Whidbey Island’s first recreational marijuana store is expected to open its doors Friday.
Whidbey Island Cannabis Company owner Maureen Cooke said she’s waiting for the delivery of her occupancy permit, but all the other hurdles are cleared for an 11 a.m. grand opening Oct. 24. She expects the first day to be “a zoo.”
“You get the banner up and open the door, we don’t need any signage,” said Cooke, who has operated several businesses on South Whidbey in past years, most recently Mo’s Pub & Eatery in Langley.
Whidbey Island Cannabis Company was issued a stop-work order in July by the Island County planning department for failing to apply and receive a proper building permit and go through a site review.
Once the occupancy permit is in the store, Cooke will be the first person to legally sell recreational marijuana in Island County. A store on Camano Island, Bud Hut, is in the permitting process, according to an email from Island County Director of Planning and Community Development.
The store has two strains of marijuana on hand, with an order for seven more that they hope is delivered by the time the shop opens. As of publication, blackberry cush and purple Afghani are the only flowers in stock, which range from $19 to $28 per gram.
For those less interested in seeing their weed go up in smoke, four edibles await to both satisfy and induce the munchies. Cooke’s operations manager Drew Elliott showed off four types: peanut butter cups, peanut butter cookies, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and oatmeal raisin cookies – with 10 grams in each package. Edibles cost $37.50, plus sales tax.
“Prices reflect the acquisition cost,” said Casey Davidson, owner of Green Life Cannabis in Wenatchee, a longtime friend of Elliott’s who was visiting to help the Whidbey shop set up.
His store has been open for 2 months and has seen its struggles in securing product, much like Cooke back in early July. But Davidson said things have since stabilized a bit, leading to what both he and Cooke said should be enough to satisfy a customer rush, should one come over the weekend.
“I expect we’re going to be totally inundated,” Cooke said.
