SALEM — Weed and witches and woods ― oh my!
A local cannabis retailer is leaning into the Halloween tradition by decorating its store as a mystical forest, providing customers with an immersive experience and exploring the stories of people accused of witchcraft through the city’s history.
“There’s a centuries-long history of healers, who used plants and herbs to promote well-being and cure ailments, being accused of witchcraft. In Colonial America and Europe, healers were looked at with skepticism, bigotry, and fear — not much different than how some people still dismiss the cannabis industry today,” said Pete Gallagher, co-founder of Insa, whose cannabis retail store is located on Highland Avenue. “By recognizing the past, we can go forward and help break down some of the unwarranted stigmas that are still attached to using cannabis.”
This is the first time the company has had a chance to celebrate Halloween with the Salem community since it opened in November of 2019. The store usually looks bright and modern with inviting graphics, said Insa’s Chief Marketing Officer Lewis Goldstein.
“We tried to transform every part of it,” said Goldstein. “We didn’t want it to make it kidlike since we are an adult business.”
From the outside, the customers can see a 20-foot purple spider crawling down from the roof, and overgrown trees framing the entrance. The interior of the store looks like a dark, haunted forest that grew inside of the dispensary. There are two mystical displays with crystals as well.
Insa used a company that does installations for museums and big retailers to transform the store, Goldstein said.
The company got its employees various Halloween-themed face masks and encouraged them to dress up.
The business promises a multi-sensory mystical experience to its customers and is calling it a “Haunted Harvest.” However, Insa doesn’t want anyone to be frightened while shopping there.
“Shopping at dispensaries can feel intimidating,” said Insa’s co-founder Pat Gottschlicht. “We hope people come to Insa’s Haunted Harvest asking questions and leave learning something new and exciting that will improve their lives.”
Gottschlicht said that cannabis can help with sleep, provide anxiety relief, and aid in focus or relaxation.
As part of the Haunted Forest, Insa is featuring its first line of seasonal products, incorporating such New England seasonal items as pumpkin and apples. Insa’s Chef Julian Rose came up with pumpkin pie caramel crumble chocolate bars and caramel apple gummies made with real fruit puree. Rose has 40 years of experience working as a chocolatier and pastry chef both domestically and internationally.
Throughout the month of October, Insa is partnering with the Salem Main Street Association to donate funds to support Salem’s local business community, said Goldstein.
Childhood friends Gallagher and Gottschlicht founded Insa in 2013 and opened their first dispensary in 2017. Now, the business grows its own cannabis and has four retail locations in the state: two in Springfield, one in Salem and one in Easthampton.
Insa’s “Haunted Harvest” will run until Oct. 31. The dispensary is located at 462 Highland Ave.
A free shuttle service to the Insa store will be running from and to Bit Bar Salem, located downtown at 278 Derby St., on the city’s busiest weekends of the month, Oct. 23-24 and Oct. 30-31.
