High Profile x Budega Dispensary in Roxbury MA

High Profile x Budega, a neighborhood shop with roots

Some dispensaries move into a space. This one grew out of a family story. High Profile x Budega Dispensary in Roxbury MA at 561 Dudley Street sits in a building that was once one of the family’s neighborhood bodegas, and today it is a “Budega,” a cannabis shop built for the people who have shopped on this corner for years.

The store sits at West Cottage Street, near Upham’s Corner on the Roxbury and Dorchester line, with free parking and the Fairmount Line a few minutes away. Here is the story behind it and how to plan a visit.

Three decades of neighborhood stores

The Budega story starts long before legal cannabis. The family behind it ran bodegas and other neighborhood businesses in Boston for about three decades, according to coverage in Talking Joints Memo and Beard Bros Pharms. When Massachusetts opened up adult-use cannabis, two brothers from that family set out to bring the same neighborhood-store spirit to a new kind of shop.

Two of the family’s former bodegas became Budega locations, in Roslindale and here in Roxbury. That is where the name comes from: a bodega, reborn as a Budega.

A Boston first in social equity

The brothers made history along the way. They became the first social equity licensees in Boston to open three cannabis stores, the maximum allowed, with shops in Roxbury, Dorchester and Roslindale. Talking Joints Memo described them as the first in the city with that designation to open all three.

To build out the stores, Budega partners with C3 Industries, the Michigan-based company behind the High Profile brand. C3’s founder told Talking Joints Memo that the partnership brings the financing and expertise that help with the slow, costly work of building stores and holding real estate.

The last to open, and worth the wait

The Dudley Street store was the first of the three to be licensed and approved, but the last to open. The building needed substantial work, and the owners said the timeline and scope of the renovation pushed it to the back of the line. As one of the brothers put it, anybody who knew that stretch of Dudley Street knew the building needed help, and he was happy the team could spruce it up.

The official grand opening came on Friday, August 4, 2023, with a state senator and two Boston city councilors at the ribbon cutting. One councilor said the owners are local and will care about how the store looks and how customers are treated. The celebration rolled into Saturday, with a rapper making appearances at all three stores, food trucks and local radio personalities. The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission lists 561 Dudley Street as an active, licensed cannabis retailer.

A family business at heart

Budega’s partners have been clear about who they are. When Beard Bros Pharms profiled the company, it described the store as a community collaboration and an example of social equity in regulated cannabis, co-owned by brothers whose family ran Boston bodegas and neighborhood businesses for about three decades. Its stated goal is to be “the essential cannabis destination for each community we serve.”

The High Profile way

High Profile started with two brothers who went to the University of Michigan, and its first shop opened in Detroit in 2019. One store grew into a network of neighborhood shops across several states. Its promise is simple: “great weed, priced right.“

The company lays out what that means:

Honesty. Staff say openly which products are strong, average or not worth the price.
Value. High-quality products at reasonable prices.
Quality. Products are tested for safety, potency, terpene profile and effects, and anything that misses the mark is not sold.
Knowledgeable staff. Budtenders who are informed, not scripted, and who recommend what fits rather than upselling.
Hustle and respect. Hard work and fair treatment for the team and the community.

Friendly, low-pressure budtenders

That honesty shows up at the counter. The Roxbury store describes its budtenders as friendly, low-pressure and knowledgeable, and its five-star reviews praise staff who are helpful and happy to talk. You can call ahead or just walk in for help, and no appointment is needed.

What’s on the menu

High Profile x Budega Roxbury carries the core adult-use categories:

Flower
Pre-rolls
Vapes
Edibles
Concentrates

Look for bundles and rotating deals on the online menu, along with a brands page and High Profile apparel and merch. The menu changes often, so check it before you go.

Order ahead, get a text

You can reserve your order online for in-store pickup. You will get a text at the number you gave at checkout when it is ready. Orders placed while the store is open need to be picked up the same day, and if you order after closing, you can pick it up the next day.

High Rollers Rewards and the app

High Profile’s loyalty program, High Rollers Rewards, is free to join online. Members earn rewards, get personalized promotions and early access to deals and new products, and there is even an invite-only Kingpin tier for the most loyal shoppers. Points stay active as long as you shop at least once every 90 days. Massachusetts has its own redemption rules, so ask at the counter how it works here.

The High Profile app, on Google Play and the Apple App Store, is the easiest way to track points and order.

Plan your visit

Address. 561 Dudley Street, Boston, MA 02125, at West Cottage Street.

Hours. Open every day from 9am. The store page lists closing at 10pm, while its FAQ gives 9pm Sunday through Thursday and 10pm Friday and Saturday, so check before a late trip.

Phone. (857) 365-0042.

Parking. A free on-site lot with plenty of spots, plus wheelchair-accessible parking and entrance.

Paying. Cash, debit with a small fee, an on-site ATM, and Pay by Bank for online orders.

Adults 21+. A recreational store. Bring a physical, valid, government-issued photo ID; digital copies are not accepted. Out-of-state IDs work too.

Massachusetts cannabis basics

Here are the rules from the state’s 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

Check the menu. Reserve online, or just walk in.
Park in the lot. It is free and right at the store.
Bring a physical ID. Valid, government-issued and showing you are 21 or older.
Ask for an honest take. Budtenders will tell you what is worth it.
Join High Rollers Rewards. Then grab the app.

Getting to High Profile x Budega Roxbury

The store gives handy travel times:

Nubian Square: about a mile, roughly 7 minutes.
Fields Corner: about 2 miles, roughly 9 minutes.
South End: about 1.8 miles, roughly 11 minutes.
Downtown Boston: about 4 miles, roughly 13 minutes, by I-93 South and Columbia Road.
Jamaica Plain: about 3 miles, roughly 17 minutes.

Prefer the train? The Upham’s Corner stop on the MBTA Fairmount Line is minutes away. The Get directions button on this page opens the store in Google Maps.

Make a day of it near Upham’s Corner

The store’s neighbors include the Strand Theatre, Ideal Sub Shop and the Columbia Road area. Upham’s Corner, centered where Dudley and Stoughton Streets meet Columbia Road, is named for Amos Upham, a baker who opened a grocery store here around 1820, which makes a neighborhood shop on this corner feel right at home.

The Strand Theatre opened in 1918 as one of the first theaters designed specifically for motion pictures, and it still anchors the area. The Upham’s Corner Market building from the 1920s is on the National Register of Historic Places, and the Columbia Square Masonic Hall dates to 1895. The district has also seen fresh investment: in 2014, the Uphams Corner Main Street area received a $3.1 million municipal investment for storefronts, lighting and the Strand Theatre itself. Besides the Fairmount Line, several MBTA bus routes serve the corner, so it is easy to explore without a car. History runs even deeper at the Dorchester North Burying Ground, from 1634, one of seven 17th-century burying grounds in Boston.

The neighborhood is wonderfully diverse, with a strong Cape Verdean community and food from Cape Verde and many other cultures to try nearby.

Why High Profile x Budega Roxbury is worth the stop

High Profile x Budega Roxbury is a neighborhood shop in the truest sense. It grew from a family that has run Boston corner stores for decades, it stands for a social equity milestone, and it brought new life to a building on Dudley Street. Add honest budtenders, free parking and a rewards program that keeps giving, and it is a shop built for the neighborhood around it.

Stop by Dudley Street, say hello and see what a Budega is all about.

For adults 21 and over. Please consume responsibly.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

Where is High Profile x Budega in Roxbury?

High Profile x Budega Roxbury is at 561 Dudley Street, Boston, MA 02125, at West Cottage Street near Upham’s Corner on the Roxbury and Dorchester line. There is a free on-site parking lot, and the Fairmount Line’s Upham’s Corner stop is minutes away. Call (857) 365-0042.

What are the store's hours?

High Profile x Budega Roxbury opens every day at 9am. The store page lists closing at 10pm, while its FAQ gives 9pm Sunday through Thursday and 10pm on Friday and Saturday, so check the store page before a late trip. You can also reserve your order online for pickup.

What is a Budega?

Budega is the cannabis venture of a Boston family that ran bodegas and neighborhood businesses for about three decades. Two of its former bodegas, including this Dudley Street building, became Budega dispensaries. The brothers behind it were the first social equity licensees in Boston to open three stores.

Is there parking at the Roxbury store?

Yes. High Profile x Budega Roxbury has a free on-site parking lot with plenty of spots, plus wheelchair-accessible parking and an accessible entrance. The store also accepts cash, debit with a small fee and Pay by Bank for online orders, and there is an ATM on site.

Does High Profile have a rewards program?

Yes. High Rollers Rewards is free to join online and offers rewards, personalized promotions and early access to deals and new products. Points stay active if you shop at least once every 90 days. Massachusetts has its own redemption rules, so ask a budtender how it works at this store.