MERIDEN, CT — Curaleaf's new dispensary on South Broad Street threw itself a party on Friday, September 25, and about 131 people stopped by to celebrate with the staff.
There was a ribbon to cut (two of them, in fact, one yellow and one black), a prize wheel to spin, brand tables to browse and a coffee truck parked out in the lot. When the scissors went through, the team lined up across the lobby broke into applause.
"The day went well. We had a great turnout with the community," said Luz Ayala, the store's manager.
The crowd was heaviest in the afternoon, between 2 and 5 p.m., she said, and one thing about the day will stay with her. "I'll remember customers coming excited to finally walk in after patiently waiting through construction for us to open to the public," Ayala said.
The construction she means happened in plain sight on South Broad Street. The building behind the Edge Fitness Club started out as a McDonald's and spent its later years as the Green Olive Diner, which closed in November 2025, the Record-Journal reported when the city approved the dispensary. Curaleaf opened the store on September 18 as the new home of its Hartford dispensary, and the grand opening a week later was its official hello.
A hometown crew
About 18 people work at the store, Ayala said. Around five of them came from Hartford and the towns nearby, and most of the rest are from Meriden. Curaleaf runs 179 dispensaries across the country, but this one is staffed largely by its own neighbors.
Ayala's answer for why Curaleaf picked Meriden was a compliment to the city. "We selected Meriden because of how progressive the city is, and we are looking forward to establishing connections with this great community," she said.
Coffee, a lucky spin and three brand tables
Out front, Travelin' Tom's Coffee parked its turquoise truck, orange awning and walk-up order window included, and served drinks to the grand opening crowd. The Manchester-based truck works events across Connecticut, mostly in Hartford and Tolland counties, with a menu that runs from cappuccinos and frappes to lemonade and hot chocolate.
Inside, a "Lucky Spin" prize wheel stood next to a giveaway table. Its hand-lettered wedges offered lighters, key rings, pouches, bags and rolling trays from brands the store carries, among them Select, Dark Heart, Find and Grassroots. One wedge simply read, "Lighter + spin again!"
Three brands sold in Connecticut dispensaries set up for the day as well. The Happy Confection, a queer-owned, woman-led and family-run kitchen in Westbrook that makes vegan THC gummies, brought a bright yellow counter. Let's Burn, a Connecticut craft cannabis brand sold through Crisp Cannabis, sent a rep in a black hoodie with the brand's name across the chest. And Amigos worked from a glossy orange counter with its name in big black script.