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CONTINUES FROM PAGE J15 that the benefits are not new, but they are just now being accepted.

He said there are still many barriers with cannabis, as it is not federally legal. As a result, they could not obtain a bank loan so they had to rely on private investors. With funding from a social equity company, they raised twice the amount they were seeking.

In Holyoke, their space will feature a full production commercial kitchen that will function as both a bakery market, federal regulations that increase its tax burden and federal regulations that mean that while marijuana companies compete for customers across state lines, they cannot move product across state lines in response to market conditions.

Add to that retailers, including Meg Sanders, CEO and an owner of Canna Provisions with shops in Lee and Holyoke and a growing facility in the Berkshires, see a general economic downturn cutting into consumer’s discretionary spending. Discretionary as in money for cannabis.

“I think ’23 is going to be a tough year for a lot of us,” she said.

In January, Springfield’s dispensaries told a City Council a use,” she said.

McGinnes said the company builds all of its own equipment at its 50,000-squarefoot facility.

The company used 5,000 square feet of warehouse space for production space in 2021 due to the increased demand for swabs. Prior to that, in 2019, the company panel of falling prices while also asking for extended retail hours.

Connecticut opened its first licensed shops in January. It’s only nine shops right now and the nearest one to Springfield is in Torrington. But entrepreneurs have set their sights on locations between Hartford and Springfield.

McGinnes. The first year saw $30,000 in sales. Last year, sales were approximately $1.5 million.

Super Brush products are sold on its website, superbrush.com, under the how-to-buy tab, and also are sold through Amazon, which features the company’s hobby kit swabs, cosmetic swabs, added a new 10,000-squarefoot wing. There have been talks about adding another building to the property, but that is still in the exploratory stages.

Today, its customers buy swabs in a wide range of sizes for the aerospace, industrial, medical, printing, electronics and firearm industries.

Super Brush calls its retail line Swab-its, and “A swab for every job!” is its tagline. It makes reusable swabs to clean firearms through its Bore-tips and Gun-tips brands and for car detailing. The car detailing swabs can clean air vents, cup holders, knobs and buttons, and seat seams.

Eight years ago, the company branched into retail e-commerce, according to and beverage production area. They are in the beginning stages of the business and currently revamping their facility, a $250,000 project.

The two have strong ties to the city and that’s why they wanted to base their business where they grew up.

The pair say they complement each other, with Bleau’s culinary background teaching culinary arts at South Hadley High School, and Rosario’s experience working in sales and marketing.

They are hoping to receive the final license in the second quarter. They plan to printer cleaning swabs, and mixed bag of swabs in various shapes and sizes. hire up to 10 employees, all of whom must be at least 21 years old.

Super Brush also benefited from an “open call” with Wal-Mart in which the retail giant asks small- and mid-sized companies to pitch their American-made products. As a result, Super Brush’s firearm cleaning swabs and car care kit can be found in the stores.

“Wal-Mart likes us because we are U.S. made,” she said.

“It was like winning the lottery,” McGinnes said about being picked by WalMart to showcase products in its stores.

Product will be produced and then dropped off at dispensaries in Massachusetts. They also want to obtain licenses for other states such as Connecticut and New York so they can market their products there.

The Holyoke site will not be open to the public.

Their goal is to have the production facility open before Memorial Day. Their distribution plan is to be in at least 80 to 100 stores by the year’s end.

“It’s been a journey, but very exciting,” Rosario said.

Super Brush is a leader in foam swab technology with uses in the medical, household, hobby, automotive and firearms industries.

And legal sales are expected soon in New York’s capital region around Albany.

In Massachusetts, the marijuana industry recently passed a milestone. Gross sales of all adult-use, that is recreational, cannabis products totaled 4 billion at the end of last month. The state records marijuana sales at a $28 million a week clip. The state has 275 licensed retailers and 156 pending license applications.

But there is trouble. In December, Northampton marijuana shop The Source closed. It was the first shop in the state to close, surrendering its license. Other shops had closed because parent organizations merged and ran up against the threestore ownership limit.

Northampton City Council followed up by passing a limit on the number of cannabis shops, a ban the city’s mayor said she would not sign.

And prices for marijuana products have fallen over the last year. According to stats kept by the state’s Cannabis Control Commission, an ounce of flower — the most commonly purchased form of the product — retailed a few weeks ago for $228.88. That’s up from $219 an ounce earlier in the week. But well off the $388 price recorded a year ago in early 2022. Also, federal tax law penalizes marijuana companies, said Noam Hirschberger, principal in the forensic, litigation and valuation group at PKF O’Connor Davies in New York City. Operators cannot write off

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CONTINUES FROM PAGE J10 driver of visitation to Western Massachusetts, where tourism serves as the third largest industry.

Other significant changes to our museums in 2023 include establishing an exhibition on the history of the Latino community in Springfield and updating the abolition exhibition in the Lyman & Merrie Wood Museum of Springfield History.

As part of our Seuss-iversary celebration, we launched Grinchmas on Nov. 5 with the opening of the Grinch’s Grotto in the history museum. The museums are the only venue in the country to host this popup interactive display which is surrounded by hands-on activity areas and enlivened