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Date: 12/15/2022
WARE – A local mother-daughter team will soon bring a multitude of quality cannabis products to the people of Ware.
B’Leaf Wellness Centre, located at 24 West Main St., is set to open its doors before Christmas.
The dispensary was founded by mother Lori Sinclair and daughter Megan Sinclair. Lori, who has lived in Ware for over 30 years, has raised Megan and son, Ryan, in town. She said that Ryan was the inspiration for opening a dispensary, as he has nearly 18 years of experience in the industry.
“[Ryan] said it would be a good market,” shared Megan.
“He had a passion for it, so [we] wanted to pursue it,” added Lori.
The process to open a dispensary has taken the family nearly four years. Megan explained that they spoke with the town about drafting up legislation for cannabis in Ware because at the time, there were no bylaws as it had just been legalized in Massachusetts. She said they also went to the town to obtain a host community agreement and more.
After a potential location in town fell through, Lori said that led them to rent the building on West Main Street. The space was previously occupied by the Ware Café, which shutdown during the coronavirus pandemic. With a great deal of water damage, Ryan said the entire place needed to be renovated and if it wasn’t, it would be knocked down.
Since fall 2021, Megan shared, they completely remodeled the interior of the existing structure along with sprucing up the exterior with signage and colorful murals. With all necessary improvements made to the space, Compliance Officer Casey Nothe said they are hoping to open by Dec. 19. General Manager Laurie Gloster noted that they are just waiting on the state.
When the dispensary opens, Nothe said they will have six full-time and four part time, local employees – not including the owners and management team. He shared they are actively accepting applications.
On the sales front, B’Leaf is strictly a recreational establishment. Nothe explained that the dispensary will offer “over 200 unique skews” with “unique pricing tiers,” across a multitude of brands. From flower to edibles, vaporizers and tinctures, B’Leaf plans to offer something for everyone.
Nothe added that products will have some of the “most elite profiles” with terpenes, cannabinoids and more.
From the outside of the dispensary, passersby cannot see in. Upon entering, there will be a “two stage identification verification,” with one ID check at the door and another one at the time of purchase. The main sales floor is the only space open to the public.
Once the dispensary is up and running, Nothe said they plan on offering online ordering through their website.
As time goes on, Megan said their goal is to give back to the community as much as possible. She explained that they plan to have a donation or suggestion box that organizations can be added to, picked from and featured. She said they also plan on hosting food drives.
Nothe shared that another goal pertains to customer service. “We want to build a reputation with top notch customer service. Customer service has one foot in the grave and one foot on a banana peel. [At B’Leaf] we want to have fast, friendly service,” he said.
According to the B’Leaf team, the people and their dedication to work is what sets them apart from dispensaries across the state. If anyone has a question or would like to speak with management, Ryan assured that they will always be there.
Throughout the entire process, Nothe said they have had many opportunities to meet people from all walks of life. From talking with those individuals, Nothe shared that everyone has one thing in common: cannabis.
With three licenses allowed in the state, Ryan said they would “love” to expand B’Leaf. Aside from B’Leaf, Ware is also home to Curaleaf. The town is allowed a maximum of four dispensaries.
Nothe said, “We are grateful for the community members.” Although he predicts there will be some naysayers, he asks for the opportunity to remain compliant with regulations, neighbors and stakeholders.
“We care what we give people,” Ryan reiterated.
Lori agreed and said, “These are our people.”
B’Leaf’s hours of operation will be 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., daily.
To learn more about B’Leaf, find them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/bleafwellness or visit their website, https://bleafma.com/.