A second marijuana dispensary is open in Gardner - what you need to know
A second recreational marijuana dispensary has opened its doors in Gardner.
Joint Operations, a veteran co-owned business with stores in Mendon and Rowley, officially opened its newest location at 320 West Broadway in Timpany Crossroads Plaza on Sunday.
The establishment was hoping to open its doors one day earlier, on the coveted 4/20 date, but Daniel Lencioni said delays with the state Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) meant they would have to settle for the later date.
“The CCC delayed so we were just waiting for a very long time to open way before 4/20,” he said. “We were supposed to open on April 10, but here we are on 4/21. And I do believe that everything happens for a reason.”
The dispensary, which specializes in flowers, pre-roll, vaporizers, edibles and topicals, will be open daily 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., except for Friday and Saturday, when the shop will remain open until 10 p.m. each night. A daily blog on the Joint Operations website covers topics like "A Beginner’s Guide to Cannabis Consumption,” “Influential Women Within the Massachusetts Cannabis Industry,” and the “Surprising Health Benefits of Cannabis.”
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Timpany Crossroads an ideal location for marijuana dispensary
Being in Timpany Crossroads, along with Starbucks, 99 Restaurant, and a forthcoming Jersey Mike’s, was the perfect location for the newest Joint Operations store, according to Lencioni.
“This plaza is amazing,” he said. “Everything looks just so beautiful.”
Lencioni said he hoped customers would soon find that Joint Operations offered the best products at the best prices, with a customer service experience like no other in the industry. Every third Saturday, he explained, is "customer appreciation day" at Joint Operations.
Budtender Susan Lee-Waite was among the first of the business’s 15 employees to be hired. In fact, she didn’t even wait for the building to be finished before she managed to talk herself into a position.
“Well, the location was key – I knew this would be a very busy place once it opened,” Lee-Waite said. “And of course Dan’s personality pulled me right in. He made the mistake of giving me his cell phone number, and I kept in touch. Because I knew I wanted to work here.”
Customers will appreciate knowledgeable staff, selection and 'vibe'
Asked what potential customers will find appealing about Joint Operations, Lee-Waite said it would be the knowledgeable staff, the vibe, the selection, and the prices.
“It has pretty much everything that you’re looking for,” she said. “You know, it’s an interesting concept: treat the customers really nice with the pricing and the service, and they come back.”
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Sanctuary Medicinals, the city’s first medicinal and recreational marijuana dispensary, opened on Pearson Boulevard in 2019. But Lencioni said he looked forward to the competition between the two businesses. “Competition is amazing,” he said.
This article originally appeared on Gardner News: Joint Operations marijuana dispensary opens in North Central Mass.
