PENHOLD – Cannabliss is ready for business.
Penhold's first recreational cannabis retail store will be open for business by the end of the month. A grand opening is scheduled for Aug. 1.
“Now that the (moratorium) is past and we have our licence, we’re very excited to move forward,” said co-owner Mike Sawicki. “We’re very excited to do business in the town.
“We’re very thankful the town gave us an opportunity to run our business in Penhold. We look forward to serving the people in Penhold and building relationships with them,” he added.
The moratorium on issuing retail cannabis licences was put in place last fall due to a nationwide shortage in product supply. Since the end of May, Alberta Gaming Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) has been slowly lifting the moratorium, granting several new retail licences a week as product became available, noted Carter Sawicki, co-owner and store manager.
Cannabliss received its provincial licence to operate on July 2.
Since then, the father and son duo have been busy preparing the store for opening day.
“I think our expectations are to grow in the town and really introduce people to cannabis in a positive way,” said Mike. “Really knock down the barriers and negativity behind it. There are some great benefits to it.”
Penhold’s first cannabis store will carry a variety of product and will be competitively priced, said Carter.
“We’re going to be meeting our suggested retail price. We (won’t) get the initial rush (that there was in October when cannabis became legal), so we’re going to go with very fair pricing,” he said.
Different strains will all be available.
“Cannabliss will carry all sorts of dried flower from indicas, sativas, hybrids and CBDs to oils and softgels. We’ll have (softgels) in THC as well as CBD varieties,” said Carter.
“Eventually, we’re going to have seeds so you can start your own plants at home.”
He noted edibles will be legal later this year in October but there will be a two-month waiting period until they hit the store shelves.
“Expect edibles around December,” he added.
In addition, they will be selling various accessories for cannabis consumption and the store will feature a menu wall with information cards, listing the different strains and flavours available.
“It’s an area where you can look around and ask some questions. You cannot taste or smell anything in the store, it’s all under lock and key,” said Mike. “The cards will have the percentages of THC and CBD so you’ll have all the information on the cards and you’ll be able to make an informed decision based on what you’re looking for.
“It’s going to be a family owned, comfortable business to come into,” he added.
Mike said as a small business that will employ about three to five people, they look forward to being a part of the Penhold community.
“I think there’s a lot of excitement. During our building and renovating, we’ve had lots of local people come in and check us out,” said Mike. “The level of excitement seems to be high and that’s encouraging for us.”
The store will be open seven days a week, starting Aug. 1.
