Please Support Local Advertisers
ROWLEY — First movers may have an advantage but they also have a lot of work to do — especially when permitting agencies in the town and state are new to the came.
“It’s the hardest thing I have ever done in my 45 years in business,” said Spencer Kalker, owner of Cape Ann Cannabis.
The Route 1 store held a ribbon cutting Thursday and opened to the general public on Friday.
An Ipswich resident who also owns and operates Cape Ann Botanicals in Ipswich and Newburyport, Kalker said the town and state had been helpful during the process but it seemed like they had a lot of work to do, too.
“It’s new for everybody,” he noted.
The store, which is in the mall just north of Yankee Lumber, sells 60 strains, 128 items and offers 11 ways to consumer marijuana, he said.
All of the product comes from Massachusetts because of federal disfavor of the cannabis industry.
Please Support Local Advertisers
Kalker said the same philosophy will carry over from the Botanicals stores. “It’s still all about helping customers understand these products to enhance and improve their lives,” he said.
Staff got up to 35 hours of training before they deal with the public, he added.
Now that COVID-19 restrictions have eased, Cape Ann Cannabis can allow some people into the store. However, it still offers curbside delivery in the mall if people order ahead of time.
