Solurge Dispensary in Holyoke MA

Solurge, a Holyoke dispensary that grows its own

Some dispensaries buy everything they sell. Solurge Dispensary in Holyoke MA grows a big part of it right in the building. The Holyoke shop at 650 Beaulieu Street is both a cultivator and a retail store, which means some of the flower on its shelves is grown under the same roof as the counter.

The store’s own website puts it plainly: “We grow premium, small-batch flower in-house, maintaining strict quality standards at every stage.” Alongside its own strains, Solurge says it carefully picks products from trusted Massachusetts brands, so the menu mixes homegrown flower with a wider selection from around the state.

If you live in Holyoke, or you are heading through the Paper City on I-91, here is what to know before you stop in.

Open since May 2023

The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission lists 650 Beaulieu Street as an active, licensed adult-use cannabis retailer, open since May 19, 2023. The same state records list a cultivation license at the same address, which matches what Solurge says about growing its own flower on site.

That opening date was the end of a long road. Solurge had been working on Beaulieu Street for years before the retail doors opened, and the story of how it got there says a lot about Holyoke and its welcome for the cannabis industry.

A long road to opening day

Solurge first made local news back in 2018. In December of that year, WWLP reported that the company wanted to open a combined medical and retail dispensary at 650 Beaulieu Street, and that it was asking the city for a special permit that would allow delivery of medical marijuana. The company’s chief compliance officer told the station that delivery would add jobs in the city.

A few months later, in April 2019, High Profile reported that Jewett Construction had been hired to renovate the building Solurge had just bought on Beaulieu Street. The plan was big. The 27,000 square foot former warehouse was set to hold cultivation, processing, storage, dispatch and retail, all under one roof, with Keenan + Kenny Architects on the design. Plans at the time also called for a commercial-grade viewing kitchen and other features built around the customer and the community.

The builders compared the job to lab and cold storage work. Greg Stewart, a vice president at Jewett Construction, said the project had “more similarities with the laboratory and cold storage facilities that we’ve built in the past” than a typical build. The early plan had Solurge running everything but retail by the fall of 2019. Retail took longer, and the shop opened its doors to adult-use customers in May 2023.

Why Holyoke?

Solurge is part of a bigger Holyoke story. Soon after medical marijuana became legal in Massachusetts, Mayor Alex Morse began promoting the city as a home for growers and distributors, pointing to its low energy costs and how close it sits to several big metro markets, according to Wikipedia’s history of the city. After adult-use cannabis was legalized in 2016, a number of cultivation businesses came looking for space in Holyoke’s former mills.

In 2018, CBS News described Holyoke as ready to welcome the industry “with open arms,” and reported that the mayor wanted cannabis companies to fill the city’s empty industrial buildings. Morse told CBS that one converted mill showed what was possible: “Fifty thousand square feet of vacant unused space is now generating revenue, jobs for the city.” Solurge’s warehouse on Beaulieu Street is another example of an older building given a new job.

Grown in the building, picked from the state

What makes Solurge different is simple: it is a grower first. On its About page, Solurge says its mission is “to produce unique, high-quality strains of cannabis that meet the unique needs of each and every customer.” It also says it is always looking to raise the bar with new strains featuring rare genetics, while it keeps fine-tuning the strains it already grows.

For shoppers, that means two things:

Homegrown flower. Small-batch flower grown in-house, under the same roof where you shop.
A wider menu. Products chosen from trusted brands across Massachusetts, so there is more to look at than just the house strains.

If you are curious about what was grown in the building and what came from other growers, just ask at the counter. It is a fun question to ask at a store that grows its own.

A team of cannabis fans

Solurge describes its staff as people who really care about the plant. On its careers page, the company says its team is made up of “passionate, professional, and educated cannabis enthusiasts who are committed to putting the best product in your hands.”

That is good news if you are new to cannabis or just new to the store. Tell the budtender what you have tried before, what you liked, and how much you want to spend, and let them point you in the right direction.

Shop online, pick up in store

Want to skip the browsing and get in and out? Solurge lets adults 21 and over view the menu and pre-order online. Use the Shop Online link on the Solurge website to see what is in stock, place your order, and then head to Beaulieu Street to pick it up. Menus change often at a store that grows in small batches, so checking online first is the easiest way to see what is fresh.

Join the loyalty program

Regulars will want to sign up for the Solurge Loyalty Program. On its rewards page, Solurge lists three benefits for members:

Points. Earn points on all purchases.
Weekly deals. Member-only deals sent straight to your inbox every week.
Holiday promotions. Access to holiday specials, and more.

There is a bonus, too. Solurge says rewards members are rewarded for leaving a review, and it points members to their Rewards Wallet for the details. If you have a good visit, leave a Google review and then check your wallet.

Plan your visit

Address. 650 Beaulieu Street, Holyoke, MA 01040.

Hours. Open 7 days a week, 8am to 11pm.

Phone. Call (413) 374-1982 with questions.

Adults 21+. Solurge is an adult-use (recreational) dispensary. Bring a valid, government-issued photo ID showing you are 21 or older.

Order ahead. Pre-order through the Shop Online page on the Solurge website.

Follow along. Solurge posts on Instagram, and you can reach the team through the contact form on its website.

Hours can change around holidays, so check the website or call before a late-night visit.

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

Check the menu online. See what is in stock, including the flower grown in-house.
Pre-order if you like. It saves time when you get there.
Bring your ID. A valid, government-issued photo ID showing you are 21 or older.
Ask about the house strains. The team can tell you what was grown on site.
Join the loyalty program. Earn points on every purchase and watch your inbox for weekly deals.

Make a day of it in Holyoke

Holyoke is a Hampden County city of 38,238 people (2020 census), about 8 miles north of Springfield. It grew fast: its population climbed from just under 5,000 in 1860 to more than 60,000 by 1920, as mills went up along the river.

Paper made the city famous. In the late 19th century, Holyoke produced an estimated 80 percent of the writing paper used in the United States. Local engineers David and Ashley Tower, working as D. H. & A. B. Tower, designed more than 100 mills, with projects on five continents, and helped make Holyoke “The Paper City.” Several specialty paper companies still work in the city today.

Holyoke has a modern side, too. The Massachusetts Green High Performance Computing Center, a research computing center backed by a group of universities and tech companies, opened here in 2012. It came to Holyoke partly because of the city’s hydropower and its fiber network, run by the city-owned utility, Holyoke Gas & Electric. Holyoke is also home to Holyoke Community College, the first community college in Massachusetts.

If you are visiting in March, you are in for a treat. Holyoke hosts the second-largest St. Patrick’s Day parade in the United States, behind only New York City’s. It has been held every year since 1952 on the Sunday after St. Patrick’s Day, and it typically draws 350,000 to 450,000 people. The Holyoke Caledonian Pipe Band, founded in 1910, has marched in every one.

Want something truly old? The Dinosaur Footprints Reservation, run by The Trustees of Reservations, protects dinosaur tracks along the Connecticut River in the Smith’s Ferry neighborhood. It is a fun stop for anyone who likes a little natural history.

Getting here is easy. Passenger rail came back to Holyoke in August 2015 after nearly 50 years away. Amtrak’s Vermonter stops at Holyoke once a day in each direction, and the Valley Flyer, which started in 2019, links Holyoke with Northampton, Springfield, Greenfield and New Haven, Connecticut.

Why Solurge is worth the stop

A shop that grows its own flower in small batches, a building with a long road to opening day, a team of real cannabis fans, online pre-ordering, a loyalty program with weekly deals and hours that run until 11pm every day: Solurge gives Holyoke shoppers a chance to buy from the people who grow it. Swing by Beaulieu Street and see what is fresh from the house grow.

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