Day Trip to

Day Trip to BRIMFIELD

Bring back a little something extra

Pioneer Cannabis Co., a family owned and run operation, recently opened their doors at 275 Sturbridge Rd. in Brimfield. Maura Doyle, CEO, founded this business with her father, Chris Kenny.

Doyle, who is a Connecticut resident, said when they began searching for a place to open a shop, cannabis was not legalized in CT. This led them to look for a town in Massachusetts that was relatively close to the line.

Not only did Doyle’s family find the space in Brimfield to bring their business to fruition, but they built the dispensary from the ground up. “My dad ran the entire year-long project, I did the painting, my husband did the floors and my mom picked out all the fixtures,” she said. Doyle described this project as a “true labor of love – an exhausting one.”

When constructing and designing the building, Doyle said they wanted their dispensary to be different from others. “We wanted ours to be homey and comfortable [for customers],” she said. “We want [our customers] to hang out with us.” She noted that they always have country music playing.

On May 6, the building finally opened for business. Doyle said, “business was good” and “traffic was steady” throughout the opening weekend. “[We had] a line out the door,” she added.

Pioneer’s grand opening was only a few days before the largest event in town began, the Brimfield Flea Market. Operating three times a year, in May, July and September, the flea market has a variety of vendors that attract thousands of visitors.

During the May show, Doyle said they received a lot of business from people heading to the flea market. Pioneer Cannabis Co. is only one mile away from the hub of the antique show.

Although Pioneer is not a part of the show, Doyle said there are some dispensaries who take part in it. To make use of the close proximity and promote their new business, Doyle said they displayed large banners outside to catch the public’s eye. During the flea market, Doyle said, “Traffic [was] backed up all the way to our store.” By displaying the banners for those who are bumper to bumper, she said this attracted even more customers. From Texas to California and all the way to London, Doyle said they brought in customers from around the world.

For both the vendors and the people attending the flea market, Doyle said it’s a tradition. She shared that one of her customers who was visiting the show came in from Canada. Doyle said he comes in every year and recalled that where Pioneer is now,

used to be a hotel that he stayed at when frequenting the flea market. Doyle noted that the weekend before the start of the flea market was also busy, with a lot of vendors stopping in, in between setting up their booths.

During this busy time, Doyle noticed that a lot of customers were interested in edibles and seltzers. As Pioneer primarily does pre-rolls and flower, she said they couldn’t keep the other products in stock. “Edibles and the Levia THC Seltzers are very popular during hot weather,” said Doyle.

Along with the July flea market, Doyle and her team are preparing for the September flea market. The next Brimfield Flea Market will run from Sept. 6 - 11.

Doyle said they will continue to display their banners and remain hopeful in attracting even more customers as the word of Pioneer Cannabis Co. continues to spread.

Doyle explained that they do not have any cultivation. They receive their products from other cultivators.

She said they tailor the menu to everyone and if they do not have a product in stock, they will order it for a customer to have within the week. “We want to be [like a] high end package store … we can get a product [if a customer wants it],” she said. “Customer service is super important to us.”

Pioneer Cannabis Co. is dog friendly and offers CBD treats for four-legged friends. The dispensary is open daily, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT PIONEER CANNABIS CO., VISIT: PIONEERCANNABISCOMPANY.COM