This content was originally published by the Longmont Observer and is licensed under a Creative Commons license.
Terrapin Care Station (TCS) opened the first cannabis dispensary in the City of Longmont at 650 20th Avenue, holding a ribbon-cutting ceremony in their aromatic sales room on Monday morning to mark the occasion.
The store will operate out of a former flower shop near 20th Avenue and Main Street. The 3,500-square-foot space was renovated to meet customer demand in an expanded marijuana marketplace. TCS has six storefronts on Colorado’s Front Range, along with four cultivation facilities.
“I can’t say enough about our Terrapin Care Station family. My staff’s professionalism allowed us to be the first to present Longmont consumers with access to recreational cannabis,” said Chris Woods, TCS founder, owner, and president. “Terrapin looks forward to a positive and healthy relationship with the Longmont community. As we continue to plant local roots, we hope to forge a long-lasting partnership with our friends and neighbors.”
In July, TCS was awarded one of four licenses to open a retail cannabis storefront in Longmont after city officials allowed for a new adult-use cannabis marketplace within municipal limits. They completed construction and passed all required inspections ahead of schedule. The other licenses are for The Green Solution at 206 S. Main St, Yuma Way, at 900 S. Hover St., Unit A and The Medicine Man at 500 E. Rogers Road.
“On behalf of the City of Longmont, I want to welcome you as our first legal cannabis store. It is truly my pleasure to welcome such a wonderful corporate citizen that is a responsible community member into our community. We are really glad you're here. We also hope that you're really successful, because half of the city sales tax collected here will go towards our Affordable Housing Program. So, we wish you all the luck,” said Longmont City Councilmember Bonnie Finley. “Also, we have a saying in Longmont; ‘You belong in Longmont.’ and I truly believe you belong here. Once again, I welcome you on behalf of the city.”
Founded in Boulder in 2009 as one of the first medical marijuana providers, TCS has been a neighbor to Longmont, and operates two retail locations in Boulder, two in Aurora, and one in Denver. In addition to its Colorado operations, Terrapin operates a licensed grower/processor medical marijuana facility in Clinton County, Pennsylvania, and it recently applied for a medical cannabis license in New Jersey.
As part of Terrapin’s commitment to Longmont, the company has pledged $100,000 to the local community in the form of $20,000 contributions to five local nonprofit organizations. The nonprofits represent a range of causes that have a nexus to cannabis legalization, whether it’s restorative justice, the arts, helping with homeless outreach, or advancing critical social issues such as LGBTQ rights. Terrapin will partner with: Centennial State Ballet, HOPE — Homeless Outreach Providing Encouragement, Longmont Community Justice Partnership, Out Boulder County and The Reentry Initiative.
“Out Boulder County welcomes the very socially-conscious and community-minded Terrapin Care Station to Longmont. We at Out Boulder could not ask for a better community partner,” added Mardi Moore, executive director of Out Boulder. “The folks at Terrapin continue to support LGBTQ individuals in Boulder County with their demonstrated support of inclusive hiring policies, training to all staff members on LGBTQ issues, and by demonstrating their commitment with financial support to our organization.”
“Live music is an integral part of each performance at our pre-professional youth ballet company, yet quality musicians drastically increase our production expenses,” said Heidi Lawrence, marketing manager for Centennial State Ballet. “Centennial State Ballet is grateful for the partnership with Terrapin Care Station and is forever grateful for their dedication to supporting the arts in the City of Longmont and beyond.”
“Thank you, Terrapin, for supporting our community and your generosity to help our underserved population,” said Joseph Zanovitch, executive director of HOPE. “Your donation will bring HOPE to those in need.”
In addition to community engagement, TCS’s Longmont opening also seeks a direct positive economic impact on the community. The 12 new Longmont jobs created by Terrapin, along with additional revenue generated for the city, goes toward Longmont's economic development efforts.
“We are always pleased to see businesses growing and investing in Longmont,” said Karen Stallard, membership director with the Longmont Chamber. “In addition to the jobs, and sales tax, Terrapin has been proactive in seeking out community partners and organizations that they can support. The Chamber is proud to help facilitate those connections and find more partnership in the future.”
*This article was orginally printed with this line "TCS has plans to open a second location in Longmont, Yuma Way, at 900 S. Hover St., Unit A." It has since come to our attention that this information is incorrect. This article was updated on Nov. 26 to reflect that change.
