Red River’s lone dispensary persists, despite some locals view of cannabis as ‘taboo’
In the midst of an exciting but exhausting day on the slopes in Red River, one might enjoy a breather while others zip by on skis and snowboards. Taking in the views of the valley below and the town that calls it home, a little green flag stands out in the small sprawl, marking the location of The Vault, the only dispensary in Taos County located outside of the Town of Taos.
Since November 2022, The Vault has been providing cannabis products to Red River locals and tourists alike. Near the base of Platinum Chair, the main lift at the Red River Ski Area, it’s “probably the closest dispensary to a ski area in the world,” joked co-owner Noah Trodick. Trodick opened the dispensary with his business partner Tra Venaglia after toying with the idea for years.
While working at a local restaurant together before recreational cannabis was legalized in April 2022, Trodick and Venaglia would joke over a round of beers that if it were ever to be legalized in New Mexico, they would open a dispensary in Red River. According to Trodick, they weren’t the only locals who pondered starting a cannabis business once legalization in New Mexico appeared on the horizon.
So far, Trodick and Venaglia are the only Red River residents to make that dream a reality at the local level.
Even though they face no local competitors, Trodick said running the business has its ups and downs. Although the small village has a full-time population just over 500, the dispensary has a loyal local clientele, but most of their customers are tourists.
“We’re the only dispensary, and it was a needed niche,” Venaglia said. Before, tourists were going to Taos to buy weed — and before April 2022, they were going to Colorado. Now, tourists in Red River don’t have to drive far, and the excise tax benefits the town.
“Everyone that comes in here thinks we’re absolutely killing it with sales, but that’s not really true most of the time,” Trodick said.
Since the ski resort closed for the season Sunday (March 24), the dispensary is now entering its twomonth-long slow season.
Still, The Vault’s sales have remained strong enough to keep the dispensary in business. From November through February, The Vault has outperformed all but five Taos-based dispensaries in total sales, according to the New Mexico Regulation and Licensing Department’s Cannabis Reporting Online Portal.
According to the portal’s statistics, medical users seem to shop at the Red River dispensary far less than at those in Taos. In the past four months, The Vault has made $8,800 in medical sales, whereas 10 of 12 dispensaries in Taos made upwards of $20,000 in medical sales in that time. However, The Vault excels in recreational sales, making $260,000 in the last four months. When solely ranked by recreational sales in that time frame, The Vault is the fourthhighest selling dispensary in Taos County.
The same data set also shows a decline in sales during their offseason, starting in March 2023 and lasting through June. During this four-month period, the dispensary made $151,000.
While The Vault is maintaining itself as a business and getting used to its seasonal performance, Trodick said the dispensary was difficult to open in the first place; they faced opposition from community members and local business owners.
According to Red River town ordinances, cannabis dispensaries are not allowed to operate on Main Street or Pioneer Road, which leads to the ski area. Trodick said they were originally looking at a location on Pioneer Road, but they had to move to a storefront within the same structure facing West River Street.
“Main Street would have been nice because then people could just see [us] as they’re driving by,” Trodick said. “We’re kind of on a back street, but we are right in front of the main ski lift, so people can actually see us from the mountain when they’re skiing or snowboarding.”
Even after a year in business, Trodick said he has seen little change in how locals look at cannabis dispensaries. He said many locals still view cannabis as “taboo.”
The Town of Taos restricts the operation of cannabis dispensaries inside of residential areas and the historic district. However, this still leaves business owners with plenty of options in Taos’ commercial districts.
Similarly, Red River town ordinances emphasize the town’s goal to be a “family-friendly community and destination for visitors.” To accommodate the town’s family focus, Trodick and Venaglia said they did not want to design the business to look like a traditional dispensary — aside from a green flag outside that says “dispensary.” Instead of decorating the storefront with marijuana leaves and
imagery usually associated with the industry, Trodick said they wanted to keep it “classy.”
The interior of the dispensary is set up like an art gallery, with multiple rooms of artwork by artists from Red River and elsewhere in the state. While many other dispensaries in Taos feature work from local artists, The Vault truly looks like a gallery — one with cannabis products and memorabilia behind the counter. Trodick said some customers enter the dispensary solely to peruse the gallery.
“The way we’ve been embraced by the town hasn’t changed because once we met all of the requirements and sculpted our aesthetic to work with the values of the town, they realized that we were here for business, to fill the niche for the people who want a dispensary at their disposal.”
Tra Venaglia, co-owner, The Vault
“We’ve been really well-received honestly,” Venaglia said. “The way we’ve been embraced by the town hasn’t changed because once we met all of the requirements and sculpted our aesthetic to work with the values of the town, they realized that we were here for business, to fill the niche for the people who want a dispensary at their disposal.”
Additionally, The Vault does charity work for the Red River Valley Charter School, organizing fundraisers and raffles for the benefit of the school.
The future of the business is bright, Venaglia said, and they hope to either expand the store or open another location. He also voiced an interest in opening a consumption lounge in the future, although the village of Red River has yet to solidify ordinances surrounding them.