By Brady Lang

Local retailer knows there are questions on cannabis, but remains optimistic

Oct 18, 2018 | 2:00 PM

With day one of legal cannabis a part of history, it’s time to start looking toward the future when it comes to the industry.

Almost 1,000 customers came through Jimmy’s Cannabis Shop’s two stores on an inaugural day in Battleford and Martensville to look around, purchase, and educate themselves on the legalization of marijuana.

David Thomas, co-owner of Jimmy’s, was in Martensville for opening day but heard lots of positive things from the two stores.

“We were blown away by the positivity that the customers had. There was a lot of smiling, happy faces. It felt like history was being made, and a lot was made about that before the seventeenth, but it did feel like a special day for everybody.”

One issue that has been widely publicized is the supply for the entire industry. Thomas didn’t shy away from the topic and is hopeful the supply will come as the industry builds.

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“It will absolutely become an issue,” he said. “That’s been reported on pretty consistently across the country. Oct. 17 is great for everyone to try and be open and try to be ready. It was really cart before the horse in a lot of ways. We’re really hoping that supply will level out in the next couple of weeks so we can provide a consistent experience for our customers.”

As for the black market, Thomas said the company is counteracting the issue by focusing on what they can dictate in the market.

“Along this process, there’s so much out of our control, we’ve really focused on what we can control,” he said. “We’re just trying to create an environment where people feel comfortable and feel safe and get a consistent, great customer experience. It’s unfortunate we don’t have the supply to back up that experience, but things will eventually level out and we’ll have supply in the upcoming weeks.”

Thomas maintained a need to be much more than just a retailer and maintained a need to create a safe, educational and open understanding of cannabis.

“It’s the whole experience that we are trying to create,” he said. “I can’t really boil it down into one thing. We had our education and our kick-off conference on Monday in Saskatoon and it was so cool to all be in the same room for the first time to talk and discuss and learn about our different backgrounds. I think we’re creating something really fun in Battleford.”

Fire & Flower Cannabis Co. said Wednesday was a “great day” for their newly acquired store in North Battleford and Yorkton location.

“We served thousands of customers and were grateful for their patience,” vice president of finance Nadia Vattovaz said, adding their customer serving processes became smoother and more efficient throughout the day.

“Our sales were brisk and we have already placed orders with Licensed Producers to replenish our products. We continue to have a strong mix of products in all locations for our customers and look forward to another great day today,” she said.

brady.lang@jpbg.ca

Twitter: @BradyLangCJNB