Best Dispensary Near Me Barre VT: Three Licensed Shops in the Granite City (2026)

Barre is Washington County's most populous city — about 8,900 residents in the Granite City, Vermont's historic granite-quarrying center known for the massive granite quarries and memorial-carving tradition that have defined it since the late 1800s. It sits roughly 7–9 miles south of Montpelier via US-302 or I-89, and it has something most Vermont cities its size don't: three CCB-licensed adult-use cannabis dispensaries operating within the same city limits. Dames on North Main Street, VT Strong on South Main Street, and Forbins Reserve on Metro Way each take a different approach to the same central-Vermont market. Here's how to pick the right one.

TL;DR: Best Barre VT Dispensary by Situation

The Three Barre Dispensaries

Dames — 240 N. Main St

Hours: Mon–Sat 9:00 AM–8:00 PM | Sun 9:00 AM–4:00 PM
Phone: (802) 461-2845 | Website: damesvt.com
License: Adult-Use Retail

Dames is a women-led cannabis dispensary at 240 North Main Street — on the US-302 north corridor heading up toward Montpelier — and it is Barre's most community-oriented shop, built as a local independent rather than a chain. The full product menu covers flower, pre-rolls, edibles, vapes, concentrates, and accessories, with Vermont-grown products in the mix.

Two things stand out. First, online ordering is available at cart.damesvt.com, with in-store pickup and curbside available — useful for lunch-break runs or rainy-day shopping where you want to minimize time inside. Second, Sunday hours: Dames opens at 9 AM on Sundays, which is a full hour before VT Strong (10 AM) and three hours before Forbins Reserve (12 PM). If you need cannabis on Sunday morning — before 10 AM — Dames is the only Barre option. Call (802) 461-2845 or visit damesvt.com to confirm current hours and payment accepted before visiting.

See Dames' full listing, menu link, and current hours.

VT Strong — 69 S. Main St

Hours: Mon–Sat 8:00 AM–8:00 PM | Sun 10:00 AM–6:00 PM
Phone: (802) 622-0132 | Website: vtstrongcannabis.com
License: Adult-Use Retail

VT Strong is a husband-and-wife operation at 69 South Main Street — on the US-302 south side heading toward Berlin — established in 2023. The shop is built around Vermont-grown, small-batch craft cannabis: the owners maintain direct relationships with Vermont cultivators and run their own trim team, which gives them access to small-batch product that doesn't reach larger or chain-affiliated shops. The selection is Vermont-first and rotates regularly.

Service is deli-style: browse by strain at the counter, ask questions, and staff will walk you through what's in stock. VT Strong also has a mobile app for browsing inventory before walking in, and online ordering with express pickup is available at vtstrongcannabis.com. On hours, VT Strong has the broadest coverage of the three Barre shops: 8 AM–8 PM Monday through Saturday (the earliest weekday open in Barre by a full hour over Dames), and 10 AM–6 PM Sunday — the latest Sunday close of the three. If you need flexibility any day of the week, VT Strong covers the most ground.

See VT Strong's full listing, menu link, and current hours.

Forbins Reserve — 21 Metro Way, Unit 8

Hours: Mon–Sat 10:00 AM–8:00 PM | Sun 12:00 PM–4:00 PM
Phone: (802) 622-0359 | Website: forbinsfinest.com/forbins-reserve/
License: Adult-Use Retail + Tier 3 Cultivation

Forbins Reserve is the only Barre dispensary with on-site cultivation. It sits at 21 Metro Way, Unit 8 — in Barre's eastern industrial corridor, accessible off Washington Street (US-302) rather than the downtown Main Street spine — and holds both a CCB adult-use retail license and a Tier 3 Cultivation license. The in-house grow operates as ForbinsFinest Cultivation, producing cannabis that is grown, harvested, and sold by the same team. That vertical integration is meaningful for shoppers: house-grown product carries more traceability and a direct story that third-party-only shops can't offer.

The product menu includes the house ForbinsFinest Cultivation line alongside third-party Vermont producers. Forbins Reserve carries flower, pre-rolls, vapes, edibles, concentrates, and merchandise. Hours are the most limited of the three Barre shops: 10 AM–8 PM Monday through Saturday, and 12 PM–4 PM on Sunday — a narrow Sunday window, so plan ahead if that's your only day. Call (802) 622-0359 or check forbinsfinest.com/forbins-reserve/ before a Sunday visit to confirm hours are current.

See Forbins Reserve's full listing, menu link, and current hours.

Hours Comparison

Coming from Nearby Towns

Barre's three dispensaries make it the dispensary hub for a wide swath of central Vermont. Several surrounding communities have no cannabis shops of their own.

Berlin VT: Berlin is adjacent to Barre — the two towns share a commercial border along Route 302. Most Berlin addresses are closer to the Barre cluster than to Montpelier. All three Barre shops are effectively your local option.

Barre Town: Barre Town is a separate municipality that surrounds Barre City. Barre Town has no dispensaries of its own; Barre City's three shops are the natural destination for Barre Town residents. Distances vary by neighborhood, but the South Main (VT Strong) and North Main (Dames) corridors are typically the shortest drives.

Northfield VT: About 13 miles south on I-89 (Exit 5), Northfield has no licensed dispensary. The Barre cluster is the nearest option heading north on I-89.

Williamstown VT: Roughly 9 miles southeast via VT-14, with no dispensary. Barre is the closest option.

Montpelier: Montpelier is about 7–9 miles north of Barre via US-302 or I-89 and has four CCB-licensed adult-use cannabis dispensaries: Capital Cannabis Company (44 Main St; integrated medical+recreational; 8 AM Mon–Sat), Winterland Haze (68 Main St; craft small-batch; latest hours in the city), Juana's Garden (188 River St; deli-style, Vermont-grown, BIPOC-owned), and Gram Central (120 River St; 8 AM Mon–Fri; 20% veteran/medical discount). See the full Montpelier dispensary guide. Barre residents don't need to drive north for cannabis — but Montpelier is the nearest option for Vermont-registered medical patients, since none of the three Barre shops holds an integrated medical license.

Waterbury Center: About 25 minutes west on I-89 (Exit 10), Waterbury Center has three dispensaries including Zenbarn Farms (integrated medical+recreational). If you need medical access and Montpelier is inconvenient, Zenbarn is the other nearest integrated option.

Cannabis Tax and Vermont Law in 2026

Cannabis purchases in Barre City are taxed at 21% total: Vermont's 14% cannabis excise tax, the 6% state sales tax, and Barre City's 1% local option sales tax, which has been in effect since October 1, 2022. On a $100 pre-tax purchase, expect about $21 in tax — the same combined rate as Burlington, Montpelier, and Waterbury. Confirm the rate at time of purchase.

Vermont medical cannabis patients registered with the state are exempt from the 14% excise tax at licensed integrated dispensaries, which reduces the effective tax rate substantially. None of the three Barre dispensaries holds an integrated license, so medical patients must visit an integrated shop (Capital Cannabis in Montpelier or Zenbarn Farms in Waterbury Center) to receive that exemption.

S.278, effective July 1, 2026, updated Vermont's public possession limits: adults 21+ may carry up to 2 ounces of cannabis flower and 10 grams of concentrate in public. A valid government-issued photo ID is required at all three Barre dispensaries.

Consumption is prohibited in all public places — streets, parking lots, Granite Street, City Hall, vehicles, and all public outdoor areas. Legal consumption requires a private space where the property owner permits it. Vermont does not allow retail cannabis home delivery from all shops — confirm delivery availability directly with each dispensary. Do not cross state lines with cannabis.

See also: Best Dispensary Near Me Montpelier VT — all four Montpelier dispensaries including the integrated medical+recreational Capital Cannabis (~10 min north); Best Dispensary Near Me Waterbury Center VT — Zenbarn Farms (integrated medical+rec), 31° North, and Vermont GoodFire Cannabis (~25 min west on I-89); Dames full listing — women-led, 240 N. Main St, online ordering + curbside, 9 AM Sun open; VT Strong full listing — husband-wife, 69 S. Main St, deli-style Vermont craft, 8 AM Mon–Sat; Forbins Reserve full listing — 21 Metro Way, in-house Tier 3 cultivation, ForbinsFinest house line; All Barre VT dispensaries; Capital Cannabis Company full listing — nearest integrated medical+recreational shop (~10 min north); How to Buy Cannabis in Vermont: First-Timer's Guide — ID rules, product types, prices, VT law explained; Vermont Cannabis Law Changes 2026 (S.278) — possession limits and S.278 detail; Full Vermont dispensary directory; Vermont Strain Match — find the right product by effect.