Standing inside the nearly ready-to-open Worcester cannabis dispensary Major Bloom, Ulysses Youngblood said his focus is on creating a space that feels familiar to traditional market consumers.
“Retail is cool and all, but honestly my mindset is more on the traditional market,” he said. “Most people who buy cannabis on the gray market, on the black market, they’re not used to dispensaries.”
Youngblood, who co-founded Major Bloom with Laury Lucien, said they’re targeting the traditional user base because he feels that most dispensaries focus on new consumers.
“I think it’s important just to honor the legacy,” he said.
While Major Bloom is starting with retail, they also plan to add manufacturing operations and delivery. Youngblood said they plan to make blunts, edibles and tinctures, hopefully within the next few months.
“I talk to people all the time who have used cannabis for a long time and don’t go to dispensaries,” he said. “I think the unique part, and this is why I love the manufacturing, is there are some parts you can’t do on the traditional market that I feel need to be in a controlled environment like our space.”
That’s true especially with dosing edibles or filling vape cartridges, he said. With Major Bloom, Youngblood wants to give customers of the traditional market safe products in a comfortable atmosphere.
Delivery in particular, Youngblood said, helps connect with consumers from the traditional cannabis space.
“Meeting people in parking lots and at their crib, that’s legacy. That’s traditional,” he said.
Major Bloom is located at 76 Millbury St., just a short walk away from the updated Kelley Square intersection, Polar Park stadium and the bustling shops and restaurants on Green and Water streets. The location had been abandoned for 20 years until Major Bloom stepped in, Youngblood said.
The state Cannabis Control Commission gave a final inspection of the dispensary on Monday. Now, Major Bloom, an economic empowerment applicant, is just waiting for a notice to commence operations. Once the notice is issued by the CCC, the shop can open in three days.
Youngblood said Major Bloom was very intentional when hiring its 18 employees, the majority of whom are Black or brown people from the Worcester area. Pay at Major Bloom is $19 an hour.
As the dispensary space went from empty and dusty to refurbished and ready to display artwork, apparel and cannabis, people in the neighborhood would stop by to ask when they were opening up and remark on the transformation. For Youngblood, there’s pride in being part of this neighborhood, which is also home to Patsie Dugans, Electric Haze, Unique Café and Scoop Drip. On Aug. 14, Major Bloom is having a grand opening party hosted by Electric Haze, featuring food from Unique Café and Patsie Dugans as well as entertainment from artists and DJs.
To communicate better with customers, Major Bloom has a membership education program. It’s a texting platform to send out things like a secret neighborhood menu, educational material or invites to events. They’ll also ask customers for input.
“That system allows us to understand what people like and make the experience tailored to them,” Youngblood said.
Getting to this point in the process was a “real grassroots, out of the mud” effort, Youngblood said.
“Even the funding that we raised was from a friend of mine,” he said. “This is a kid that I played college football with and me and Laury working for our license. The biggest difference ... is the fact that we literally worked for everything rather than buying a license.”
That journey is part of Major Bloom’s identity.
“I feel like there’s a soul behind who we are,” Youngblood said, “and we can continue to build that out.”
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Major Bloom opening Worcester cannabis shop with focus on creating welcoming space for traditional market con - MassLive.com
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