Solful is ushering in a new era for Healdsburg this week, with a grand opening of the city’s first cannabis dispensary.
The Sebastopol-based cannabis retailer will host a celebration Friday, which will include a ribbon cutting at the 1,600-square-foot store located downtown at 465 Healdsburg Ave.
The opening has occupied much of CEO Eli Melrod’s attention, right down to all the construction-related documents requiring city approval.
Although a private event for friends and family was postponed, the dispensary will open as planned at 10 a.m. Friday.
“We’re super excited. We put up photography and our flower wall,” Melrod said, referring to the cannabis retailer’s iconic “flower wall” featuring 40 cannabis varieties from local farms.
Melrod’s staff of 15 in Healdsburg underwent 40 hours of training, which included a site visit to Glentucky Family Farm in Glen Ellen. There, employees learned about the inner workings of biodynamic farming from Solful’s longtime cultivation partner and California State Fair blue-ribbon winner Mike Benziger.
“Solful’s unwavering commitment to selling premium flower and their dedicated efforts to educate consumer set them apart in our industry,” Benziger stated, calling Melrod and his team “ideal leaders” for the city’s inaugural introduction to the world of cannabis.
In a state of transition, cannabis companies have been pushed into adapting and evolving in a difficult economic climate filled with lower wholesale prices for growers, a consistently competitive illicit market and what many say is over regulation at the state and local levels.
When the city of Healdsburg entertained the idea of allowing for two dispensaries within its boundaries last year (approving the ordinance in April 2023), Melrod jumped at the opportunity. The cannabis business leader, who launched Solful in 2016, likes how walkable the town is. His store is located a few blocks off the plaza in a Victorian building.
Melrod closed the Santa Rosa store on Farmer’s Lane across from Montgomery Village to focus on the Healdsburg opening.
Solful was selected last November alongside Jane Dispensary. Chief Operating Officer Leigh Ann Baker said she expects to open her 2,000-square-foot location by next summer. That location will be situated at 44 D Mill St. across from the Mill District.
Solful and Jane dispensaries arrive in Healdsburg as the cannabis landscape is changing. California just signed a law allowing consumption lounges to sell freshly prepared food and drinks, if authorized by local jurisdictions.
Baker said she “loves the idea,” if the city approves a venture to see “a comedy show or hear music while smoking a joint.” For now, though, she said her cannabis company is focused on next year’s opening — a sentiment shared by the city.
City Manager Jeff Kay said the city thought about on-site consumption lounges, but it has passed on that idea, at least for now.
Kay expressed enthusiasm over a city goal coming to fruition expanding its retail opportunities to cannabis.
“This was actually on my to-do list when I got here four years ago,” he said. “It’s one more example of economic diversity for us, with other offerings, like wine and hospitality.”
Healdsburg Chamber of Commerce CEO Tallia Hart agreed.
“This gives consumers another opportunity to immerse themselves into Healdsburg,” Hart said. “We’re excited for this because now they won’t have to order or won’t have to travel for (cannabis).
Susan Wood covers agriculture, law, cannabis, production, transportation as well as banking and finance. She can be reached at 530-545-8662 or susan.wood@busjrnl.com
Solful to open in Healdsburg Friday as the city’s first cannabis dispensary Read More