Cheeba-Cheebas could be one of Kelowna’s first non-medical cannabis retail stores in Rutland.
Back in October 2018, Chris Gayford applied to open a non-medical retail cannabis store and is among six others that were forwarded to a public hearing by City Council on Monday.
The shop he is applying for is located at 140 Rutland Rd., two doors down from Mary Jane’s Headquarters.
Good thing he owns both.
“Currently we sell a full array of jewelry and clothing, the Rutland location is about 6,000 square feet and we sell a lot of different giftware and different hand creams,” said Gayford.
New bylaws prohibit pot shop owners from selling merchandise like this in the same store.
“We opened in 2001 and over time we have built a large cliental that isn’t only interested in cannabis and cannabis accessories so for that reason we decided to go for a separate location a couple doors down.”
Gayford also has a Mary Jane’s location in West Kelowna.
“In West Kelowna our jewelry and gift wear don’t do quite as well as it does in Rutland so we chose to replace the store over there and make it a standalone recreational cannabis store.”
If his applications are given final approval, there’s a five step process that the provincial government has to go through, which includes security screening and financial integrity.
The owner will then complete renovations and an inspector must confirm the renovations reflect submitted floor plans.