CLEVELAND, Ohio — A historic Cleveland building with deep ties to the city’s musical heritage is getting new life as a cannabis dispensary.
Klutch Cannabis
is opening in
the former Record Rendezvous space
at 300 Prospect Avenue later this month.
The building sits at the edge of the East 4th dining district and a few blocks from Public Square, Progressive Field and Jack Casino. It has been renovated to honor its musical past while serving as a modern retail space for a breadth of cannabis products. Before this latest iteration, the storefront had been vacant for nearly 20 years.
“It’s an amazing historical landmark,” said Pete Nischt, vice president, compliance and communications for Klutch. Founded in 2020 in Akron, Klutch Cannabis has three open dispensaries. They are in Canton, Lorain and Loudonville, Ohio.
For those who have forgotten the energy that once filled this space and changed the rock ‘n’ roll landscape in Cleveland and beyond, Record Rendevzous was opened by Leo Mintz in 1939 to sell used 78 rpm jukebox singles. In 50 years of operation, Mintz and his family formed significant industry relationships and pioneered innovations in music retail in the early rock ‘n roll era of the 1950s and ‘60s.
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With the times a’changing, the record store closed in 1987. After that it was a clothing store and a shoe store before going dark.
For the past year, Klutch has been working to revive the Record Rendezvous spirit while creating a flagship cannabis store and novel retail experience. The retail sales floor occupies 1,200 square feet of the 3,000 square feet owned by Klutch. The first floor includes a lobby, retail floor, and back-of-house operations, while the basement and upper floors house additional operations.
“There’s no other dispensary like it, with the historical significance and the location in the central entertainment district,” said Nischt. “We leaned into the Record Rendezvous history. We’re just trying to highlight the music history in Cleveland.”
The company has preserved elements of the building’s history. The new space starts at the street with curved, glass storefront windows and a retro neon sign that reads “Klutch Cannabis.” Meanwhile, the original terrazzo threshold reads, “Record Rendezvous.”
The windows are filled with phonograph players and guitars.
Inside vinyl rules. Décor includes historic and Klutch-branded record sleeves. A layer of black vinyl records supports the gold Klutch logo behind the lobby counter. Music-oriented touches are respectful and playful.
The dispensary is expected to open within the next two weeks, pending final approval from the State of Ohio. Customers 21 and older with valid government-issued ID will be able to shop for a variety of cannabis products including flower, vapes, tinctures, edibles, lotions, creams and more. Medical patients will receive priority service and can obtain larger 90-day supplies.
Budtenders – as service staff is called – and new retail technology will help shoppers identify appropriate products.
“We want to do what we can to remove the stigma, hesitation and anxiety around it,” Nischt said. “We’re ready to meet someone who has never tried cannabis before and want to learn how it can benefit them.”
Stories by
Paris Wolfe
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