Higher Grounds to close in the Old Port
Higher Grounds coffee shop and cannabis dispensary on Wharf Street is closing this month after almost 10 years. (Courtesy of Higher Grounds)
Coffee shop and cannabis dispensary Higher Grounds recently announced it would close permanently as of this weekend.
Dispensary sales at the 45 Wharf St. shop end Thursday, while Higher Grounds will be serving coffee until Saturday, according to a social media post from owner Mark Barnett.
“Serving and sharing space with you all has been an honor, a joy, a struggle — sometimes a tempest, but always a sunny island afternoon,” the post reads in part.
The post also states that Barnett’s landlord has “forced” the business to close. Barnett said Wednesday his landlord informed him that he would not be able to renew his lease unless he abandoned the cannabis portion of his business.
“It’s incredibly expensive to relocate,” Barnett said. “The rents are crazy in Portland, there’s lots of competition and the tourism industry is definitely struggling.”
Higher Grounds launched in the Old Port in the fall of 2017.
“People need to understand we took a big risk with our dream,” said Barnett, who called Higher Grounds a family business. “The combination of two types of business that the city didn’t want to license, that the public hadn’t seen before. We went for it, and we almost made it to 10 years. I think I’d like that to be an inspiration to others to try something different.”
Copy the Story Link
Tagged: cannabis, coffee shops, the wrap
Tim Cebula has been a food writer and editor for 23 years. A former correspondent for The Boston Globe food section, his work has appeared in Time, Health, Food & Wine, CNN.com, and Boston magazine,. More by Tim Cebula
