How Keystone Canna Remedies Factored COVID-19 Into Its Newest Store Design
The company opened its third Pennsylvania dispensary, which has been optimized for social distancing and other health protocols, in Stroudsburg on June 18.
Opening three dispensaries in two and a half years is a feat for any family-owned business in a highly regulated medical cannabis market like Pennsylvania, let alone amidst a global pandemic.
Keystone Canna Remedies’ third dispensary in the state—located in Stroudsburg—certainly didn’t go as planned. Originally set to open in Q1 of 2020, the halting of construction due to statewide COVID-19 shutdowns pushed the open date back.
However, there was an advantage to the postponement: the extra time allowed for a reconfiguring of the store’s layout and operating procedures to make for a smoother social-distanced opening, which officially took place on June 18.
“We wanted to just get the facility prepared for whatever future the post-pandemic world looks like,” Keystone Canna Remedies Co-Founder and Chief Business Development Officer Victor Guadagnino told Cannabis Dispensary.
The design aesthetic of the Stroudsburg location closely mimics the Bethlehem and Allentown facilities for branding cohesion purposes, like warm and neutral colors in the décor, exposed brick, and light-colored wood paneling. But there are a few noticeable changes, such as fewer rugs and carpets, as well as less furniture, which was consciously done for sanitation reasons.
Outside, parking spots are designated for curbside pickup, which helps for operational flow. Guadagnino anticipates Keystone Canna Remedies will be offering in-store as well as curbside service offerings for the foreseeable future.
Opening this location was important for the Stroudsburg community, Guadagnino said, because it’s an underserved area. Residents must drive about 30 miles to the Bethlehem store, which has seen much higher volumes during the pandemic—a stress for both operations and employees. “It was an imperative for us to open the location to [divide the] volume out from Bethlehem so we could spread out that patient base and more effectively social distance,” he added.
The new location has opened with limited hours (open Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays). The Stroudsburg location has 10 new employees, along with some crossover employees from the Bethlehem dispensary. Patients have appreciated seeing the familiar faces, Guadagnino said, adding that he hopes to add another 10 to 15 employees within the coming months.
“We obviously have learned a lot in the last two and a half years, but we opened three stores in less than two and a half years, and we compete with large industry members. So, to be hit with COVID at the last home stretch of opening locations and having to implement these strategies have been stressful,” Guadagnino said. “But I have to say I’m very proud of the team we have here that we’ve been able to do it successfully with nobody getting sick. And we’ve kept our staff and patient base healthy.”