Cleveland-based Girls’ Joint reopens after shut down

It took four months for The Girls’ Joint to reopen after an anonymous complaint led to the shop being shut down by the City of Cleveland.

Co-owner Mandi Cavano said the saga started when someone reported The Girls’ Joint to the city as an illegal establishment.

“We don’t sell any weed at all or anything close to it, but someone reported us as an illegal smoke shop — which we aren’t,” Cavano said. “That put the building department here, and that dug up the fact that there had never been an occupancy permit for this space issued.”

The Violation and Initial Building Inspection

The Girls’ Joint opened in November 2025, described by the owners as a femme-focused cannabis lifestyle boutique offering artsy accessories and tools.

In December, a notice from the Building and Housing Department informed the owners of The Girls’ Joint’s violation of Ordinance No. 188-2025, in relation to zoning for smoke shops.

The ordinance states a retail shop can be deemed a “smoke shop” if 20% or more of its floor, shelf and/or display area(s) are used for the sale of smoke shop products.

Cavano said there was an issue with trying to get a clear definition from the city on what is classified as a “smoke shop product.”

“The health department that wrote the legislation says one thing, and then the building department that enforces the legislation says something different,” she said. “Smoke shop products are defined as ‘including, but not limited to, pipes, papers, filters, tips.’ When asking for clarification, depending on who I was talking to, I would get different answers.”

When then-Chief Building Inspector Drazen Blazevic came into the shop to assess the space against the notice, Cavano said he took a few pictures of specific shelves and then said he could tell it was more than 20% of smoke shop related products. Cavano said, “he never measured anything.”

Blazevic told The Land he remembered visiting the shop, taking a few pictures, issuing a “no occupancy” violation and noticing “most of the items that they were displaying or selling at the time were [classified] under smoke shop items.”

Appealing the ‘Violation’

Cavano and Vegh appealed the violation and attended their hearing with the Board of Zoning Appeals in February. Cavano explained to the Board that there was never an occupancy permit in place for the retail location, and said she reached out to the previous owner for confirmation. She let the Board know The Girls’ Joint was still in the process of obtaining the appropriate occupancy permit.

According to Ordinance 3105.10, an occupancy permit needs to be issued for any new building, a building changing its use or occupancy classification or when a building is physically enlarged, extended or altered.

“It was something we didn’t think we had to worry about because we weren’t changing the use of the space,” Cavano told The Land. “We are still retail. We shouldn’t have to be labeled as different.”

During the meeting, Blazevic shared two pictures of the store: one of the main counters containing several glass pipe pieces, and one other shelf containing glass pieces and other smoke shop related items. When Cavano asked if he could show additional photos of the other shelving, Blazevic said he had no other photos to show at that time. Cavano then shared a site plan and measurements with the Board, showing the two displays with smoke shop-related products, as well as multiple other shelves stocked with non-smoke shop related items such as books, art pieces and decanters. 

Blazevic said though he did not take measurements of the space, he stood by his original estimate of the shelving containing 20% or more of smoke shop related products. The Board then agreed unanimously to deny the appeal.

The Board told Cavano and Vegh they could still pursue their occupancy permit. Blazevic said if The Girls’ Joint obtains an occupancy permit and reduces the smoke shop-related products on shelves down from 20%, the violation notice could be closed. 

Bringing The Girls’ Joint Up to Compliance

Over the next several months, Cavano and Vegh worked toward securing the proper occupancy permit and fixing citations noted in the violation notice. Cavano said something that was supposed to take 60 days took 100+ days.

“It is impossible to do this process without going to [Cleveland] City Hall, numerous times, physically, in person,” she said. “Thank God I have the privilege to be able to hound them every day. This is my main focus, I don’t have another job. I know I’m incredibly lucky to be in that position. If I wasn’t, I don’t know how we would have been able to get all of this done.”

Cavano said they had to get a fire inspection done as well as a final building inspection, which uncovered issues that needed to be fixed — including drywall work and fireproofing. 

Though they were able to find a good contractor to help with structural fixes, Cavano said it still took thousands of dollars and even more time to get everything completed.

“We had W.J. Miller as the contractor, with [the] amazing Bill Miller, the owner. What a super guy,” she said. “He went over backwards to get it done quick and get it done right. All this showed us that our community is incredibly strong and that there are truly great people around us in the community that want what’s best for the community.”

On June 9, The Girls’ Joint passed their final building inspection, allowing Cavano and Vegh to begin preparations for a reopening. Cavano said none of the inventory on shelves had to be changed.

Community Support

Vegh said the shop’s shutdown led to an outpour of support from the community, including from other business owners.

“When all of that happened, it was just like — you guys are just gonna prove our point of what we’re trying to do to begin with,” Vegh said. “Over the four months that we were shut down, we built a very strong community of stoners who are very excited to have us back open, very excited to come back and to come to events. We’ve made really great relationships with businesses around Cleveland that opened up their doors to us, that let us set up shop for a day or whatever.”

Ghost Market Co-Founder Anna Matisak said she was able to host The Girls’ Joint at several of their curated market events. Regularly bringing together a variety of vendors for pop-up community markets, Matisak said the grassroots, scrappy vibe of The Girls’ Joint felt like a natural fit for Ghost Market.

“They are great vendors to have. They are fun, and they bring a vibe and a fun customer. They are kind, easy, no drama. They just want to do what they love to do,” Matisak said. “They’re rolling up their sleeves and seeing what works and putting sweat equity into it. It’s a level of work ethic we could get behind.”

Ami Rizik, owner of the Doki Doki Anime & Kawaii Shop on Madison Avenue in Lakewood, said she learned through social media about The Girls’ Joint shutting down and immediately reached out to offer support.

“As a fellow small business owner, I absolutely understand the horror and struggle of something unexpected happening that you have no control over. And also, as someone who’s a woman who has a small business geared towards other women — we need more spaces like this,” Rizik said.

Rizik asked Cavano and Vegh if they would like to do a pop up at Doki Doki. Being a Japanese pop culture store geared towards women and the LGBTQ+ community, Rizik knew there would be good audience crossover. She said the collaboration they had on Pi Day (March 14) went very well and Cavano and Vegh were “an absolute delight.”

“They’re in it because this is their passion. And the thing that connects both of us is our passion in connecting people, especially people who don’t have spaces made for them,” Rizik said.

Daniel “Dab” Bridges, founder of Dab 4 Dan TV, invited The Girls’ Joint to be a vendor at Canna Bingo Night — an experience he created to bring together bingo, networking and cannabis.

“It gave Judie and Mandi an opportunity to step away from some of the stress surrounding the closure, continue promoting their business, and meet new people from both the cannabis industry and the local community,” Bridges said. “I wanted the event to be a supportive space where they could still be visible, connect with potential customers and partners, and enjoy themselves during a difficult period.”

Bridges said he previously worked at a dispensary that had opening day delays due to building-related and city approval issues. He said he saw firsthand how stressful and frustrating the process can be, especially after a business has already invested time, money and energy into preparing to open.

“We received some support from members of the community, but navigating the city’s requirements was still a difficult and time-consuming process. That experience gave me a better understanding of what Judie and Mandi were dealing with,” he said. “When a small business faces an unexpected delay, community support can make a major difference.”

Grand Reopening of The Girls’ Joint

The Girls’ Joint is set to have a grand reopening August 14-16. The shop is aligning the grand opening with a special burger crafted by Doinks Burger Joint in Collinwood, and two special drinks from Superelectric Pinball. The Girls’ Joint plans to host a pop up at Doinks on August 9.

Doinks’ owner Bonn Rassavong said he started following The Girls’ Joint on social media when they first opened, and was hoping to find an opportunity to collaborate with them at some point. He said “this just happened to be the perfect opportunity.”

“The [burger] special is going to try to emulate the essence of a stoner-style burger,” Rassavong said. “It’s Girls’ Joint and Doinks crossed. Something very unctuous, something like a late night you-could-eat-everything-in-the-world kind of special.”

This Girls’ Joint is back open at 6505 Detroit Avenue and will continue to host pop-ups throughout the community. Visit the shop during open hours and follow @girlsjointco on Instagram for updates.