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Date: 10/27/2021
AMHERST – RedCardinal, the town’s first solely recreational use cannabis dispensary, opened Sept. 1 and has started to carve its own unique corner. Stationed at the end of the stores within the plaza on College Street, the new store offers a voice for the unheard in recreational marijuana use, according to ownership.
“That’s how we see ourselves. People that have piercings or tattoos or different sexual preferences, just removing the stigma and taboo that can come with the lifestyle of people who use cannabis is something we want,” said Sammy Carabetta, general manager of RedCardinal.
Carabetta, 30, had always been interested in working within a dispensary like this, but never thought it would come to fruition the way it has where he is general managing a store. Being the third dispensary to be added to the Amherst community, RedCardinal stands out with their bold red banner and sign outside the store.
The name comes from founder Sam Carabetta, Sammy’s father. In working toward opening a dispensary of his own, Sam was one day approached by a cardinal and things fell together from there. Something about the bird’s presence stood out and resonated with not only Sam, but also his son and everyone involved in the business.
“We’re all about acceptance and perseverance and standing out. The red cardinal is a non-migratory bird and its not afraid to show its color. It’s not leaving the cold in the winter to go to a warm place, it’s sticking it out. It’s different,” Sammy Carabetta said. “We want to stand out like that red cardinal and be able to provide that type of education to people who may have a stigma against it.”
On their website, red-cardinal.com, they write, “Respect. Equality. Dignity. These are the cardinal virtues of everything we stand for and what we offer to every customer we serve. Integrity and transparency are key in everything we do. We believe that each day affords a new opportunity to live up to our company mission of helping our customers live happier, more fulfilling lives with the use of our premier products and guidance from our experts, and we are passionate about bringing that mission to life. We do what we love, and we love what we do … Our customers and our community are at the very core of what matters to us most.”
While RedCardinal is still about a year away from having their own product, according to Sammy, community interest and feedback has been solid for the new business. Being able to stand out and take customer feedback into consideration is what RedCardinal is focused on as they continue to grow through their first year.
“Everybody has been coming in and letting us know they’ve been waiting for our store to open and we’re happy to hear about that. A lot of people are like, ‘I live so close to here, we’ve been waiting for this,” Carabetta said. “Listening to the customers and what they want and bringing it to life is important to us. Actually, taking into consideration what they’re saying and what we’re hearing. We want to reform how people think about this stuff.”
RedCardinal is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily and offers online ordering for pick up on their website.