Bud’s Goods Dispensary in Worcester MA

Bud’s Goods, a hometown story

Some dispensaries land in a city. Bud’s Goods & Provisions grew out of one. Founder Alex Mazin grew up in Worcester, and when he opened his first store, he put it on West Boylston Street in his home city. “My location and my dream is right here in my home city, it’s a crazy feeling,” he told MassLive before the doors opened. This guide covers what to know about Bud’s Goods Dispensary in Worcester MA.

The store’s motto sums up the whole idea: “We’re your local dispensary that sells good buds to great neighbors.” If you live in Worcester, or anywhere from Holden to Shrewsbury, here is what to know before you visit.

An immigrant-Worcester story

Mazin’s family came to Worcester from the former Soviet Union in 1990, when he was 3 years old. According to the Worcester Telegram, they settled in the Tatnuck neighborhood. His mother, an engineer back home, worked nights bagging groceries and days as a bank teller. His father, a plumber, took on plumbing, welding, flooring and HVAC work, and later ran a Russian-European deli in the city for several years.

“It is an immigrant-Worcester story,” Mazin told the Telegram. “My entrepreneurial spirit really comes from my father and calculated risk taking comes from my mother.” He studied business at Babson College, spent about a decade as a health care consultant in New York City, then came home to build a cannabis company.

He founded Bud’s Goods in 2016 with a family friend who had multiple sclerosis and used medical cannabis. He calls it a “Worcester grass-roots cannabis company,” and he is blunt about the goal: “I’m just trying to live the American dream.”

Open since 2020

The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission lists 62-68 West Boylston Street as an active, licensed adult-use cannabis retailer, open since October 29, 2020. Bud’s started with online orders only for its first week, then opened to walk-in shoppers on November 9, 2020. Worcester was the first of the company’s stores, followed by Abington in 2021 and Watertown after that.

A restored 1930s building

Bud’s did not build a new box. It brought an old Worcester building back to life. MassLive described the 1930s brick building at 64 West Boylston Street with fresh paint, restored arches and a new sign. Mazin said the building started as a food market and later housed several businesses, including a diner that “became a staple.” It also held the Eastern Boarder shop where, he said, he “bought my very first snowboard.”

Bud’s own website says the original brass star from the old Gold Star Diner still hangs on the outside of the building, a nod to the neighborhood’s past.

Modern Americana inside

Inside, the store goes all in on a red, white and blue, modern Americana look with industrial touches. There is marquee signage, decor that references Worcester’s history and landmarks, and cubbies for displaying products. A mural on the side of the building guides you from the parking lot to the front door.

The layout is built around how people actually shop. “We’ve got to make two stores in one,” Mazin told MassLive. There is a dedicated pickup area for people who order ahead, and a bigger retail floor for browsing and asking budtenders questions. He called the design “the next evolution of cannabis retail.”

Why Worcester

Ask Bud’s why it chose Worcester and the answer on its website is one word: “Everything.” The company calls the city the home of Bud’s on the East Coast, and says the team grew up here. “We love this city and we love the buds,” it writes.

That love shows up in how the brand talks. Bud’s describes its mascot, Bud, as an everyday neighbor who “takes care of its own,” with a personality that is honest and playful, sometimes sarcastic and a little irreverent. The company says its mission is to be “for the people,” and it says it negotiates with wholesalers on shoppers’ behalf to keep prices down, because, in its words, “Cannabis is too overpriced in Massachusetts.”

Making cannabis normal

Mazin wants a dispensary to feel as everyday as the coffee shop down the street. “One of our real goals is to normalize cannabis,” he said, pointing to the Dunkin’, the bank and the pharmacy nearby as the kind of ordinary neighbors a dispensary should sit beside.

Affordability is part of that. “How could I open a store that wasn’t affordable for my neighbors to shop at?” he asked the Telegram. Bud’s has kept that promise front and center, describing its goal as a premium experience without premium pricing.

Voted New England’s best

In September 2021, Bud’s Goods was named Best New England Cannabis Company at the New England Cannabis Convention in Boston. According to the Abington News, eight companies were nominated, more than 6,000 cannabis consumers voted, and Bud’s finished about 1,000 votes ahead of the runner-up. Mazin kept it humble: “We have so much to prove as a company and so many things we can do better.”

Awards on the shelf

Bud’s Goods has collected a few honors since it opened. Beyond its 2021 win at the New England Cannabis Convention, Bud’s was named Independent Store Brand of the Year at the 2022 ADCANN Awards. The judges praised its modern store design and wrote that Bud’s “takes a modern approach to creating their spaces; focusing on the customer experience over all else.” They summed it up with a line borrowed from the company itself: “Warm & inviting, home truly is where your buds are.”

In 2023, Bud’s was a top three finalist for Best Marijuana Dispensary in the Best of Central Mass Community’s Choice Awards, and it says Boston.com readers voted it the number one cannabis dispensary in Massachusetts that same year. In 2024, Boston Magazine’s Best of Boston named the Abington store Best Weed Dispensary, South.

Packaged in Massachusetts

Bud’s has grown beyond retail, too. In December 2023, the company announced a cannabis packaging facility in Lakeville, Massachusetts. It was first planned as a grow site, but Mazin changed course after spotting a gap in the market. Half of the space handles packaging services for Massachusetts cultivators and retailers, and the other half manages the supply chain for boxes, tubes, pouches, labels and jars. According to Boston Magazine, the facility has helped Bud’s develop new products faster than before.

Order ahead or walk in

Bud’s takes online orders for in-store pickup, and walk-ins are welcome. The company also has apps for iPhone and Android, so you can browse the menu, check the current offers and order from your phone. Gift cards are available online too.

In the heart of North Worcester

When it opened, Bud’s was the first recreational dispensary in its part of the city. The neighborhood has plenty to do before or after your visit. MassLive pointed to Greater Good Imperial Brewing Co., the Trolley Yard plaza and the shops along Gold Star Boulevard, and Bud’s website adds local favorites like Olo Pizza, Crust Artisan Bakery and Fatima’s Cafe.

Plan your visit

Address. 64 West Boylston Street, Worcester, MA 01606.

Hours. Monday through Saturday, 9am to 10pm. Sunday hours vary by listing, so check the website before a Sunday evening visit.

Phone. (774) 500-2837.

Parking. On site, with a mural to guide you to the door.

Paying. Cash or debit, with an ATM on site. Bud’s also accepts Bitcoin through IBEX Lightning Pay.

Adults 21+. Bring a valid ID showing you are 21 or older.

Service animals. Welcome.

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.

Your first visit, step by step

Get the app or check the menu online. See what is in stock and what is on offer.
Order ahead or walk in. The pickup area keeps pre-orders quick.
Bring your ID and cash or debit. There is an ATM on site.
Talk to a budtender. Tell them what you like, or what you are new to.
Look around. The Worcester history on the walls is worth a minute.

Make a day of it in Worcester

Worcester is the second-largest city in New England after Boston, with 206,518 people at the 2020 census. It became a town in 1722 and a city in 1848, and it goes by plenty of nicknames: the Heart of the Commonwealth, Wormtown, the City of the Seven Hills and simply the Woo.

The city has given the world a few things you know. Harvey Ball introduced the yellow smiley face here in 1963. Esther Howland started the first line of Valentine’s Day cards from her Worcester home in 1847. And Robert Goddard, called the father of modern rocketry, graduated from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in 1908.

Sports fans can catch the Worcester Red Sox, the Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, at Polar Park, their home since 2021. The Worcester Art Museum, founded in 1898, is the second-largest art museum in New England. And no visit is complete without a classic lunch-car diner, a fitting stop for a store that still carries a diner’s star on its wall.

Why Bud’s Goods Worcester is worth the stop

A hometown founder, a restored neighborhood landmark, a store designed for both quick pickups and slow browsing, and a promise to stay affordable for the neighbors: Bud’s Goods Worcester is exactly what it says on the sign. Head up West Boylston Street and look for the star.

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