the event is. i don't care how much money we make. being able to know that people walk out the doors feeling like they did something new, exciting, different -- whatever it is -- that's what counts. the more we can evolve and transform, the more we're doing for the most people.

you come from music too -- how does that influence the space?
it's been nothing short of essential. playing music and designing festivals has taught me so many things i never knew that i knew. it all comes down to situational awareness -- being able to see what is and what needs to be. music, layout, visuals, pacing -- all of these variables can either enhance or dull the night. you'll never get it perfect, but you get better at it every time. i'm grateful to have a decade head start.

do you think people experience music differently when they're high in a space like that?
how could you not? it's a new environment, pretty intimate, comfortable yet elevated. we want this to be an experience that stands out. being high in the lounge should feel natural, but also blow you away. add some good live music to it and who wouldn't transcend?

what have you learned about people just from watching them exist in that environment?
oh man, how many pages does this zine have? one thing i'm grateful for, even though it can sometimes be frustrating, is we see every walk of life in the lounge. you'll have the most grateful and considerate person walk in, then five minutes later someone who couldn't be more entitled and difficult to be around. we all try to create the constructs of what we think a stoner is, when in reality -- it's all of us. for better or for worse.

what surprises you the most about how people act once they're in there?
honestly, i'm flabbergasted by the amount of people who come to the lounge, act entitled, and are disrespectful to us. you have the opportunity to experience something cool as fuck, historical for nj, that allows you to connect with your people -- don't ruin it for everyone else by complaining about the laws we can't control or the fact that yes, we are a business and have to make money.

imagine going to angeloni's and expecting to bring in your own bottle of vodka. if you don't like what we're doing, please -- for the benefit of everyone else having a good time -- don't come. we're not for everyone, and that's okay.

atlantic city has always had weird rules -- blue laws, gambling, things being allowed and not allowed at the same time. does weed feel like it's following that same pattern?

not in the slightest. cannabis in ac is the most unrestricted industry. until recently there were no license caps, no strategic zoning parameters, we are one of the few municipalities to allow lounges, all 6 license classes are allowed. cannabis has had no issues taking hold on the island. that being said, cannabis deals with more red tape and hurdles than any other industry -- so we could run laps around gambling and alcohol before they even get their footing in cannabis.
does legalization actually feel like freedom or just a different kind of control?

porque no los dos? those who are truly passionate about the plant find the light in both aspects. i love that this is legal, but i constantly battle regulations. i'd rather deal with the chicken and the egg of "legalization is restricted freedom" than not having it be legal at all. i haven't stressed about getting locked up for selling weed in a decade, and my cortisol levels are grateful for it.

spencer in 2013 would never believe that he'd be running a legal consumption lounge.

do you think we're out of the prohibition mindset yet or still carrying parts of it?
we are still very deep in it. it's generational, institutional, and unfortunately still federally illegal. education never gets the funding it needs and deserves. i think we're at least 5 years away from any real, measurable progress.

what do you think people get wrong about the legal weed industry right now?
everything. and that's not being facetious, it's the truth. unless you've been in the trenches, you don't fully understand what we're doing here. the legal industry is one of the most difficult sectors to ever operate in. we're illegally -- federally -- building something no one has built before, circulating billions of dollars through 500k jobs, and generating more taxes than anyone dreamed of.
welcome to the cannabis industry where everything's made up and the points don't matter. if anyone thinks they could do this better, please go for it.
what still feels real to you in it?
all of this is so real. the people, the community, the culture. i'll never regret anything i'm building or doing here. cannabis is my life. this is as real as it gets.
what feels a little fake?
there's plenty of fake people out there, plenty of fake intentions, plenty of fake words and actions. that's true in any world. it just sucks more because cannabis is supposed to be chill and cool and fun. you know exactly what you're going to get from me and sunnytien -- it's that way on purpose.
what does the next version of this look like -- where does it go from here?
if you ever find out, please let me know because i couldn't tell you. we are building this plane as we fly it. there's no manual, no checklist, no forged paths. we are focused on creating value wherever we can, improving whatever is possible, and working with others to make this bigger than it is now.
i do believe with the right business models, lounges can be the future of cannabis. but we only control one tiny variable in an entire ecosystem -- so we must adapt to it.
what do you hope it becomes vs what you think it actually will become?
i think lounges will become more of a communal space than anything. people don't have "third places" in society anymore. the lounge being a blank canvas allows us to transform it into whatever it needs to be. once we are allowed to sell food and beverage, the game will change completely.
i hope it becomes what it actually will -- everything the cannabis community has always done, now properly in public.

 

best place in atlantic city to end up a little too high?
if you're going to get a little too high, might as well do it in the lounge. or honestly -- the best experience is getting a bucket of french fries and watching golden hour on the beach.

worst place?
the 7/11 on new york and pacific.

go-to munchie spot -- no overthinking it. what are you ordering?
have you ever eaten breakfast at gilchrist in the trop while high as fuck? i feel like a slice of butter melting on top of a big ol' pile of flapjacks.

do you believe in luck?
luck is a perception of the alignments of the universe. countless decisions went into you being at any one place at any one time. it's all luck at the end of the day. how much can you really control in your own life?
or do you think people here just chase it?

people are manipulated into thinking luck is within reach or within their control.

has anything about atlantic city ever felt rigged in your favor or against you?
i'll plead the 5th, your honor. because yes.

what does the ocean feel like to you vs everything happening in the city?
the ocean is the greatest aspect of atlantic city. salt water heals all. the salt air can turn your entire day around. if everyone on the island took some notes on how water behaves, we'd all be better people.

what have you been chasing lately?
if you keep chasing the light, you'll always be in its glow.

what are you actually looking for right now?
sure don't know what i'm going for, but i'm going to go for it for sure.