Waltham’s first cannabis dispensary Uma Flowers opens

Uma Flowers opened its doors on Tuesday, making it Waltham’s first operational cannabis shop. The store is located at 196 Bear Hill Rd.

With it, Waltham joins neighboring communities such as Watertown and Newton in having their own dispensaries. 

This was “a dream come true” for owner Priyanka Patel, who grew up in Waltham and worked for her parents’ businesses during the summer. 

“This is my hometown, so it was a no-brainer to open here,” said Patel. “I have my own business in my home city. It’s so nice to say that.”

There was a line of people outside at 10 a.m. on May 20, all smiles as they entered during the grand opening, Patel said. 

The shop’s general manager, Jack Woelfel, said he is happy to bring the convenience of  “a very short trip to get your weed” to Waltham residents.

“What I have always really loved about the dispensary setting is being able to contribute to the town society as a whole, being a business entity that folks aren’t necessarily used to,” said Woelfel.

He hopes that through exposure and education, Uma Flowers will help change the negative perspective toward cannabis that has been formed by its past illegality.

“What it really means for Waltham is hopefully a destigmatized cannabis, hopefully a more palatable, understandable, something that people are more comfortable with in their town,” he said.

Uma Flowers aims to provide a user-friendly dispensary experience led by a “budtender,” similar to a bartender but for cannabis. The budtender uses an iPad to help customers place orders, answer questions, and guide them through the menu for a more personalized experience.

“A lot of dispensaries, when you go, it’s very transactional, you’re waiting in line to be served, and then they’re trying to rush you out the door as quickly as possible,” said Patel. “We really pride ourselves in customer service, taking the time to answer any questions that you may have, whether you’re a long time user or a new user.”