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Date: 11/16/2022
CHICOPEE – Owners Jim and Lisa Robinson celebrated the grand opening of their recreational cannabis dispensary JimBuddy’s Rec Shop during an Nov. 2 ribbon cutting ceremony at its 1269 Memorial Dr. location. With its debut, JimBuddy’s Rec Shop becomes the third dispensary to open in Chicopee.
The opening of JimBuddy’s Rec Shop marks a chapter of expansion for the Robinsons. The business owners opened JimBuddy’s Glass Gallery & Vape Shop next door at 1271 Memorial Dr. in 2015. In 2018, when cannabis was legalized by Massachusetts voters, the Robinsons rented the neighboring 1269 Memorial Dr. property with the aspiration of opening a dispensary.
JimBuddy’s Rec Shop received a special permit from Chicopee in April 2021 before making its official debut on Oct. 1. Before entering the cannabis field, Jim Robinson worked in architecture design for 18 years before getting suddenly laid off from his position.
“They just wiped it all out and I didn’t know what to do, and it was 2013, medical [cannabis] came out,” said Jim Robinson in an interview with Reminder Publishing.
Soon after, Jim Robinson became a medical cannabis caregiver, treating patients with his traveling backpack of cannabis products.
“I had a backpack full of cannabis and a suitcase full of vaporizers, and I was going to people’s houses legally as a caregiver medicating them, and I thought, ‘That’s what I want to do,’” said Jim Robinson.
Jim Robinson shared that JimBuddy’s Glass Gallery & Vape Shop enjoyed success when opening in 2015 during a spike in popularity for vape products. He aspired for the vape store to catapult his business endeavors toward cannabis.
“Vape catapulted us to cannabis, which was the dream all along,” said Jim Robinson.
Jim Robinson utilized his architecture background to write a proposal for receiving a host community agreement (HCA) in Chicopee. He said the remodeling of the Jim Buddy’s Rec Shop required “a way more intense process” that required several extensive security and operational additions.
“If I wasn’t in construction, I wouldn’t have been able to figure that stuff out, so construction really helped me in terms of the public sector portion of it,” said Jim Robinson.
As an avid cannabis user, Jim Robinson said he believes in the positive medical effects of cannabis.
“The big benefit of consuming cannabis is the cannabidiol that you consume. Inside your body, you have what’s called an endocannabinoid system, which helps your body heal from all sorts of things … When you consume cannabis, you’re bolstering your endocannabinoid system and maintain homeostasis on the chemical levels in your body,” said Jim Robinson.
JimBuddy’s Rec Shop opens as a social equity applicant, which supports people from communities that were disproportionately harmed by cannabis prohibition and enforcement.
Jim Robinson stressed that his dispensary will not operate as a corporatized entity, focusing on supporting other cannabis industry social equity applicants through curating their products. Currently, JimBuddy’s Rec Shop includes products from small businesses located in Florence, Whately and Pittsfield.
“I’m looking for small businesses to deal with, because that’s what we are … I’m looking for other candidates like myself, social equity applicants or economic empowerment applicants,” said Jim Robinson.
Chicopee Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Melissa Breor championed the opening of JimBuddy’s Rec Shop as an expansion of the Robinsons’ prior operation.
“One of my favorite parts of their story is that Jim is from Chicopee, [the Robinsons] decided to make their life here in Chicopee and they made sure their business was going to be in Chicopee. It’s wonderful,” said Breor.
Breor also highlighted how the JimBuddy’s Rec Shop’s debut ties in with the continual growth of the cannabis industry.
“The cannabis industry has been expanding quite rapidly. It represents a lot of economic growth and development in communities, and it’s excellent now people have an extra option to spend their recreational dollars in Chicopee,” said Breor.
Additionally, Mayor John Vieau celebrated the grand opening of JimBuddy’s Rec Shop during the ribbon cutting ceremony.
“We wish the Robinsons many years of success and a prosperous endeavor,” said Vieau.
Reflecting on the business opening, Jim Robinson expressed his pride in being a part of the modern cannabis industry.
“I am proud that cannabis made it to the mainstream … I knew in 1984 that cannabis was medicine, and the world has finally caught up. I am proud to be part of the modern cannabis industry,” said Jim Robinson.
Readers can learn more about JimBuddy’s Rec Shop at https://jimbuddysrecshop.com/.