ADAMS, Mass. — Adams welcomed its first cannabis dispensary last week with a red ribbon flourish. 

 

Indica Cannabis has been open since mid-June but on Friday, officials gathered to formally greet the town's newest business with a traditional ribbon cutting. 

 

"The town invited me in. This is the only place I wanted to be," said Kerry Raheb, owner of Indica LLC. "It was a struggle from day one ... but we did a great business, the town's amazing, the residents are amazing and we have the best team anyone could have."

 

Selectman Howard Rosenberg saluted Raheb's perseverance over the two years it took to make his way through the state and local permitting process. 

 

"The hoops you had to pass through, the regulatory part, those were no small hurdles so congratulations on that," he said. And he joked a little on the "historic times" they were living in. 

 

"Thirty years ago, something like this, a cruiser would drive up and we'd all get pushed into the back of it," he said to laughter. "But now we get to ride in the front seat."

 

Indica is located at 127 Columbia St., which has been at various times a hippie shop, Chinese restaurant and, long ago, the Towne House bar and restaurant. 

 

The exterior has been spruced up and the first floor completely renovated and highlighted in Indica's blue, green and black signature colors. Indicas are a type of cannabis native to parts of Southeast Asia, particularly the Hindu Kush region. 

 

The shop offers a wide variety of products, including concentrates, edibles, beverages, pre rolls and tinctures and uses local growers like Berkshire Roots as well as MassGrow. 

 

Raheb said pre-rolls, flowers and vaporizers are top sellers in Adams. When asked, he said he hasn't seen any sign there's an oversaturation of shops. 

 

"I think we're pulling business from a lot of the stores because we offer great product at a great price," he said. "We're not looking to price gouge, we take care of our customers. So as far as our business, it's exceeded what we expected opening up and we're in first gear, we haven't really gotten going yet. ...

 

"This is the first store in Adams, there's only 500 or so in the state. As far as retail, not everybody offers the product we offer at the price we offer. We're confident that we're going to thrive."

 

Two of the shop's clerks, Cameron Lutz and Dani Cook, rocking its blue and green colors in their hair, said they really enjoyed their jobs. "It's the best job I've had," said Cook. 

 

Cook had been there since the dispensary opened, Lutz joined a few weeks ago. Raheb said there were about 10 people employees total and that he hadn't had any problems in finding good staff. The dispensary's been getting 10 or 15 applications a day, he said, noting there are a lot checks that applicants have to go through before being hired. 

 

Getting the business open — from the licensing, permitting and renovation — took a lot of effort and a lot of partners, Raheb said. "It's rewarding but it's a difficult process and not for the faint of heart."

 

Though a Vermont resident, he said Adams was his choice from the beginning. 

 

"The majority of the people are extremely happy we're here and they thank us every day for being here," he said. 

 

Town Administrator Jay Green noted that Adams was among the first communities to create a cannabis bylaw but has only recently begun to see the benefits. Its first marijuana cultivation facility opened a few weeks ago and now the first dispensary. 

 

"It's always a great day for the town when we open any new business," he said, "Adams is a community of small businesses and that's what keeps us going."

 

It was enjoyable to watch Raheb work through the process and achieve his dream, Green said. "We know what it means to you do to this and to do it here in Adams ... 

 

"We get a lot of satisfaction of watching somebody achieve their dream."

 

Indica Cannabis is located at 127 Columbia St. and its hours are 10 to 8 Monday through Saturday and 10 to 6 on Sunday. More information here: 413-776-7066.