A vibey interior design, drive-thru preorder pickup window, and tech innovations may be what sets The Citizen by Klutch apart from the 70 others who earned one of the new Ohio dispensaries in last year’s lottery process. Approved for an operational permit for their Lorain location just last week, media and industry insiders gathered at the store recently for a sneak peek. Here’s what patients can expect:
Pharmacist Touches and Tech Innovations
Pharmacists Lauren Delande and Rony Sinharoy were hired by Klutch in 2021 to lead the dispensary application process. Since then, the team has been tasked with thoughtfully designing The Citizen by Klutch with medical marijuana patients in mind.
“We are here for the patients and are excited for the opportunity to do this. We want to hit it out of the park. We’re looking forward to bringing a patient-focused approach and combining it with awesome tech and product excellence,” says Lauren.
Learn more about Lauren’s journey in our Women Making Weed Work in Ohio series.
The patients who walk into The Citizen by Klutch will take note of the ways that the team desires to better serve Ohioans:
- Ohio’s first Drive-Thru window to pick up online preorders for a medical marijuana dispensary
- Large, open spaces for patients to meet with budtenders or explore on their own
- Expansive lobby and waiting area and adjoining space designed for community education
- Everyday special pricing on Klutch and KIVA branded products
- Interactive kiosks from retail technology company The Peak Beyond.
The interactive kiosks include prices, cannabinoids, education, and more. Any information supplied by the product’s makers can be found here. Product sample packages displayed along wooden wall shelves can be pulled down and placed next to a touch-screen display kiosk for the patient to learn every detail available about that product before purchasing.
Online, Ohio patients can access and order ahead with from The Citizen’s fully customized dispensary menu at www.citizenbyklutch.com/shop
The Process: Earning a Dispensary License
Klutch Cannabis earned Level 1 cultivation and processing licenses during the initial application process in 2018. They currently operate an 82,000-square-foot facility in Akron that includes almost 30,000 square feet of indoor cultivation space, a commercial kitchen, a solventless lab, a hydrocarbon lab, a CO2 lab and additional production and office areas. Klutch was passed over for a dispensary license in 2018. Because cultivators have little control when it comes to the price that the dispensary puts on products, earning their own dispensary licenses was a key priority for Klutch, said Pete Nischt, Vice President of Compliance and Communications. Klutch Founder Adam Thomarios echoes that offering having a retail presence is the best way to directly communicate with patients.
In 2021, the OMMCP announced 73 dispensary licenses would be awarded via a lottery. In December 2021, the Ohio Lottery drew from 1,400 non-refundable $5,000 applications.
In order to better their chances in the drawing, Klutch began working on the project months ahead of the application period and entered 73 applications. The lottery drawing resulted in two dispensaries for Klutch Cannabis, one to be built in Lorain at 5152 Grove Avenue and the second to be built in Canton at 401 Cherry Avenue. NE.
The Build
What sets Lorain’s The Citizen apart from other Ohio dispensaries is also the building itself, a repurposed former emergency vet clinic. The building’s design and parking lot made a drive-thru possible. Some Ohio dispensaries offer curbside pickup, but others do not, mostly due to space limitations and zoning restrictions. As a result, sometimes long lines of medical marijuana patients form outside and stretch into the parking lot. Fixing this common issue was top-of-mind for the Klutch team when selecting the Lorain space.
The Vibe
The ample space at The Citizen by Klutch in Lorain sets an upscale speakeasy vibe, appointed with black tiled ceilings, herringbone wood floors, and shoji screens. The warm space invites patients to come inside, relax on plush leather sofas, and immerse themselves in the stately surroundings. The reception area and community spaces are set apart from the sales floor and secured vault for products. Multiple interactive kiosks allow for a free-flowing ordering model, while four register stations are positioned along a back wall for private and quick transactions, even on busy days.
The Stores: Lorain and Canton
The Citizen dispensaries will feature a wide variety of Klutch-brand products, as well as Kiva Confections’ line of edibles, which Klutch manufactures under an exclusive license in Ohio. Dispensary menus will also feature products manufactured by other state-licensed cultivators and processors.
The Citizen by Klutch in Lorain will open Wednesday, January 25th 2023.
Hours of operation: Monday – Saturday 10 am – 8 pm; Sunday 10 am – 6 pm
Veteran discount: 30%
Indigent discount: 20%
See more photos and receive announcements about sales and more at https://www.instagram.com/citizenbyklutch.
The Citizen by Klutch is expected to open in Canton in March 2023.
MedicateOH Partnership
Patients who shop at The Citizen by Klutch in Lorain will have an opportunity on February 11th, 12-6 p.m. to meet some of our MedicateOH team and learn more about the non-profit journalism, advocacy and events we do for the Ohio patient community. All month long, patients can donate to MedicateOH when they check out at registers at The Citizen by Klutch in Lorain.
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[…] and communication. On the 11th, you can join some of our MedicateOH team of patient advocates at The Citizen by Klutch dispensary in Lorain, OH to chat with us about the work we do. From 12 to 6 pm, members of our team will be […]