{"id":3242,"date":"2021-12-24T11:03:58","date_gmt":"2021-12-24T11:03:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/CAIiECSOfQU0EeUDquCsGPbViQsqGQgEKhAIACoHCAow8dv9CjDw5_UCMO_i1wU"},"modified":"2021-12-24T11:03:58","modified_gmt":"2021-12-24T11:03:58","slug":"westport-hemp-store-relocating-eyes-recreational-pot-sales-ctpost","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/?p=3242","title":{"rendered":"Westport hemp store relocating, eyes recreational pot sales – CTPost"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

WESTPORT \u2014 Franny\u2019s of Westport is moving as it looks to expand into Connecticut\u2019s newly legalized recreational marijuana market \u2014 something Westport doesn\u2019t allow.<\/p>\n

The hemp wellness store\u2019s last day at 31 Church Lane is scheduled for Dec. 31, before reopening Jan. 4 just a few hundred feet away at 33 Elm Street, unit 2. The store\u2019s Facebook page<\/a> will remain up and people can also still order online during the shutdown.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cWe\u2019re in pursuit to continue building our brand while making Franny\u2019s a household name,\u201d said Griff Conti, the owner and operator of Franny\u2019s of Westport. \u201cIf we didn\u2019t go after this opportunity we\u2019d be doing a great disservice to our loyal customers and community at large as we seek to educate and advocate for all things cannabis.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

He said the move is temporary and the new location will allow flexibility to move forward on the store\u2019s long-term plan, including joining Connecticut\u2019s new legal THC market for adult recreational use. It also lets the store stay in Westport and continue to serve the community.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/section>\n

<\/p>\n

A state law went into effect in July<\/a>, legalizing the possession and use of recreational marijuana for adults. The law opens the door to retail sales as soon as next year, with municipalities deciding how to zone for it, if at all. The state will issue the licenses to actually be allowed to sell it, not the towns.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Westport Planning and Zoning Commission passed a prohibition in September <\/a>on all businesses related to adult-use marijuana, including the storage and sale of it. The ban came after a long public hearing.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Traffic and a lack of details from the state were the big drivers for the decision, said Danielle Dobin, chair of the Planning and Zoning Commission.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt seemed early to be zoning for a use when the state hasn\u2019t caught up to where it\u2019s going to be allocating the licenses yet,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

She said the surrounding communities put a moratorium or some form of prohibition on recreational dispensaries and expects having one in downtown Westport would exacerbate the town\u2019s current traffic issues, especially with a lot of residents still working from home. She said the traffic for it would likely be similar to the drive-thru at Starbucks or Norwalk\u2019s Chick-fil-A.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re trying to be sensitive to that,\u201d Dobin said.<\/p>\n

She said there also wasn\u2019t a lot of information from the state yet on how many licenses would be awarded, who would receive them and whether the towns could select which businesses would open. She said there needed to be more from the state on the equity piece of who gets the licenses and ensuring the communities actually affected by marijuana over the years would get the revenue from it.<\/p>\n

Conti said Westport\u2019s recreational prohibition and the state banning Franny\u2019s top selling, hemp derived Delta-8 caused them to move to a month-to-month location while they wait to hear if they\u2019re one of the businesses selected in the state lottery process to receive a THC license.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf a license is awarded, we would need to leave Westport altogether and would target areas like Norwalk and Bridgeport, where I was born and raised, in addition to our social equity applicant who was born and raised in Bridgeport and (is) a current employee at Franny\u2019s of Westport,\u201d he said. \u201cFranny\u2019s hemp CBD\/wellness business will remain unchanged and be part of, in a separate location, the expansion plans in Connecticut.\u201d<\/p>\n

Franny\u2019s opened in Westport in June of 2020 and was able to step away from the current five-year lease three years early, he said.<\/p>\n