(Location Closed)
When I first moved to Orange County a little over two years ago, I was completely overwhelmed by California’s mmj system. I visited many different dispensaries trying to find one that both made me feel comfortable and consistently offered the quality for which I was looking. Then I found Zen OC in Garden Grove. They quickly became my shop of choice, despite my having to drive up from South County. Sadly, a little less than a year later, the city closed them down with the rest of the walk-in dispensaries and they went delivery.
So you can imagine my reaction when I heard that they were opening a new venture in Santa Ana under the name Serenity. I couldn’t get there fast enough to begin my review. The shop is located just north of the historic South Main Street sign on the west side of the street. Parking is in the back of the building; lately they have been putting out orange cones at the driveway, which helps identify the turn. It is a bit of a walk to the front door, but its not like its ever raining.
Once you make the trek to the front door, you are greeted by a large front waiting room, nicely decorated, and a kind receptionist to greet and check you in. The typical FTP process of paperwork applies, but so do the gifts, and Serenity offers several FTP choices, including 20% off your entire order, which is the one I selected. They also offer generous daily specials to encourage you to come back and 20% off their menu twice a month for customer appreciation.
Once you are checked in, you’ll be buzzed through the door to your left into an absolutely vacuous show room. When not hosting arena football games or housing jumbo jets, the space serves as the viewing area for the dispensary. The glass counter is dwarfed, as is the edibles cooler in the corner, by the sheer size of the shop. Of course, I tease, because it is not the size of the shop, but what’s in it that matters.
And that’s gorgeous flat screen tv menus for starters. Their very clear design and font make browsing the flowers a breeze. Just like at Zen OC back in the day, small sample jars are lined on the shelves and kept separate from selling stock. This of course keeps the buds fresh and away from the prying fingers of everyone who walks in the shop. The top shelf flower looks great during every visit, telling me Serenity is concerned with quality. They also carry Gold Coast and WCC extracts at reasonable prices. Their concentrates aren’t kept refrigerated, so eye your choices if you care to avoid buddering. They have a nice selection of edibles in the cooler on the right and in the glass case to the left. All are competitively priced to other shops. There are several disposable vape pen platform options to choose from as well, meaning I can grab everything I need from them in one stop.
My first reaction to Serenity was that they had bare shelves. But I made a critical error in perspective. Little vs. far away. The shop’s space is so large that it makes the products look insignificant. This might be because I’m used to cramped shops shoved back a long hallway. I have visited them at this new location about half a dozen times now, and I’ve left pleased every time. More than pleased, because something is always on sale. Between their gorgeous flowers, well priced edibles, and potent shatters, Serenity will be the last shop you ever need.
