Cannabis varieties planned for Seaside Cannabis in Orleans

ORLEANS — The owners of Seaside Cannabis Company, a soon-to-open cannabis dispensary, have been working hard on branding, marketing and construction plans that are turning a former insurance company into a destination dispensary.  

Seaside will be the first cannabis dispensary in Orleans.

It’s taken seven years of effort.

The business is in a two-story, 8,455-square-foot building at 14 Lots Hollow Road. Two apartments occupy the second floor, and plans are in the works to add a third floor and another market-rate apartment, according to building owner A.J. Luke.  

Luke is one of four local partners in the venture. The others are David Currier, Adam Higgins, and Tim McNamara. Spencer Knowles is working towards becoming a managing partner. 

They plan to open in October.

Out of the 15 towns on Cape Cod, seven prohibit the sale of cannabis. In total, 17 medical and recreational dispensaries are on the Cape and Islands, according to the Cannabis Control Commission.

Massachusetts reported more than $4 billion in adult-use sales and nearly $1 billion in medical sales since 2018, according to the Cannabis Control Commission. But wholesale flower prices have dropped about 50% from 2022, the Commission reported.  

A secure entry and 45 parking spaces

Knowles said the store has been designed with customer ease and comfort in mind. Entry is in the back where 45 parking spaces are located. A secured entryway is where IDs will be checked to make sure customers are old enough to buy cannabis.  

Flow, engagement and education are important, Knowles said. And the store is set up like a restaurant with a “front” and “back” of the house. The front is for customers, who will not be able to touch any of the products until their IDs have been checked and products purchased. The “back” of the house will contain three vaults, rooms for employees and a receiving area. 

A production room in the basement for manufactured marijuana products

Plans for a phase two include building a production room in the basement with stainless steel tables. Employees will be able to make manufactured cannabis product. But phase two is dependent on approval of a product manufacturing license. Another vault is located next to it where manufactured product would be kept.  

A long “bud bar” where flowers are sold is the first main section of the store. Shelves behind a bar top made of flaming red box elder will hold containers of different strains of buds. Employees can take products out of the containers to give customers a closer look at what the buds look and smell like. Customers will be able to buy a few grams of product at a time.   

A ‘deli-style experience’

Currier calls it a “deli-style experience.” The partners expect flower sales to be about 40%, which is state average, according to the Cannabis Control Commission. Plans call for offering products from a variety of suppliers, but much will come from McNamara’s already established cultivation business in Middleboro, Holistic Health Group.  

The partners want to offer something similar to a wine experience featuring producers and growers from different regions.  

“We want every area represented, just like you would a wine list,” Knowles said.  

Marijuana products designed for sleep, pain relief and relaxation

The store will have what Knowles calls, “purpose walls,” with products designed for specific needs, including sleep, pain relief, and relaxation. Another wall will hold products for “all day anytime.” 

Products to trigger impulse buys will be behind glass cases at the registers. Pipes, bowls, single servings and infused beverages will be some of the items offered there. IDs will be checked a second time before purchases are made.  

Seaside Cannabis aims to have the biggest cannabis-infused beverage selection in the state, Knowles said. They also plan to be a destination shop. Merchandise, comfortable space with couches and chairs, a varied product line, and emphasis on education will set them apart, Knowles said. 

Should the state allow for curbside pickup in the future, much like they did during the pandemic, they are ready to revamp the front of the building to make it possible. Customers could come to the dispensary and not even have to leave their cars. An employee in a large, secure vault would take the order, prepare it and deliver it.  

Working on opening the Orleans store since 2017

Higgins and Currier said they have been working since 2017 to get the town to allow cannabis shops. In 2021, after the town voted their approval for cannabis, the Select Board chose two companies to sell the products. A third applicant filed an injunction, claiming the selection was unfair. That added more than a year delay to the project, Currier said.  

Seaside received the town’s approval to proceed in June 2022.

Luke said the company intends to grow the business, adding more dispensaries on the Cape. 

The Cannabis Business Times reported a 39% increase in cannabis harvest in 2022. That increase, coupled with the 462 approved cannabis retail licenses, and 355 approved cultivation licenses in the state, could mean a glut in the market. According to the commission, the state has about seven dispensaries per 100,000 residents. As of January, 62 retail and 60 cultivation license applications remained pending. 

Denise Coffey writes about business and tourism. Contact her at dcoffey@capecodonline.com. Follow her on Twitter: @DeniseCoffeyCCT.

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