AYR Dispensary in Watertown MA

AYR, flowers of a different kind

People used to come to this spot on North Beacon Street for flowers. They still do, just a different kind. AYR Dispensary in Watertown MA sits at 48 North Beacon Street, in a 1945 building that once housed a floral shop and has been reimagined as a bright, modern cannabis dispensary.

The store welcomes adult-use shoppers 21 and over and Massachusetts medical patients, and its own listing sums up the goal: “a trusted, high-quality cannabis experience for medical patients and adult-use customers.” Whether you live near Watertown Square, work along Arsenal Street or are cutting across from Newton or Cambridge, here is what to know before you stop in.

Open since 2022

The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission lists 48 North Beacon Street as an active, licensed adult-use cannabis retailer, open since July 5, 2022.

The doors opened to the public a week later. AYR announced that adult-use sales at Watertown began at 10am on July 12, 2022, making it the company’s second adult-use store in Greater Boston. Patch covered the opening that week and placed the shop near downtown Watertown, across the street from the Jiffy Lube.

“The opening of AYR in Watertown is another amazing milestone for our team,” said AYR founder Jonathan Sandelman. He said the company wanted to celebrate “with the Watertown community, where we maintain our commitment to being a great neighbor and community partner.”

The party came a month later. AYR held a grand opening for the Watertown store on Friday, August 12, 2022, according to the New England Real Estate Journal.

The florist’s shop, reimagined

The best part of the AYR Watertown story is the building itself. The New England Real Estate Journal featured the store as its Project of the Month in September 2022, and the details are worth knowing before you visit.

The project started with an old floral shop and its workroom. “The design challenge was to adaptively reuse the original floral shop and related workroom,” said Thomas Scott, principal of Scott/Griffin Architects of Waltham, which designed the space. Instead of tearing it down, the team kept the 1945 structure and brought it up to date, with major electrical and heating and cooling work to meet modern codes and new site and foundation work underneath.

The finished store covers about 4,500 square feet. From the street, look for silver composite panels, energy-efficient windows and mid-century modern touches that nod to the building’s age. Inside, the journal described:

A metal baffle ceiling with contemporary lighting.
Terrazzo floors underfoot.
High-finish cabinets and display cases for the products.
A shared sales floor on the first level, split between medical and adult-use service.
A mezzanine above for offices and storage.

It is a nice reminder that a dispensary can give an old building a second life instead of starting from scratch.

Built with the block in mind

The renovation also changed the lot around the store. An adjacent building was taken down to make room for parking, and the new driveway uses porous pavement that keeps rainwater on site. The project added bicycle parking and a landscaped buffer, and it shrank the building’s scale and the shadow it cast on neighbors.

Scott saw that as a win for the street. He pointed to “a decrease in architectural scale, the addition of open space” among the changes he said had a good effect on the neighborhood.

The team behind the store was proud of the result. “We’re incredibly excited to welcome our customers and patients into this beautiful space,” said Gretchen McCarthy, AYR’s vice president of retail for the Northeast, when the project was finished.

Medical patients welcome too

AYR Watertown started with adult-use sales, and medical sales followed. At the July 2022 opening, Patch reported that the company was “awaiting approval from the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission” to serve medical patients at the store and expected to begin “soon.” Today the store’s listing describes it as serving both medical patients and adult-use customers.

That split shows up in the floor plan, too. The sales floor was designed from the start with space for both medical and retail service, so patients and recreational shoppers each have a clear path through the store.

Help for every level of experience

New to cannabis? You are in the right place. When the store opened, AYR said “trained employees will be on-site to address experienced consumers as well as those newer to cannabis.” Bring your questions, tell the budtender what kind of experience you are hoping for, and take your time.

What’s on the menu

AYR Watertown’s own listing describes everyday deals across these categories:

Flower and pre-rolls
Vapes
Concentrates
Edibles
Beverages

The store carries AYR’s own family of brands alongside a long list of other brands. Menus change often, so check what is in stock online before you go.

Shop in store or order ahead

You can browse and buy in person, or place an order online and pick it up at the store. AYR encouraged pre-orders from day one in Watertown, and the store’s listing still points shoppers to its menu “for the most up-to-date information on what’s in store!”

The store’s own favorite stops nearby

AYR Watertown suggests pairing your visit with a few local favorites, and its listing names them. Stop by “after shopping at Arsenal Yards,” it says, or after dinner at Ritcey East or Buttermilk Bourbon, or after a walk along the Charles River Greenway. It is a good sign when a shop knows its neighborhood that well.

Plan your visit

Address. 48 North Beacon Street, Watertown, MA, near downtown Watertown and across from the Jiffy Lube.

Hours. The store opened with hours of 10am to 8pm every day. Its Leafly listing now shows 10am to 10pm every day. Hours can change, so check AYR’s store page or call before a late visit.

Phone. (844) 420-1140.

Parking. On-site parking off the driveway added during the renovation, plus bicycle parking.

Paying. The store’s Leafly listing shows cash and debit cards accepted, with an ATM on site.

Access. The listing notes the store is ADA accessible and offers a veteran discount.

Adults 21+. Bring a valid, government-issued photo ID showing you are 21 or older. Medical patients should bring their Massachusetts medical marijuana card as well.

Massachusetts cannabis basics

Here are the state rules from the Cannabis Control Commission:

Age. 21 or older, with a government-issued ID for every retail purchase.
Carrying. Up to two ounces in public.
At home. Up to 10 ounces, and anything over two ounces must be locked up.
Where to use it. Not in public places and not on federal land.
In the car. No open containers in the passenger area. Use a closed container in the trunk or a locked glove compartment, and never drive under the influence.
State lines. It is illegal to take cannabis out of Massachusetts, and it cannot be mailed. That includes a quick trip home on the Pike.

Your first visit, step by step

Check the menu online. See what is in stock, and order ahead if you like.
Park on site. Use the lot off the driveway, or ride your bike.
Bring your ID. A valid, government-issued photo ID, plus your medical card if you have one.
Look up. Take in the baffle ceiling and terrazzo floors of the old flower shop.
Ask a budtender. Tell them how new you are to cannabis and what you are after.

Make a day of it in Watertown

Watertown is compact, about 4.12 square miles, with Watertown Square at its center and neighborhoods like Bemis, Coolidge Square, East Watertown and the West End around it. Most of the city lies north of the Charles River.

The river has shaped this place for a very long time. Before Europeans arrived, the Massachusett people built a fishing weir at a spot called Pequossette to catch herring, near today’s Watertown Dam, and herring still swim upstream every spring. The first English settlement here was known as Saltonstall Plantation, and for about its first 25 years Watertown was second only to Boston in size. Its first gristmill went up around 1632, and one of America’s early woolen mills followed in 1662.

Watertown has a knack for invention. The Stanley brothers built their first Stanley Steamer cars here in 1897. Sculptor Harriet Hosmer, remembered as the first female professional sculptor, came from Watertown too.

History lovers have house museums to explore. The Edmund Fowle House, built in 1772, is a museum at 28 Marshall Street. The Abraham Browne House at 562 Main Street, run by Historic New England, opens to the public two afternoons a year, so plan ahead. And most of Gore Place, the National Historic Landmark estate usually listed in Waltham, sits in Watertown: 31.6 of its 45 acres.

For shopping and dining, Arsenal Street has two centers facing each other, Watertown Mall and Arsenal Yards, and the street has grown into a life sciences hub. Watertown is also home to employers like New England Sports Network. The Watertown Free Public Library sits at 123 Main Street, and MBTA bus routes, including the 57, run through Watertown Square and Watertown Yard. The city’s motto fits a relaxed afternoon nicely: “In pace condita,” Latin for “Founded in peace.”

Why AYR Watertown is worth the stop

A 1945 flower shop given a stylish second life, a store that serves both medical patients and adult-use shoppers, staff ready for first timers, and a spot a short hop from Watertown Square, Arsenal Yards and the Charles: AYR Watertown is an easy stop on any Watertown day. Head to North Beacon Street, park on site, and come see what grows here now.

Cannabis is for adults 21 and over. Please consume responsibly.