Seafoam Cannabis owner Richard Petron stands behind the counter at his business in Wiscasset on Monday, July 8. Petron began leasing the building at 493 Gardiner Road in 2022 and received approval from the town to open in May. (Piper Pavelich photo)
Waterville resident Richard Petron is working to bring his business ideas to life, effectively making his mark with two new stores in Wiscasset.
Petron opened Seafoam Cannabis, a medical marijuana storefront, at 493 Gardiner Road in Wiscasset on June 24.
Petron began leasing the building in 2022, around the same time that the town of Wiscasset began to move forward with a proposed marijuana ordinance.
The red building on Route 27 sat vacant for a while, but only because Petron was waiting for his moment to open the store he had been envisioning, he said.
“We had a pretty good feeling about (the ordinance), so we went for it, and it seemed to pay off,” said Petron.
Wiscasset’s adult use cannabis business ordinance and medical cannabis licensing ordinance passed during the June 2023 annual town meeting by referendum after months of discussion between the town’s select board, planning board, and citizens, and Petron knew it was time to get to work on his business.
Along with his four staff members, Petron completed all the work within the store himself, which includes building countertops where merchandise now sits, and painting the walls seafoam green.
“It’s still a work in progress, because we’re doing it ourselves, but we’re happy to see people come in, and see the changes day by day,” said Petron.
In addition to cannabis, merchandise at Seafoam Cannabis includes grinders and edibles. Petron said he is hoping to experiment with items such as tinctures, shampoos, and lotions soon.
Petron described himself as jack-of-all-trades. He has been in the manufacturing business for nearly a decade, has worked in intelligence for the Special Forces during the Iraq War, and has worked in customer service and managed restaurants.
With friends in the cannabis business, he got to know people who grew large fields of cannabis when he was in college. At the time, there was no infrastructure in place to make concentrates from cannabis plants, and he saw that as an opportunity to fill a gap, he said.
He used his background in physics and mathematics to build a hydrocarbon extraction system, which extracts cannabinoids and terpenes from cannabis plants to produce concentrates.
Seafoam Cannabis, at 493 Gardiner Road in Wiscasset. Owner Richard Petron opened the store in June. (Piper Pavelich photo)
Petron worked in a manufacturing capacity for years, and then decided it was time to do something else, he said.
He described his newest venture in Wiscasset as another part of the industry that he hasn’t explored. While he has moved on from manufacturing for the time being, he said he still consults at laboratories, and he describes producing as his “bread and butter.”
The entrepreneur isn’t stopping at cannabis, though. Petron is also currently working on opening a pizza restaurant at 493 Gardiner Road.
Petron received a conditional use permit from the Wiscasset Planning Board to operate a restaurant, Liberty Pizza, during a meeting the evening of June 24.
Although he spent a long time envisioning the cannabis store, the restaurant is not something he had planned on opening at the location in Wiscasset as well, he said.
“I am a resourceful guy, and if I’ve got some space that I’m not using, what can I do with it?” said Petron.
A sign at 493 Gardiner Road on Route 27 in Wiscasset shows the hours for Seafoam Cannabis. Owner Richard Petron received approval from the town in May to open the store. (Piper Pavelich photo)
Originally an office space, the room directly next door to Seafoam Cannabis is currently undergoing renovations to be transformed into a kitchen, where Petron is aiming to recreate New York-style pizza. The restaurant will be takeout only and may include outdoor seating, he said. He plans on having the restaurant open year-round.
“There’s nothing else like this, really … The ones that exist are very few and far between,” said Petron.
With a license to operate a kitchen in hand, Petron said he is waiting until Seafoam Cannabis is finished to devote time to building his restaurant. He hopes to open the business in late August or early September.
When he’s not envisioning the next step in his career path, Petron can be found spending time with his two daughters. The trio is currently working on building a go-kart, he said.
Seafoam Cannabis is open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day. For more information, call 331-3539.
