Via Community News Service, a University of Vermont journalism internship, on assignment for the Winooski News
So, why is there a peacock painted on the side of Winooski Organics?
“The cannabis market has been in the shadows forever,” said co-owner Dillon Lovell. “The peacock is a symbol of being able to spread our wings and show our feathers. Now we can do this in the light — and not in the dark.”
Lovell and his business partner, Eddie Furci, have been friends since first grade. When Lovell lost his job in the corporate world, he reached out to Furci, who at the time owned a sporting goods store, and the two decided to open a cannabis retail shop.
But when Lovell and Furci bought the building that would become Winooski Organics, they weren’t sure they’d actually be able to go into business.
“We had to buy the building, upfit the building, put in security cameras and point of sale systems … everything in here had to be in here before we had a license,” Lovell explained. “And they might have told us no.”
Not only were they depending on the cannabis market being legalized statewide, but they also had to petition the city, get on the Town Meeting Day agenda and receive an affirmative vote, Lovell said.
“It was definitely a little bit of a gamble,” Lovell said. But the law passed, the city voted yes and Winooski Organics opened in 2022. And since then, the business has thrived. The pair started out with nine employees. Now, they have 22.
When the Winooski News visited recently, Furci had to deal with flooding in the building’s basement before he could talk.
“It’s good now,” Furci said, laughing. “It’s been fun getting this building together.”
In addition to needing special licensure, retailers like Winooski Organics face challenges with financing, Furci explained. He said he and Lovell were unable to receive a traditional bank loan when first starting out, which he attributes to bias against the cannabis industry.
“Given our credit histories, if we’d said we were going to put a coffee shop here, they would have given us the loan and probably money to start the coffee shop,” Furci said.
Still, Lovell and Furci have enjoyed great success in their first two years.
“I didn’t expect it to be this busy,” said Furci. “We always thought it could be, but never thought it would be.” Over the course of a half hour that recent day, a dozen or so customers filtered in and out of the store.
“Whenever we need to hire someone, I’m like, ‘Sweet,” Furci added. “If we can afford it, and we need it, then let’s get someone else! Part of the family.”
Lovell adds that he wasn’t expecting to work with 150 different growers and producers of cannabis. “We’re supporting a lot of people here,” Lovell said. “And you won’t find our name on any of our packaging because we want to highlight the growers.”
When asked about the future of their business and the cannabis industry as a whole, the two have a lot to say.
Lovell and Furci want to see more money invested in the industry by the state. “We’d like to see the industry focus on where its tax money is going and how that tax money can help the community,” said Furci.
They’d also like to see consumption laws relaxed, for THC caps on solid concentrates to be lifted and to be allowed to advertise more freely.
In the present, Lovell and Furci are grateful for the response from Winooski. “We’ve been working really closely with the town,” Furci said. “They’ve welcomed us. And wanted to work with us on events and sponsorships and things like that.”
“There’s plenty of (cannabis retailers) in this state who are dealing with towns who want them out of there,” he continued. “So, I expected it to be a little like that. But Winooski’s been great.”