Solar Cannabis Co. Dispensary in Somerset MA

Solar Cannabis Co., a dispensary with the farm attached

Most dispensaries sit at the end of a long supply chain. Solar Cannabis Co. Dispensary in Somerset MA in Somerset sits right on top of one. The shop at 1400 Brayton Point Road is the retail front of a big cultivation and production building, so the flower on the shelf is grown, trimmed and packed under the same roof where you buy it.

That is a rare setup, and it makes Somerset the flagship of the Solar family. It was the first of the brand’s three adult-use shops in Massachusetts, and it was the first cannabis store to open in Somerset. If you live in town, commute over the Braga Bridge, or you are cutting across from Providence on I-195, this is a stop worth knowing.

Open since 2019

The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission lists 1400 Brayton Point Road as an active, licensed adult-use cannabis retailer, open since August 29, 2019.

Local news picked up the story a few days later. NBC 10 News reported a quiet soft opening on Labor Day, September 2, 2019, with no lines and no traffic, on purpose. The team kept the word low so it could smooth out any early kinks before a formal grand opening later that month. CEO Edward Dow was not worried about the calm lasting. “I do think lines are inevitable,” he told the station. At the time, it was only the second recreational dispensary open in all of Bristol County.

The Fall River Reporter covered the same opening and noted why locals were excited: shoppers in the area had been dealing with traffic and backups at the one other recreational store near Fall River. A second option just over the river meant a shorter wait.

From plastics plant to sun-powered grow

The building has its own Somerset history. According to the New England Real Estate Journal, Solar chose a former plastics manufacturing facility on Brayton Point Road and rebuilt it for cannabis. The rebuild added cultivation rooms, office space and support rooms for processing, storage and shipping, and the plans called for plants on 20-foot racks set three levels high.

The Fall River Reporter put the building at almost 70,000 square feet, with about 36,000 square feet for cultivation and most of the rest supporting the grow and the dispensary.

Power is the headline. The NEREJ feature described 67,000 square feet of solar panels on the roof plus a separate four-acre solar farm on site. Solar’s own Somerset page says the facility pairs solar arrays with combined heat and power units, LED lighting and 90% water reclamation, and generates over five megawatts of power on site. The company’s About page says the facility was designed to make its own power, “on-site and off the grid.” It is a big, bold idea for a quiet road near the Taunton River, and it fits the name.

A 3,400 square foot shop with six registers

The retail side is roomy. Solar’s Somerset page describes a 3,400 square foot dispensary with six points of sale and abundant parking. Six registers means the line moves, which is good news on a Friday evening.

There is room outside, too. During the 2020 shutdown, when adult-use stores in Massachusetts had to close, Somerset came back first with a drive through curbside setup. A company release said shoppers got a menu on arrival, ordered from their cars in a queue, paid by debit card with a PIN and then pulled up to a pickup area. Dow said the site had “the adequate space to accommodate over 80 vehicles.” Curbside was a pandemic measure, but it tells you something about the size of the place: parking here is not a puzzle.

The Solar way

Solar’s About page sums up the mission in one line: “To provide industry-leading marijuana and marijuana-infused products with a smaller energy footprint.” The pitch is clean, sustainably grown flower and infused products from a team that grows its own. Somerset is where that idea started, and the brand later grew to shops in Seekonk and Dartmouth.

The staff people talk about

Reviews shown on Solar’s Somerset page keep coming back to the team. One shopper calls the staff “Super friendly and knowledgeable.” Another says they are “Knowledgeable, efficient and beyond friendly and funny.” A third keeps it simple: “They are always helpful. Everything is easy to figure out.” Reviewers also call out budtenders by name, which is usually a good sign that regulars feel at home.

What’s on the menu

Because the grow is right there, flower is the star. Solar’s Somerset page lists its own sustainably cultivated flower along with non-solvent concentrates, CO2-derived extracts and vegan edibles, and the store FAQ adds tinctures and topicals. The site also has pages for pre-rolls, vapes and concentrates. Menus change often, so open the Somerset online menu before you go to see what is in stock today.

Order ahead

Solar’s general FAQ says to choose a store to order ahead, then use that store’s shop link. It is the easy way to skip browsing time if you already know what you want. Bring your ID when you come in to collect your order.

Join the Solar Insiders Club

Solar runs a loyalty program called the Solar Insiders Club. Per the program page, members earn 5% store cash back on every purchase, get insider perks and promotions, early access to new product drops and 10% off Solar merch and accessories. You can sign up online or in store, and there is an app on the App Store.

Tips from the Solar blog

Solar’s blog is full of plain-language guides, and two of them are worth reading before a first visit to a store that grows its own.

Fresh versus cured flower. In its post on fresh and cured flower, Solar explains the difference. Cured flower is dried and then cured in controlled conditions for several weeks, which the blog says develops richer flavor and aroma. It adds: “Curing also reduces moisture, helping the flower burn more evenly and predictably.” Cured flower is what you will find in most jars at licensed dispensaries. Fresh flower is often flash frozen after harvest and is mostly used to make extracts such as live resin or live rosin.

What lab testing covers. Another guide walks through cannabis testing in Massachusetts. Every product a licensed store sells has to pass independent lab testing, and the blog says each batch is checked for things like pesticides, heavy metals, microbes, mycotoxins and moisture, along with its terpene profile. A product that passes gets a Certificate of Analysis, or COA, and you should get the COA or a QR code that links to it when you buy. The header tells you what was tested, when and by which lab. The summary below it lists cannabinoid and terpene results, then the safety results. If you are curious, ask a budtender to pull one up.

Plan your visit

Address. 1400 Brayton Point Road, Somerset, MA 02725.

Hours. Monday through Wednesday, 8am to 9pm. Thursday and Friday, 8am to 10pm. Saturday, 8am to 9pm. Sunday, 8am to 8pm.

Phone. (508) 300-3366.

Getting there. Solar’s page says the store is less than a mile from I-195 and about two miles north of Battleship Cove, roughly 20 minutes east of Providence and 10 minutes west of Fall River. From Providence, take I-195 East to exit 4 toward Route 103, turn right on Lees River Avenue, left on Wilbur Avenue, then left on Brayton Point Road. From Cape Cod, take I-195 West to exit 4B onto Route 103 East and Wilbur Avenue, then turn left on Brayton Point Road.

Parking. Plenty of it, right at the store.

Payment. Cash or debit card with a PIN, and there is a cashless ATM on site.

Adults 21+. This is an adult-use store. You do not need a medical card, but you do need a valid photo ID showing you are 21 or older.

Returns. Solar’s FAQ says all sales are final, though management may exchange a defective product after checking it.

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. Somerset is only a few miles from Rhode Island, so keep that in mind on the drive home.

Your first visit, step by step

Browse the Somerset menu. See what is fresh from the grow before you leave the house.
Order ahead if you know what you want. Pick the Somerset store on Solar’s site.
Bring your ID and payment. Photo ID showing you are 21 or older, plus cash or a debit card with a PIN.
Ask about the COA. Every product is lab tested, and staff can show you the results.
Sign up for the Insiders Club. That 5% cash back starts with your first purchase.

Make a day of it in Somerset

Somerset is a Bristol County town of 18,303 people (2020 census), set along the west bank of the Taunton River across from Fall River. It was first settled in 1677 on the Shawomet lands and incorporated in 1790. The name comes from Somerset Square in Boston, which was named for the English county.

The town has always lived by the water. Wikipedia notes it was a shipping and distribution point after the War of 1812, became a coal port in 1872 and had a large cannery in the early 1900s. Brayton Point Power Station opened at the southern tip of town in 1963 and closed on May 31, 2017. For more than a century, Slade’s Ferry and later the Slade’s Ferry Bridge linked Somerset to Fall River. Today the Veterans Memorial Bridge, dedicated on September 11, 2011, carries Route 6 and Route 138 over the river, and the Braga Bridge carries I-195.

Want some time outside? Solar’s own guide to beaches near Somerset points to Pierce Beach on the Taunton River as the closest, open from Memorial Day through Labor Day and best for a low-key evening. Swansea Town Beach is just over the town line, and Horseneck Beach in Westport is about half an hour away for open Atlantic surf. Battleship Cove in Fall River is a short hop across the bridge. When you are hungry, Solar’s Somerset page suggests Roger’s Family Restaurant, Pink Bean Coffee and Pancheros Mexican Grill.

Getting around is easy by car, with Route 6, Route 103 and I-195 all close by. Southeastern Regional Transit Authority buses run along Route 6, and T. F. Green Airport in Rhode Island is about 27 miles away.

Why Solar Cannabis Co. Somerset is worth the stop

Flower grown next door, a building reborn on sun power, six registers, a parking lot built for a crowd and a team reviewers call friendly and funny: Solar Cannabis Co. Somerset is where the whole Solar story began. Swing by Brayton Point Road and see it for yourself.

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