Ladysmith’s first cannabis store, Jerry’s Cannabis, is now open for business.
Owner, Steven Elkiw is happy to open up shop after spending nine months in the application process.
“Now is when the real work starts. I got my official license on April 22. The day I got that, there was a million things to do.”
After the license was approved, staff worked to put the finishing touches on the interior of the store. Staff also needed to be trained on point of sale systems, and regulations around the sale of retail cannabis. Elkiw then had to order all of his cannabis supply through the B.C. Liquor Distribution Branch, (LDB).
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Jerry’s Cannabis won’t have every single cannabis product under the sun, but Elkiw said they’ll have more than enough supply to meet demand for both flower cannabis and edible products.
“We’re going to have a mountain of chocolate to start. Certain things like gummies are incredibly popular so we’re going to have limited supply of those… We also have oils, tinctures you can take under the tongue, and capsules.”
When Elkiw started the process nine months ago, there was no way to predict that he would be opening his business in the midst of a global pandemic. To maintain social distancing, only two customers can be in the store at one time. All high touch points will be sanitized after every transaction.
On top of that, Elkiw said they will soon launch an online click and collect portal at jerryscannabis.ca where customers can place their orders ahead of time and pick them up in store. Jerry’s Cannabis is not permitted to do any home delivery sales.
Doors open for the first time at 10:00 am, Thursday May 14. The store is located at 510C Esplanade Avenue in downtown Ladysmith.