BY ADAM ATKINSON
North Country This Week

POTSDAM -- The second cannabis dispensary in the town of Potsdam has opened in the former Olympia Sports store in the Tractor Supply shopping complex off Route 11.

The Firehaus Dispensary opened today (Wednesday, Dec. 13) at 7479 U.S. Route 11. and before the newest cannabis store in town welcomed its first customers at 1 p.m., owner Brian Mandell was busy organizing employees, taking inventory and getting things ready.

"We are hoping it's real busy. That it gets too busy," Mandell joked before the store opened its doors to customers.

"People have been pulling up all day to ask when we would be open," said the dispensary owner, a North Country native who built a business selling rare and hard-to-find shoes.

The Firehaus will be the first adult-use cannabis dispensary supported by the New York Cannabis Social Equity Investment Fund and designed and built with the help of the Dormitory Authority of New York State under a process laid out by state Office of Cannabis Management.

The fund provides start up cash, and other business resources for entrepreneurs who have been awarded Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary (CAURD) licenses through the OCM. To be eligible for a CAURD license, at least 30 percent of the license holders must have been previously convicted of a marijuana offense.

"This initiative has allowed the state to invest in a private fund to finance the leasing and equipping of conditional adult-use retail dispensaries throughout New York State for operation by individuals who have been impacted by the inequitable enforcement of cannabis laws. It is the first of its kind in the nation," said Jeffrey Gordon, DASNY director of communications.

Mandell said he originally had set an opening date of Aug. 17 and then another in September. However, ongoing legal battles at the State Supreme Court level and a subsequent moratorium on licensed shops opening across the state stalled the process until a recent approval from the court got things moving again.

Mandell said while the process took awhile, the wait was more difficult on employees whom he had already hired. The store employs 15 people currently, but Mandell said they hope to have 25 on staff eventually.

"You always wish it could move quicker. The process was long," he said. Mandell said however, that the cannabis economy is a state regulated industry so you expect hurdles to get over along the way.

The North Country native credited his involvement with DASNY and the Fund with helping kick start the business.

"It would have been doable on my own but it would have taken a lot longer," he said.

Mandell said DASNY picked the location, a prime spot on Route 11 directly across from the busy Walmart store. The authority also built out everything in the store and connected Mandell to financing and bank relationships, insurance, security measures and point of sale technology.

"It really is a unique program. No other state provides this kind of support for individuals whose lives were impacted by cannabis enforcement. Brian, like all of our partners, brings business experience to the table, but the Fund helps to supplement his experience with the tools needed to do well," Gordon said.

Mandell said the opportunity was life-changing.

“My experience with cannabis earlier in my life derailed some of my hopes and plans. The Fund has helped me with the capital and all the logistics I needed to start the business. Without their help, it would have been seriously challenging for me to do this on my own," he said.

The new store features an Adirondack theme with photographs of historic Adirondack fire towers and mountain views. Two wing rooms off the main sale space will be used to showcase merchandise and tell the story of Potsdam.

"The idea is a safe place to buy safe cannabis," he said. All the products at his and other licensed dispensaries are supplied by state licensed and regulated suppliers.

The store will offer close to 400 SKUs from more than 40 different brands, all approved and regulated by the state.

No consumption will be allowed on the site, under state law. Patrons must be 21 and older.

The store will be open Sunday-Wednesday from 10 a.m.-10 p.m., and Thursday through Saturday from 10 a.m.-midnight.