Apothca, a recreational marijuana shop, has only been open for two weeks, but the steady stream of glowing reviews is proof that CEO, Joseph Lekach is well versed in the education and distribution of marijuana. Located at 491 Lynnway, Apothca is home to a variety of marijanua flowers, pot-laced gummies and chocolates, as well as its regular supply of medical marijuana products.
Over 300 people came through the doors on the first day the shop was open, and according to Lekach and his employees, the daily number of visitors has been growing.
“We’ve had at least 400 customers every single day since we’ve been open,” said Lekach, who credits the store’s success to the team of educated and dedicated employees. “I think one of the best things is our team. Operationally they are doing the best job as quickly as possible. The average transaction time is under four minutes, which keeps things moving and lessens the wait time. It also helps that we got a huge amount of five star reviews applauding the customer service and knowledgeability of the staff.”
In addition to in-depth customer service training, all Apothca employees are educated on state regulations and undergo national background checks, a local CORI check as well as social media traces.
Employee, Derek Belanger, has seen customers from all over the country, walk through the doors of Apothca.
“We’ve had a steady flow of customers and the word of mouth is definitely helping to spread the word,” said Belanger, who has seen ID’s from a variety of different states.
Lekach also owns a medical marijuana store in Arlington, and will be opening one in Boston, the first quarter of 2020. So far, the state has approved nearly 200 pot shop licenses. Worcester County has the most licenses in the state and Essex County, where Apothca is, has 17.