HOLYOKE Compared to some of the big businesses currently dominating Massachusetts recreational marijuana industry,Frank Dailey said he knows thenew cannabis dispensaryhe opened last week,Boston Bud Factory, isthe little guy.

ButDailey said such a distinction is what helpsmake the citys second adult-use marijuanastore, at 73Sargeant St., unique. It giveshim an opportunity to provide customers with quality marijuana products andcannabis education in a more relaxed, individually-focused environment.

We dont want to be the big guys, Dailey said. We want to be the little neighborhood store.

ASpringfield native, Dailey attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst where he received a bachelors degree in chemical engineering. He soon became a process engineer until he moved into working in operations management. He co-owns Boston Bud Factory withCarlo Sarno, a Longmeadow businessman who Dailey described as a background manager hes support and Im the day-to-day.

The recreational marijuana dispensary first inked a host community agreement with the city of Holyoke in May 2018 and was given its provisional license by the state Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) about a year later. The store was granted its final retail license in April, but did not get the green light to open until just recently.

Dailey said he was an economic empowerment applicant with the CCC, a program implemented to give priority review and licensure to businesses looking to open in areas that aredisproportionately impacted by the war on drugs. Daileyplans on holding job fairs at nearbyNueva Esperanza when its safe to do so, as he wants the store to hire employeeswho live inthe neighborhood.

The selection of products onBoston Bud Factorys 800-square-foot retail floorat the moment include vaporizers, joints, flower, edibles, tinctures and other items from suppliers within the state, including Green Thumb Industries, which manufactures marijuana products at 28 Appleton St. in Holyoke. Dailey said he wants to add smaller suppliers to his roster so customerscan get different tastes of cannabis from around Massachusetts.

We want a selection from all across the state, Dailey said. The little guysthat are battling the same battles we have and are looking for opportunities into the market.

He plans on starting a deli-style flower selection process, where cashiersweigh out marijuana in front of the customer instead of sellingit pre-packaged. In addition, Daileyconstructedaconsultation area/education center in his store that is filled with cannabis literature so customers can read and learn about pot.He said being able to display to customers the product as they learn about it enhances their buying experience.

Most of the dispensaries dont have areas where you can just sit there and look around, he said. We welcome people, post-COVID and safely, to come in and spend time here and educate themselves.

Meanwhile, Dailey is waiting for a second license from the CCC for a manufacturing operation in the far back of the store, which he hopes to receive sometime in August. He already has the machinery set upfor the CO2 extraction process neededtocreate his own brand of vape cartridges and other products in a smallproduction room.

That all gets back to my chemical engineering background, Dailey joked.

Ultimately, Dailey said hes excited to finally open his business and hopes to open more dispensaries in the future.He said that ifthe CCC eventually allowssocial consumption of marijuana, he would be interested in setting up an area for that on the dispensarysroof.

Getting this store open was the first step, he said. Anything is possible.

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'We don't want to be the big guys': Boston Bud Factory opens in Holyoke - GazetteNET