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Date: 12/1/2020
WEST SPRINGFIELD – The city of West Springfield’s first ever cannabis dispensary has slowly made headway since first opening on July 31.
Called “Affinity Cannabis,” the store located at 175 Circuit Ave. is currently only allowing those with medical marijuana cards to purchase products from the dispensary.
“We are very slowly starting to get our feet through the door,” said Carrie Moon, retail manager at Affinity. “We are hoping that next year we will get our recreational license, so we will be able to do both [sell recreationally and medically]."
According to Moon, residents who are looking to obtain a medical card can do so by going through online providers. Some of these online providers include Patriot care, VeriHeal, and Leafly, among others. Due to COVID-19, most providers would set up a zoom call with those who are interested, according to Moon.
In the case of the dispensary itself, Moon believes that the pandemic has helped the cannabis industry, especially with regards to medical dispensaries.
“When [coronavirus] first hit, all of the recreational places had to close down for a few weeks,” said Moon. “So that kind of prompted people to go out and get their medical license so that they can then purchase [marijuana].”
Because of this, Affinity saw a little bit of a spike in sales, and business for the most part has been steady, according to Moon.
“It was interesting, because we opened during this [pandemic], like we didn’t even know a ‘before,’” said Moon. “This has been the normal since day one.”
The plan to open a medical dispensary in West Springfield began about two years ago, according to Moon. The company looked at several different locations such as, Westfield, Springfield, and a couple of other areas. Ultimately, they chose the building in West Springfield because it was “off the beaten path,” according to Moon.
“It wasn’t going to cause disruption to the city as far as traffic,” Moon said.
When it came to hiring people for the new location, Moon recruited all of her staff from retail, hospitality, and food service. The idea, according to Moon, was to have a core group of people who knew how to properly engage in helpful customer service. She calls her sales floor staff, “cannabis assistants.” None of them had prior cannabis experience, according to Moon.
“We can teach everybody the products, and how to use them,” said Moon. “But we wanted to make sure that our core group of people knew how to talk to the public, and how to be customer-service oriented.”
The goal of the staff is to be as empathetic as possible, especially since most customers are in pain from some type of injury. All of their products; which include edibles, flower for smoking, pre-rolled joints, vape cartridges, and cannabis-infused oil; can assist with these ailments, according to Moon.
“There are different ways that you can consume cannabis,” said Moon. “It all will deliver the same type of effect, but the way that you consume it is different depending on your personal preference.”
Affinity has their own facility in Clinton, just north of Worcester. This is where they grow their own flower and roll their own pre-joints. According to Moon, they are just starting to develop their own brand of vape cartridges and edibles there as well.
“Until we have that up and running, which should be next month, we get those from all over Massachusetts,” said Moon. “We can’t cross state borders.”
Before Affinity, Moon was in retail management for around 20 years, and she was the store manager at the Lee Premium Outlets. She had to change course after COVID-19 though, and Affinity became her next move.
“What really sets us apart is that customer service piece,” said Moon. “I want to make sure that every single person that comes in here has a great experience.”
Residents have the option to order their products online as well, for pickup at the dispensary. Visit https://www.affinityne.com for more information.