Two business owners in Whately want to disassemble their current business model and reinvent it to deliver a distinctive product in the cutthroat cannabis market of the state.
According to the Boston Business Journal, the proprietors of the strip club Club Castaway have plans to turn their establishment into a topless cannabis store, positioning it to stand out in the state’s multibillion-dollar legal marijuana market.
“The market is very saturated. There are a lot of operators, and everyone is offering the same experience,” owner Nick Spagnola told the Business Journal. “This is definitely a way to stand out while also keeping the spirit of the existing business alive.”
The club closed down due to the COVID-19 epidemic in March 2020, and as of this writing, it has not been reopened.
When Spagnola and co-owner Julius Sokol presented their new business concept to the Whately Select Board earlier this month, the Greenfield Recorder broke the news first.
The two have some background in the marijuana industry: According to the Business Journal, Sokol is a co-owner of East Boston Bloom LLC with Lynn’s Massachusetts Green Retail Inc.
“We do have some experience on the cannabis side and some on the nudity side,” Spagnola told Whately officials, according to the Recorder. “We want to replace this nightclub scene and alcohol with something that is harmless in comparison.”
In Massachusetts, a state with more than 200 dressed-up dispensaries, a topless dispensary is, in fact, novel. The Business Journal writes that this makes the next approval and granting process for Spagnola and Sokol a little hazy.
However, the two have hired a lawyer and have decided to purchase a Whately cannabis firm that already has a permit. The license will be transferred to their club, the two hope.
Meanwhile, Club Castaway will reopen in late March with its current business model.
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