AYR Wellness is entering the Connecticut cannabis market with its first dispensary in the state. AYR Manchester, catering to both adult-use consumers and medical patients, opened Friday, August 16th at 185 Spencer St, Manchester, CT 06040—formerly a Starbucks location featuring a drive-thru.
After a week’s worth of sales, the dispensary finally hosted its grand opening this past Friday, August 23rd, from 12 p.m. – 5 p.m. ET. AYR Cannabis Manchester enters the Connecticut market via Connecticut Cultivation Solutions and marks the company’s 94th dispensary nationwide.
Bringing Cannabis to Connecticut Natives
AYR Cannabis Manchester is conveniently located near Interstate 384 for customers in Manchester and in nearby towns devoid of licensed retail locations, including Bolton, Coventry and Glastonbury, the company states. The 1,600-square-foot storefront offers in-store and drive-thru services.
“It is an honor to be opening a dispensary so close to my hometown, and I am thrilled by the opportunity our dispensary will afford me to give back to the community,” said Tiana Hercules Esq., co-owner of Connecticut Cultivation Solutions, in a news release. “Legal cannabis is a very good thing for Connecticut with the potential to drive social good in a variety of ways. I look forward to taking part in that with the opening of AYR Cannabis Manchester.”
“It is with great pleasure and excitement that we open our first location in Connecticut, alongside an outstanding partner in Tiana Hercules,” said Kyle Ronellenfitch, SVP, market general manager for AYR, in the release. “Our primary goal has been and will always be to improve through the power of cannabis, via cannabis products themselves and by leveraging our dispensary footprint for positive community impact. We’re excited to introduce AYR to our neighbors in Manchester and look forward to establishing AYR as a Force for Good within the community.”
The grand opening featured appearances from Millie Texidor-Maffucci, president of the Chamber of Commerce as well as Mayor Jay Moran, who commenced a ribbon cutting at 5 p.m.
