By Dylan Marsh
EAGLE TIMES STAFF
WINDSOR, Vt. — Ralph Farnsworth, owner of DePot Shop, the soon to open cannabis dispensary, says his focuses are atmosphere and keeping it local.
DePot Shop, located on Depot Street in Windsor, is currently awaiting final licensing from the state of Vermont, after sales of recreational cannabis was made legal on October 1st of this year.
With his new business, Farnsworth has already found interesting ways to create a fun and local atmosphere. When customers walk into the dispensary, the first thing they will notice is the all-wooden rustic feel of the store, which Farnsworth says all comes from local timber. The intentional design comes from a desire to keep to his traditional Vermont roots as dispensaries can often feel impersonal.
As for the products on the shelves, DePot Shop is partnering with local cannabis growers. A number of nearby marijuana cultivators who had until recently been growing the plant for its CBD qualities have transferred over to the more psychoactive THC. According to Farnsworth, he looks forward to seeing local dispensaries and farmers all working to the same goals.
“Everything we have in here came out of local lumber mills, all the live edge stuff we’ve done is all from local people with local materials,” said Farnsworth of the interior of the shop, going on to say, “I’m just trying to keep it a little more rustic, a little bit more in the backwoods Vermont feel.”
Farnsworth, who retired from automotive sales last year, is a local himself and no stranger to agriculture. According to Farnsworth, he was quite literally born on a farm and then raised on farms in Windsor and Hartland. With the start of the store, he looks to partner with other local entities to offer a specific Vermont experience.
“We have all these beautiful trails right behind the space. The Windsor Exchange is right across the street. I’d love to have people come pick up their order and then go check that space out or go for a hike right in our backyard,” Farnsworth said.
Safety and certainty are other key issues DePot Shop is looking forward to offering the community. Farnsworth spoke to issues with people buying potentially laced marijuana from a drug dealer and the dangers that can arise when purchasing marijuana from an unknown source.
“People just want to know where they’re going and that they’re safe. Everybody has a fear of synthetic drugs being put in their marijuana. When they come here, they know they can feel safe and secure and I think that’s a huge factor,” said Farnsworth.
DePot Shop won’t be the only cannabis dispensary coming to Windsor in the near future. Stone Leaf Dispensary on Artisan’s Way is also awaiting proper licensing. For Farnsworth, having another store in town is really exciting.
“When someone goes shopping, they don’t just go to one store and buy the first thing they see and leave. A lot of people are going to go check that place out and get some of what they have, and then come down and see what we have. The fact that you can do that within a four-mile drive is really cool,” Farnsworth said.
Along with the shop, the company has recently purchased a nearby building in which they look to be cultivating their own cannabis within the next one to two years. With that building they intend to produce enough product that they will be able to begin providing cannabis to the state of Vermont.
Included in the cost of purchase will be Vermont’s 14% excise tax. For comparison Massachusetts has a 10.75% excise tax on retail marijuana and as a result, reported in December 2021 that the state had taken in over $74 million dollars for the year.
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