Katelyn Baker
Well-Known Member
Yakima, Wash. - Local marijuana shops are quietly popping up in Yakima - one is open, another was shut down by the city Wednesday and two more are expected to open within the next year.
City officials shut down Sweet Relief Boutique on Wednesday after learning the 11th Street pot shop near Target was open without a business license. In a Twitter message attributed to Steve White, co-owner of the store, White said he plans to reopen next week after his landlord fixes the few issues the city had with the site - adding a handrail to the bathroom and constructing a parking lot outside the business.
But before closing, the store had constant customer traffic during morning and lunchtime hours with enough business to develop regulars since opening several weeks ago, said Liz Hallock, co-owner.
Happy Time, Yakima’s newest marijuana shop on North First Street, has experienced a similar response since its grand opening Friday, and has continued to see more customers each day, said the shop’s manager Jose Campos.
Opening of the shops follows the Yakima City Council’s decision on marijuana retail zoning in September. Aside from the other two yet-to-open, already licensed shops, no other marijuana businesses will be licensed in Yakima or any other Washington cities for the foreseeable future, state Liquor and Cannabis Board officials say.
Licensing and opening of marijuana businesses in Yakima has been a long time in coming. The Yakima City Council voted to ban pot businesses in January 2014 but a new council reversed that decision in May. Sales weren’t allowed until mid-September, which gave the city time to work out buffer zone requirements around protected sites, such as schools and child care centers.
While owners of the new pot shops say they’ve experienced sizable customer traffic since opening, Ken Weaver, owner of the Slow Burn in Union Gap, said his store has not seen a decrease in sales. Weaver anticipates it could be some time before any impact to his business would be noticed.
“They’re small stores and they’ve been relegated off to the outskirts of Yakima. Eventually they’re going to come up and grab a significant piece of the market, but they just haven’t yet. Every time a store opens it’s like the biggest event that never happened,” Weaver said.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Era Of Yakima Cannabis Sales Opens With More Shops Coming
Author: Kaitlin Bain
Contact: 1-509-248-1251
Photo Credit: Shawn Gust
Website: Yakima Herald
City officials shut down Sweet Relief Boutique on Wednesday after learning the 11th Street pot shop near Target was open without a business license. In a Twitter message attributed to Steve White, co-owner of the store, White said he plans to reopen next week after his landlord fixes the few issues the city had with the site - adding a handrail to the bathroom and constructing a parking lot outside the business.
But before closing, the store had constant customer traffic during morning and lunchtime hours with enough business to develop regulars since opening several weeks ago, said Liz Hallock, co-owner.
Happy Time, Yakima’s newest marijuana shop on North First Street, has experienced a similar response since its grand opening Friday, and has continued to see more customers each day, said the shop’s manager Jose Campos.
Opening of the shops follows the Yakima City Council’s decision on marijuana retail zoning in September. Aside from the other two yet-to-open, already licensed shops, no other marijuana businesses will be licensed in Yakima or any other Washington cities for the foreseeable future, state Liquor and Cannabis Board officials say.
Licensing and opening of marijuana businesses in Yakima has been a long time in coming. The Yakima City Council voted to ban pot businesses in January 2014 but a new council reversed that decision in May. Sales weren’t allowed until mid-September, which gave the city time to work out buffer zone requirements around protected sites, such as schools and child care centers.
While owners of the new pot shops say they’ve experienced sizable customer traffic since opening, Ken Weaver, owner of the Slow Burn in Union Gap, said his store has not seen a decrease in sales. Weaver anticipates it could be some time before any impact to his business would be noticed.
“They’re small stores and they’ve been relegated off to the outskirts of Yakima. Eventually they’re going to come up and grab a significant piece of the market, but they just haven’t yet. Every time a store opens it’s like the biggest event that never happened,” Weaver said.
News Moderator: Katelyn Baker 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Era Of Yakima Cannabis Sales Opens With More Shops Coming
Author: Kaitlin Bain
Contact: 1-509-248-1251
Photo Credit: Shawn Gust
Website: Yakima Herald
