ORANGE — Anthony Cutaia has one foot in the door of the recreational marijuana industry.

The Orange resident opened the Good Vibes smoke shop at 9 East Main St. in mid-September to sell tobacco and smoking accessories. He hopes the store will transition to retailing pot in 2018 — when it becomes legal to do so in Massachusetts. State voters on Election Day opted to legalize the drug for recreational use, which became legal Dec. 15.

Cutaia, 25, said he is searching for investors to make this dream a reality. But, he said, a recreational marijuana shop is a million-dollar investment, with facilities, supplies, employees and security coming with a hefty price. There are also tight regulations that must be followed.

Until then, Cutaia is content operating his modest shop on East Main Street. He said he sells water pipes for e-liquid, water pipes for dry herb, shag tobacco, rolling papers, lighters, cigars, tobacco grinders, cigarillos and hookahs. All the water pipes are hand-blown by two glassblowers — one in Richmond, N.H., and one in Petersham. The craftsmanship comes in varying degrees of elaborateness, with pipe designs ranging from elephants to packs of gum.

He said he plans to soon sell shisha — tobacco specifically for hookah use. Cutaia sells 25 types of e-liquid and plans to offer as many as 175. He does not sell cigarettes.

“We’re always updating. We’re always getting new things,” he said.

Cutaia said he pulled a profit his first week, establishing a personal sales record that lasted until the week after Christmas, when he raked in $3,000.

“I started this with pocket change,” he said of the store, which used to host a bookstore.

Business is so good Cutaia expects to hire two employees within the next couple of weeks. He is accepting applications and wants people with management skills.

Cutaia secured the final of the 12 tobacco permits the town allows. Since that time, he said, Wal-Mart relinquished its permit, which was taken by Honey Farms — a convenience store chain that plans to build an eight-pump gas station at 24 East River St.

Cutaia originally planned to sell jerky from his shop, which he wanted to call “The Dehydration Station,” but he learned he could not foot the start-up costs for a health food store in this area. He said he received a lot of support from locals, including non-smokers, though he is prepared to deal with residents unhappy about having a smoke shop in town by explaining smoking’s stress-relieving benefits.

“This is a culture. Just like my tattoos, people don’t like those either. I’m not going to be rude to them … but there’s not too much you can discuss with someone who just has hate in their heart,” he said. “No matter what, they’re still going to not like you.”

Cutaia said he averages 10 to 15 customers a day. Patrons must be 18 or older to enter the store.

You can reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 258. On Twitter: @DomenicPoli

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