Stamford's Fine Fettle Dispensary Prepares For Retail Marijuana Sales

STAMFORD, CT — Jan. 10, 2023, will be a big day in Connecticut, as recreational adult marijuana sales will officially begin.

In Stamford, Fine Fettle Dispensary, one of nine locations in the state to receive a hybrid license for both recreational and medical sales, has been preparing for Tuesday for months.

Medical dispensaries that wanted to convert had to submit an application to the state and check with local towns to make sure they could sell recreational product, said Attorney Michelle Bodian, who heads Connecticut’s marijuana compliance division for law firm Vicente Sederburg.

Dispensaries that were approved under Connecticut’s lottery and social equity program will come online in the future as well.

"We're incredibly excited. This is a huge deal for not just us — we're a small part of it — but it's a huge deal for the state of Connecticut," Fine Fettle's Chief Operating Officer Benjamin Zachs told Patch Monday. "We think this is great for Stamford, we think this is great for the stigma around cannabis. We think this is great for social equity and criminal justice, so this is just a big momentous day for so many in so many ways."

A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held at 9:30 a.m., Tuesday at Fine Fettle Dispensary, located at 12 Research Drive in the Glenbrook section of Stamford. Adult recreational sales will begin at 10 a.m.

Other states that have introduced recreational sales in recent years have seen long lines at dispensaries on the first day. In an effort to avoid that and make sure operations run smoothly, Fine Fettle is asking customers to place a pre-order online.

"Think of it as a restaurant reservation or an appointment. People can go on the menu [online], pick a time, pick their product and place a pre-order, and then have their appointment," Zachs said. He added that the menu was expected to go live Monday afternoon.

"We're trying to make it as efficient and as smooth of a transition and operation as we can so we're not going to have people queing up and placing an order right at the register," he said. "We want it all to be sort of handled beforehand so that we don't run into huge lines and huge delays, and that people can come in and go upon their merry day rather than having essentially a fear of the unknown."

If customers show up without a reservation, staff will be on hand to help people place an order. If there's an appointment window within 15 minutes, the order will be prepared, otherwise customers will be asked to come back at a certain assigned time.

There will be eight registers open inside the 5,200-square-foot facility, Zachs said. Roughly 30 employees will be at the dispensary all day Tuesday to help. Going forward, there will be about 20-22 employees working per shift.

With regards to parking demand on Research Drive, Zachs said Fine Fettle has hired CT-based LAZ Parking to help with management. Fine Fettle has also rented a parking lot nearby for employees, so the on-site parking will be solely dedicated to customers.

"I think we've done an amazing job to be as prepared as possible, both physically in our facility as well as our technology and training staff," Zach said. "This is a big day, but it's also a little bit of the unknown. I think we're going to handle it with incredible customer service, incredible professionalism and safety."

As far as the recreational menu, Zachs said it will differ slightly from the medical side due to regulations on what can be sold. He said customers can expect traditional flower, pre-rolls, vape cartridges, gummies and more products that are widely seen at dispensaries in other states.

Consumers age 21 or over can purchase a total of ¼ ounce of cannabis flower or its equivalent per transaction.

Out-of-state residents over the age of 21 can purchase marijuana in Connecticut, but it's still illegal to cross state lines with product.

— This post contains previous reporting from Patch Editor Rich Scinto

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