Opening of a marijuana store for Brookline's recreational purposes, not "apocalypse" predicts

BROOKLINE – Greater Boston's first recreational marijuana shop opened at Brookline Village on Saturday with all the fanfare expected, but none of the traffic disasters were scary.

Public servants spent months preparing hundreds, if not thousands, of customers to line up at New England Treatment Access, offering potential for clogged sidewalks, tight intersections and a few open parking spots.

It's unclear whether these issues will arise during the work week, but Saturday morning everything was in order, although hundreds of people visited the store the day it opened.

At 5 pm, the store reported selling approximately 1,600 customers. It was planned to stay open until 10 pm.

"The predictions of an apocalypse do not materialize," said Neil Wishinsky of Brookline Selectman, who made the first purchase of marijuana products at NETA on Saturday.

"I guess it's a situation in which you expect the best and plan the worst," he said, "and the best comes true."

NETA officially opened its doors for the sale of marijuana for recreational purposes, at the corner of Washington and Boylston Streets, at 9:00 am Saturday, becoming the 13th largest adult department store in the state and inaugurating Greater Boston in a new era of legalization of marijuana. The other NETA site in Northampton was one of the first two stores to open on the east coast when sales began in November.

NETA employees counted until 9 am, cheering and clapping when Wishinsky made the first purchase – nuggets and lights, two forms of edible products.

"And I guess at some point I'll know what that means," Wishinsky joked before NETA after his purchase.

At the start of sales, at least 100 people had gathered outside, lined up on the NETA car park, which is temporarily closed for at least the first week of leisure sales. NETA employees distributed food and drinks to queues, including coffee and mini-muffins.

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Although most of the guests arrived near the opening of the store, some arrived well before sunrise, wanting to be among the first to enter.

James Jenner left Salem by car and arrived around 5 am, waiting in his car as long as he could. At around 6:15, he saw a man walking down the street with a folding chair. If Jenner wanted to be first, it was time to regroup.

And he packed his bag, first in his Patriots winter coat and hat, and then with a NETA gray cover handed to the first online customers.

"I did not think I was going to be # 1," said Jenner, 38, who visited three other hobby stores in the state. "I have never been # 1 outside of my fiancee's heart."

Greg Berkel, who lives in Dorchester, arrived at Brookline around 8:30 am, easily found a parking lot at a counter and stood in line for about an hour. He said that he really wanted to be part of the first wave of customers.

"It was the first day. I wanted to be one of those people, "said Berkel, 45.

Throughout the morning, full service line customers reported waiting about 45 minutes to an hour outside.

Instead of waiting in this direction, the majority of customers have used NETA's Reserve Ahead program on the company's website, which allows users to view products and place orders in advance. A separate and accelerated line was available for Reserve Ahead customers, and on Saturday mornings customers rarely waited more than a few minutes with this fast-track line.

Medical patients have designated parking on the other side of the street and do not have to queue in front of adult clients.

Before it opened, NETA had strongly encouraged people to use public transport, given the limited number of parking spaces in the area. While many customers considered this advice, those who drove also reported having no trouble finding parking.

Amanda Rositano, NETA's Director of Operational Compliance, said on Saturday that she was pleased to see customers travel the line quickly and happily, and that the opening day of the store was going exactly as planned.

"I think people are sometimes surprised to learn that responsible adults come to buy something that they have the right to buy now," she said. "It's not different to buy something else."

The guests seemed pleasantly surprised on Saturday morning by the speed of the line and the options available on the inside. And despite the cold and the strong winds, many people who waited Saturday took the opportunity to make new friends.

Evan Smith, 30, spent her time chatting with a woman who, according to him, was his new "best friend". Smith lives near the NETA and goes to the store.

"Having a location like this, especially in Brookline, which is really very unexpected, I think it's really cool," he said.

Connor Cirillo, 23, also said that he made friends online Saturday and that he was happy to see the diverse group of people coming to shop at NETA.

"It's really not a piece of cloth. There are people of all ages and all walks of life, "said Cirillo, who lives in the West End. "This is a very wide range of products that people appreciate. It is therefore interesting to see all areas of life that interest him. These are not just tramps. It's not just that kind of crowd. Only active members of society want to participate. "

You can contact Felicia Gans at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @FeliciaGans.