Local Roots Dispensary in Fitchburg MA

Local Roots, Fitchburg’s first in line

Every cannabis city has a first shop, and in Fitchburg that shop is Local Roots Dispensary in Fitchburg MA. The store at 371 Lunenburg Street was the first cannabis retailer in the city to open its doors, and today it is one of two Local Roots dispensaries in central Massachusetts, open seven days a week.

Local Roots calls its cannabis “Organically Grown” and says it offers clean, organically grown weed “in a warm, community-focused environment.” Whether you live in Fitchburg or are visiting from out of town, here is the story of the Lunenburg Street shop and what to know before you go.

Open since March 2020

The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission lists 371 Lunenburg Street as an active, licensed adult-use cannabis retailer, open since March 9, 2020.

A few months later, the Worcester Business Journal looked at how fast the industry was growing in the city. Its July 2020 story said Fitchburg had four cannabis operations up and running, with many more on the way, and it described Local Roots, “a shop at 371 Lunenburg St.,” as the city’s “first in operation.”

A sneak peek before the doors opened

Local Roots had people talking before it ever sold a thing. In November 2019, the writers at Talking Joints Memo took a road trip through central Massachusetts and got a look inside the Fitchburg store while it was still being built. They predicted it was “shaping up to be a hotspot of sorts” and sat down with the team in the store’s cozy consultation corner.

Nikkie Hanley, then the store’s director of retail, gave them the tour. Her take on the city was short and upbeat: “Fitchburg is very cannabis-friendly.” She also told them flower was in short supply in the market at the time, and that she had spent six to eight months reaching out to growers and wholesale contacts so the shelves would be ready on opening day.

How Fitchburg got its shops

Why did Fitchburg end up with so many cannabis businesses so quickly? The Worcester Business Journal pointed to the city’s abundance of industrial space and relatively lower costs, which drew growers and manufacturers. On the retail side, the number of shop licenses in Fitchburg is tied to the number of existing alcohol licenses, and by July 2020 all eight of the city’s potential retail licenses had been issued. Local Roots had already beaten everyone to the counter.

The people behind Local Roots

According to Patch, Local Roots was founded by Dean Iandoli and Catherine Trifilo. The company’s own website says it was established in 2019, describes itself as a recreational cannabis company rooted in central Massachusetts, and says it was founded by cannabis advocates and experienced cannabis professionals.

Local Roots is vertically integrated, so it grows and makes many of its own products. Patch reported that the company grows its cannabis at facilities in Framingham and Barre. The company says only cannabis that meets its high standards of safety, efficacy and potency makes it onto the shelves on Lunenburg Street.

Grown with worms, bugs and sunshine

Local Roots has a playful way of describing its growing method. On its home page it says it plays with “worms and bugs and all-things Mother Nature” to grow clean, organic weed. The company grows in living soil, which it describes as an all-organic ecosystem where everything used comes from nature, and it grows both indoors and in solar-powered greenhouses with chemical-free fertilizer. It also composts plant waste and never tills its soil.

The company calls itself a “female-cultivated business” that is run and staffed locally. If you care about how your cannabis is grown, this is a good shop to ask questions in, because the people behind the counter work for the same company that runs the grow.

Staffed by locals, built for beginners and regulars

Local Roots says each of its stores is staffed by friendly, knowledgeable locals and is meant to be a safe, welcoming space for every type of cannabis user. Its home page promises a team that will guide you “every step of the way,” whether you are new to cannabis or a seasoned consumer.

The best way to use that is to be honest at the counter. Say what you have tried before, what you liked, and what you want to avoid, and let the team point you toward something that fits.

What’s on the menu

The company keeps its menu summary short. Each Local Roots store carries flower, concentrates, vapes, edibles and more. Menus change often, so check the Fitchburg menu online before you go.

Good to know before you shop

Local Roots answers a handful of practical questions on its FAQ page. A few worth knowing:

Returns. Local Roots accepts exchanges for defective vaporizer products up to thirty days after purchase. Exchanges happen in person at the dispensary, and you can email hello@localroots.cc first for help.
Can’t find a product? View the current selection online, or email the team and they will try to help.
No shipping. Because cannabis is not legal at the federal level, Local Roots cannot ship products.
License to Carry. The company’s FAQ says legally buying and using cannabis in Massachusetts will not affect your LTC.
Your information. Stores must keep certain customer information to prove they follow state and local rules, and Local Roots says that information is private and secure.

Join The Underground

Want to hear about new arrivals early? Local Roots runs a newsletter called The Underground, with the tagline “The good stuff, before everyone else gets it.” Sign up on the website and the company will send updates to your phone and inbox. There is also a loyalty program, and the promise is simple: “Earn rewards every time you shop at Local Roots.” Ask at the counter how to join.

Order online for pickup

You can order from the Fitchburg menu online and pick up in the store. The menu page has one rule in capital letters: pickup orders must be placed on the day of pickup. Order, then come by later that same day.

Plan your visit

Address. 371 Lunenburg Street, Fitchburg, MA 01420.

Hours. Open every day, 10am to 8pm.

Phone. (978) 906-2500.

Email. hello@localroots.cc.

Adults 21+. Local Roots is a recreational dispensary. Bring a valid, government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license or passport, showing you are 21 or older.

Visiting from out of state. A valid government-issued photo ID showing you are 21 or older is all you need, but your purchase must stay in Massachusetts.

Follow along. Local Roots posts on Facebook and Instagram at @LocalRootsCC.

The Fitchburg store keeps the same hours on Sunday as the rest of the week, which is handy for weekend plans. Call ahead around holidays.

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. Local Roots’ own FAQ makes the same point: buy it here, use it here.

Your first visit, step by step

Sign up for The Underground. Hear about new arrivals before you go.
Browse the Fitchburg menu. Order online on the same day you want to pick up.
Bring your ID. A valid, government-issued photo ID showing you are 21 or older.
Ask how it was grown. The team can tell you about the company’s living soil approach.
Join the loyalty program. Start earning rewards on your first purchase.

Make a day of it in Fitchburg

Fitchburg covers about 28 square miles in North Central Massachusetts, and it has some serious hills. The city’s highest point is Brown Hill, at 1,210 feet, near its northwestern corner. Wikipedia lists 14 neighborhoods, from Cleghorn and Crockerville to Tar Hill, Waite’s Corner and the Upper Common, where Herbert Adams’s sculpture “WWI, Winged Glory” stands.

The city has a long working history. Simonds International, a saw maker founded in Fitchburg in 1832, still operates on Intervale Road. Iver Johnson Arms and Cycle Works built firearms and bicycles here, and two truck makers, the Wachusett Truck Company and the New England Truck Company, worked in the city in the early 20th century. Snack fans will like this one: the Wachusett Potato Chip Company was founded in 1939, bought the former County Jail buildings in the 1940s, and was bought by UTZ in 2011. Inventor Hiram Maxim and manufacturer and railroad promoter Alvah Crocker are among Fitchburg’s notable names.

Fitchburg also has deep Finnish roots. Saima Park is home to the Finnish Center, the Finnish-language newspaper Raivaaja is one of the city’s papers, and Kokkola, Finland, is one of its four sister cities, along with Kleve, Germany, Tianjin, China, and Oni, Georgia.

For a history fix, the Fitchburg Historical Society holds more than 200,000 items, including Sentinel newspapers from 1838 to 1976, a Civil War collection and a railroad collection. The Wallace Civic Center is part of Fitchburg State University, and Crocker Field, an athletic facility, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Coolidge Park, off John Fitch Highway, has two street hockey rinks, four baseball and softball fields, a swimming pool and a walking path.

Flying in? Probably not, but Fitchburg Municipal Airport covers 335 acres off Airport Road near the Leominster line, on land donated to the city in 1940. Pack a coat in winter, too: the city averages about 70 inches of snow a year.

Why Local Roots Fitchburg is worth the stop

Local Roots got to Fitchburg first, and it has kept things simple since: organically grown cannabis from its own living soil grows, a team of locals, and a shop that is open from 10am to 8pm every day of the week. Add same-day online ordering, a newsletter that gets you the news early, and a loyalty program that pays you back, and Lunenburg Street is an easy place to start.

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