The business district in Codman Square has plenty of life and foot traffic, but the space has long needed some upgrades. Now, two neighborhood natives about to open the district’s first cannabis dispensary on Washington Street opposite Kenwood Street believe their store can be the catalyst for renewed vitality.

Jeff Similien and Robert Nichols, co-owners of Lowkey Dispensary, have gone through several years of permitting to get to where they are right now – “building it out and in the construction phase,” said Nichols.

“Next week we’re bringing in the flooring, plumbers, and electrical contractors and we expect it to fly quickly. We’ve been targeting an opening date for the end of July if all of our final inspections go well.”

Similien said they started the process in 2017, and while they have other proposals now in Hyde Park and West Roxbury, Codman Square was their first effort and the one that helped them learn an ever-changing regulatory process.

They have received approvals from the City of Boston and have their provisional license from the state Cannabis Control Commission (CCC). While the two men are planning to retain ownership and not bring in any out-of-state operators, they have hired a seasoned general manager and operations manager to provide cannabis expertise.

“We’re excited,” said Nichols. “It’s been a lot invested into this and it’s been a long road. We are ready to get the return…It’s one of the hardest businesses to go into. It’s very highly regulated.”

Some in the neighborhood were lukewarm to the idea of a dispensary in the Square – particularly since there is another one proposed for a site just two blocks up Washington Street.

The Codman Square Neighborhood Council (CSNC) has in recent history taken a stance against most dispensaries. Its members feel the business district could become saturated with them. The civic has also stated they it would like to see investments in sit-down restaurants and other local businesses before a proliferation of cannabis stores.

Nichols and Similien have strong ties to the community. Both grew up in Codman Square, and professionally, they have operated a residential and commercial real estate business in the area for a decade.

“We look at our dispensary as a benefit to the community,” said Nichols. “It’s the first of its kind here and will bring in an upgrade to this storefront. We believe that will lead to other investment and business coming here. It’s a forgotten gem in the city. We see our store as a catalyst that will leverage other investments in Codman Square.”

The partners are currently accepting proposals for a a mural contest for the dispensary’s exterior adjacent to a parking lot.

“The mural is a small way for this to be for the people here,” said Similien. “It can’t be the Rob and Jeff show and us expect for Lowkey to be a place people enjoy coming to. By doing the mural or the investment drive, it gives people partnership in what we’re doing. In the case of the mural, it’s the kind of outward partnership that everyone will see for years to come.”

Lowkey’s space at 571B Washington St. became available after Dunkin’ Donuts, which was eyeing the storefront, backed out. Similien, who bought the building, approached Nichols to form a partnership.

Nichols had left a corporate career with Stop & Shop to pursue the construction and real estate business. After successfully launching that business, and having 50 agents under his flag, Nichols’s approach was a surprise.

“I don’t consume cannabis first and foremost, and it wasn’t on my radar as a business at all,” said Nichols. “I was skeptical, but Jeff was persistent. We wanted to bring more investment to the community we grew up in with our real estate business, and I realized we could do that with cannabis also.”

They decided on the Codman Square location after attending several other early cannabis community meetings in 2017 and 2018. Owning their building cut down on the rental payments that are necessary to hold the space during the long permitting process.

“We went to a meeting in the Bowdoin area to see what it was like and the man proposing it was getting yelled at so much,” said Similien. “He wasn’t from here and he had no rapport with the community. He didn’t know anyone and didn’t know what the community wanted. We saw that if you’re going to do this, you need rapport with the community and you need people to know you before you walk into a room.”

For them, what better place than Codman Square?

Earlier this week, the new recreational dispensary facility had been framed out and concrete floors – now ADA accessible – were being polished to a bright shine. The look was a departure from anything that had been there in the past, and as the progress continues, they hope it will become a needed spark to light up the aging Square.

“We both grew up here and we’ve been in business in this neighborhood,” said Nichols. “We take pride in our work, and we’re determined to bring something here this summer that is top-notch.”