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Cannabis Dispensary Shifts Location to North Adams

NERD had been located in a small building on Cross Road in Clarksburg. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — A familiar North Berkshire cannabis shop opened its doors in North Adams.

The New England Regional Dispensary, or NERD, closed in Clarksburg in December to open at the new location at 401 Curran Highway, in the former Doran's Carpet.

Owners Chad Cellana and his uncle John Cellana opened the dispensary on Monday.

"We're excited to be back here and right downtown, and we're going to sell some adult-use cannabis," said Chad Cellana.

Cellana had opened his retail store in 2023 at 34 Cross Road in Clarksburg. Before that, he worked in a cultivation facility in Franklin and was a department head for a company in Holliston.

"We strive for top-notch customer service and product variations. So we're just here to help and answer all questions," he said. "We pride ourselves on being sociable and not rushing anybody. When you come here, you're going to get the answers you want and products that suit your needs."

Cellana said they got their retail license from the city in December and that the city has been very helpful toward their opening.

"They definitely got stuff done in a good time frame, and they were happy to have another store come into town, happy we were moving from Clarksburg to North Adams for certain," he said.

NERD is only the second retail location in North Adams, after Clear Sky on State Road opened four years ago. The city last year doubled the number of permits for retail cannabis to four and has approved at least one other special permit for a business that has not opened. Cannabis sales and production also require state licensing. 

John Cellana owns the property and the company is leasing the space. Previously used as a sporting goods store, the interior has been redesigned to support the cannabis operation. 

"This has always been a retail environment. We just kind of retrofitted it to suit our needs. Separated the sales floor from just the common area. Of course, we got our office involved. It's an open concept. You know, we're not trying to be any prison in here," Chad Cellana joked.

Cellana said he and his staff are there to answer customer's questions and to offer the right form of cannabis product for their needs.

"There's a lot of questions that people have, especially people who are not familiar with the cannabis industry. You know, what's going to help me sleep? What's going to help with pain?" he said. "Sometimes they just want to get really stoned. We'll have the right recommendation for any customer, and we're here to work with you."

Cellana said he hopes to one day expand within the county or in other states.

"The state caps you at four licenses right now, this is our only active license. So if this goes well, we could open more in five years, if we were expanded to another state, I would be happy, but we just need a good cornerstone store to start with," he said. 

Cellana said he has been interested in cannabis products and production for most of his life and had followed the legalization of marijuana closely. Once he was able to start working in the business, he stayed.

"I've always been passionate about cannabis. I figured in high school that we'd see legalization at some point in my lifetime, and it happened quicker than expected," he said. "So when the law was passed in 2012, I followed the articles in the newspapers and looked for businesses that might open, and when I found one. I got the job and never looked back."

Cellana is currently hiring for full-time and part-time work. Those interested can send a resume to ccellana@nerdcanna.co.

NERD will be open Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Clarksburg Students Write in Support of Rural School Aid

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
07:25AM / Sunday, March 15, 2026

Mason Langenback calculated that Clarksburg would get almost $1 million if the $60 million was allocated equally.

CLARKSBURG, Mass. — Eighth-graders at Clarksburg School took a lesson in civic advocacy this week, researching school funding and writing letters to Beacon Hill that call for fulling funding rural school aid. 

 

The students focused on the hardships for small rural schools and their importance to the community — that they struggle with limited funding and teacher shortages, but offer safe and supportive spaces for learning and are a hub for community connections.

 

"They all address the main issue, the funding for rural schools, and how there's a gap, and there's the $4 million gap this year, and then it's about the $40 million next year, and that rural schools need that equitable funding," said social studies teacher Mark Karhan.

 

A rural schools report in 2022 found smaller school districts cost from nearly 17 percent to 23 percent more to operate, and recommended "at least" $60 million be appropriated annually for rural school aid. 

 

Gov. Maura Healey has filed for more Chapter 70 school aid, but that often is little help to small rural schools with declining or static enrollment. For fiscal 2027, she's budgeted $20 million for rural schools, up from around $13 million this year but still far below the hoped for $60 million. 

 

Karhan said the class was broken into four groups and the students were provided a submission letter from Rural Schools Advocacy. The students used the first paragraph, which laid out the funding facts, and then did research and wrote their own letters. 

 

They will submit those with a school picture to the governor.