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First Look: The Game-Changing Dispensary On-Deck Across From Fenway Park

First Look: The Game-Changing Dispensary On-Deck Across From Fenway Park

A hotspot pot shop that will cover all the bases, right on Lansdowne underneath the Cask


There’s no other dispensary that we can think of, in Mass or any other state, which had people lining up outside of the front door several months prior to opening.

That’s not an exaggeration; check the socials for before, during, or after any major concert that has come through House of Blues this year, and you’ll likely find pics of dem queuing partygoers peeking into the old Gold’s Gym where club bouncers in the ’90s prepped for combat on Lansdowne Street.

People ought to ogle. Because if they love getting high, they’ll likely come to worship what is in the works for this iconic corner. Any stoner connoisseur would. The New Día dispensary in construction at this storied location, directly underneath the legendary Cask ‘n Flagon, isn’t your typical weed store. Not even close.

First Look: The Game-Changing Dispensary On-Deck Across From Fenway Park

At a time when lots of pot shops are starting to look alike, Ross Bradshaw has some bold ideas for his store in the heart of Red Sox Nation. Beyond being equipped to handle the kind of traffic other retailers only dream about, New Día will exclusively sell products from select lines that will curate their own installations within the underground cannabis complex.

I don’t mean that hyperbolically. This is the biggest dispensary I’ve seen, and the first one that I know of in Mass which will have partitioned sections for different choice brands, kind of like at Macy’s.

“We’re talking about 40,000 people,” the owner said, referring to the capacity of the ballpark right across Lansdowne.

I’m not surprised by the ambition; Bradshaw’s also the dealmaker who brought Cookies to Worcester, effectively introducing the Bay State to its first marquee cannabis shop. Pointing upstairs toward the doors which open onto the street, he explained, “Intake is up there … down here … is going to be an experience.”

Per their buildout plans and Bradshaw’s description and concept, customers will get an opportunity to mingle and immerse themselves in a cannabis carnival that is collaboratively curated by various enterprises. Plus merch, murals, and more …

The idea of simply “going in and out of a dispensary like a liquor store,” he said, “is not appealing to me.”

“Obviously, on a game day, it’s going to be a fast-paced environment,” Bradshaw added, “but you can easily imagine how you can spend 40 minutes in here.”


CHRIS FARAONE
About the author

Chris is the editor and co-founder of Talking Joints Memo, a co-founder of the Boston Institute for Nonprofit Journalism, and a longtime reporter for outlets including the Boston Phoenix and DigBoston. He started his career as a music journalist and has been honored to collaborate with the likes of cannabis icons like Cypress Hill and Wu-Tang on book projects. He also plays pickleball and would love more people to play with who also smoke weed.