Fine Fettle opens first recreational cannabis retail in Norwalk

The May 21 ribbon cutting for the grand opening of Fine Fettle’s new adult use recreational cannabis dispensary in Norwalk happened late in the afternoon, but lines formed before the facility opened its doors at 9 in the morning.

The lines stayed long throughout the day, snaking out the front door, through a tent where a handful of vendors offered paraphernalia and hemp products that lack the legal restrictions, and the psychoactive chemical tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), found in the dispensary proper. The eager customers were diverse in terms of age and race, as well as clothing. Some were bundled against the cold mid-March winds; others were sporting basketball shorts.

“You can see that the only consistency of our customer is inconsistency,” said Fine Fettle’s COO Benjamin Zachs to a delegation of officials from Norwalk’s city government.

“21 to 91, male, female, black, brown, white, everyone in the middle,” Zachs added, leading the city officials behind the sales counter to show the facility’s secure storage space. “And it’s not like our 90-year-olds buy the same thing as the 21-year-olds. Every one of our employees we train to figure out and ask questions and hear the answers about what people are looking for.”

That attentive sales approach is particularly important, Zachs explained, because of state regulations.

“In Connecticut you can’t keep [the product] out there. There’s no smell, there’s no scent, there’s no unpackaging, there’s no display. Everything is in the back.”

Zachs also told the visitors from town government, including appointed officials and several members of the Norwalk Common Council about partnering with Green Cab, a cannabis delivery service that would fulfill orders in the city and surrounding towns, and the emergence of products like drinks containing THC, while discussing the renovations made to what was once the used car lot of Garavel Subaru.

Josh Goldstein, -member-at-large for the Norwalk Common Council said that the opening was the result of hard work on the part of both Fine Fettle’s owners and the city government.

“We put rules in place to make sure it’s in a place that’s accessible to people but not too close to important things like churches or schools,” Goldstein said. “We want to make sure that people can consume cannabis legally and safely.”

Goldstein said he believed that the new location would be a positive for the town, saying “I hope it will be a new business with opportunities for new jobs.”

He also pointed out that the state allows for a three percent municipal sales tax.

“Three percent of every purchase goes to the city and helps support programs for education and a whole series of community improvement programs,” Goldstein said. “That’s something that we as a municipality are going to have to get involved in.”

While  not as historic an event as Fine Fettle’s first recreational use openings across the state on January 10, 2023, the Norwalk location is  nonetheless the first recreational use dispensary in the city and only the fifth to open in Fairfield County. Fine Fettle’s Stamford location was the first, aided in part by the location was already serving as a medical use dispensary. Stamford is also home to a Curaleaf dispensary. There are two other dispensaries serving the Danbury area, a BUDR location and The Botanist.

Only 19 locations in Connecticut currently sell adult use cannabis to any customer over the age of 21 for recreational purposes, with a larger number providing access to higher potency products for medical use which requires a prescription. The Norwalk Fine Fettle location is part of the emerging class of recreational use only retail location without offering medical grade cannabis products.

“We’re now up to 30 dispensaries across the state,” said Adam Wood, president and founder of the Connecticut Cannabis Chamber of Commerce after the ribbon cutting. “It’s going to continue to grow and accelerate. I think that the big thing that’s going to happen this year is you’re going to see some cultivators come online, and that’s going to be very helpful.”

“It’s going to expand the amount of product, the flower available, and the product offerings that consumers have to choose from,” Wood added. He noted that efforts were underway to reform branding rules not only in Connecticut but also New York and Massachusetts which have also legalized recreational cannabis use, with an eye towards making the industry more competitive overall.

The unique legal status of cannabis, fully legalized for recreational use in 24 states, legal for medical use in a further 14 and decriminalized in several states that still bar possession while being fully illegal at the federal level continues to pose a challenge to the industry as a whole.

While Connecticut and all surrounding states have legalized recreational cannabis the federal government can enforce the laws whenever it chooses, and bringing the products across the border brings the case into federal jurisdiction automatically. While the different regulations governing the amount of THC permitted in recreational use and price minimums that have been  set by the states can complicate matters, the federal regulations remain the biggest single issue for cannabis sales

In February the AP reported on Connecticut facing a shortage of marijuana and cannabis supplies as producers struggled to supply existing stores, while New York growers found themselves with large amounts of unsold product after dispensaries failed to open as fast as expected.

Despite challenges such as supply bottlenecks and a number of communities staunchly opposed to the opening of marijuana dispensaries, Wood predicts that the Fine Fettle in Norwalk will soon be followed by others.

“What I see is that people are pursuing locations in places like Canton or other suburban areas,” Wood said. “Some places have moratoriums; some places are ending their moratoriums. I think you’ll see expansion.”

He also predicted that the Fine Fettle location in Norwalk may not remain the only dispensary in the city.

“I think you’ll see expansion, Norwalk’s a great community. It’s got a growing population, so I think this is a great community to serve. You’ll probably see other operators come here to Norwalk as well.”