SPRINGFIELD – The city’s third and newest adult use cannabis dispensary is not a typical dispensary. It has an emphasis on family, place and small business.

6 Bricks at 1860 Main St. – on the ground floor of The Republican building – opened Sept. 3 and marks the conclusion of a journey for CEO and founder Payton Shubrick that started in 2019.

Speaking to Reminder Publishing two days before her opening, Shubrick said the design of the store and the selection of the products it sells is deliberately different than other dispensaries.

She is carrying products that come from small businesses that range from flower, pre-rolls and edibles that also now include cannabis-infused ice cream and will include hot sauce, cookies and cakes that contain cannabis.

Walking into the dispensary, the décor is definitely different with a skyline silhouette of downtown to a wall listing all of the nicknames for cannabis to mural above the ATMs that calls for the federal legalization of cannabis as well as the freeing of people jail for cannabis-related crimes.

In the exit out, there is a large mural detailing the history of cannabis in the United States from 1890 to 2022, as well as a community bulletin board with notices from nearby businesses as well as upcoming events.

Shubrick has a real distinction in the commonwealth’s cannabis business as she is only the third African-American to have opened a dispensary. The fact she is woman and a life-long resident of the city adds to her position.

Look to her merchandise section and you see T-shirts that urges “Buy Weed from Black Women” as well as one that reads, “Support Black Owned Businesses.”

She stressed she did not want to have the feel of many of the cannabis dispensaries in the commonwealth that are owned by corporations that operate outlets in multiple states. The word “authentic” is used to describe what she and her staff are trying to convey.

“I’ve been told by too many white men what you can and can not do,” she said. Shubrick used an example the color design of the shop. She had been told to used wood tones and white walls and put the display boxes of various products behind glass. She did neither.

“This was not the rinse/repeat model,” she said.

Another difference is a meeting room in which nurses who specialize in using cannabis to treat illnesses or conditions who will be on-site every other Wednesday to talk to people seeking guidance. The service is free.

Shubrick has created 36 jobs, most of them fulltime. Ninety-percent of the staff are city residents. The staff went through three weeks of orientation to learn about what they sell.

“Product knowledge is really important to us,” she noted.

She said she sat through many City Council meetings as the city was discussing recreational use dispensaries to understand “what people would or wouldn’t like” in such a business. “One thing I can say is that I listened,” she added.

A grand opening and ribbon-cutting is planned for Sept. 24. There will be representatives from the companies whose products she carries as well as promotions such as a pre-rolled priced at $4.13.

“We want to do things that remind people that this is home,” she explained.

The day will also include yoga instruction – Shubrick sees much of the use of cannabis as a part of health care – and food trucks at the dispensary as well as a reception at White Lion Brewing Co.
Six Bricks is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week. Cash is needed for transactions right now with debit card service later on. For more information go to 6bricks.com.