Handful of Pot Shops Open for Business in Washington

Top Shelf Cannabis in Bellingham opened its doors at 8 am Tuesday. The first sale was recorded at 8:03. (Getty)

The Liquor Control Board issued licenses Monday to 24 stores, a few of which started selling marijuana to adult users Tuesday. Top Shelf in Bellingham recorded the first sale shortly after doors opened at 8 am. A line around the block awaited the opening of Cannabis City in Seattle, where I-502 organizers Alison Holcomb and City Attorney Pete Holmes, as well as store owner James Lathrop, spoke during a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Holcomb and Holmes both made purchases. Holmes apologized after he brought the pot package with him to work.

Seattle’s only pot shop, Cannabis City, closed on July 10 after being open just three days, during which they sold 11 pounds.

However, after just three days of sales, Cannabis City ran out of stock (they had 11 poounds delivered on Tuesday). The store will be closed until July 25. "We knew it was coming," Lathrop sighs. "We didn't have any guanranted additional deliveries." But the store promises they'll have "two consistent large volume suppliers on board" and hope "to be able to conduct a more normal type business operation with no future closures" after they re-open.

Vivian McPeak shows off his purchases at Capitol City in Seattle: Opal OG Kush and Copper Kush (in two-gram packages).

In Vancouver (Washington, not British Columbia), Mayor Tim Leavitt did the ribbon-cutting honors at Main Street Marijuana at 11 am on July 9. Two-gram bags sold for $25-$30. After closing for the weekend, the store reopened with fresh stock on July 14. Another Vancouver pot shop, New Vansterdam, ran out on Sunday; they were expected to reopen on July 18.

Farmer J’s u2019s strain at Main Street Marijuana in Vancouver, WA. (Zachary Kaufman/The Columbian)

Here's the list of stores (bold means they have opened for business):

Altitude - 260 Merlot Dr., Prosser
• Austin Lott - 29 Horizon Flats Rd., Winthrop
• Bud Hut - 1123 E. State, Route 532, Camano Island
Cannabis City - 2733 4th Ave. S., Seattle
• Cascade Kropz - 19129 Smoky Point Blvd., Arlington
• Creative Retail Management - 7046 Pacific Ave., Tacoma
Freedom Market - 820A Westside Hwy., Kelso
• Green Star Cannabis - 1403 N. Division St., Spokane
• Green Theory - 10697 Main St., Ste. B, Bellevue
• High Time Station - 1448 Basin St. NW, Ephrata
Main Street Marijuana - 2314 Main St., Vancouver
Margie's Pot Shop - 405 E. Steuben, Bingen
New Vansterdam - 6515 E. Mill Plain Blvd., Vancouver
Rainier on Pine - 3111 S. Pine St., Tacoma
• Satori/Instant Karma - 9301 N. Division St., Spokane
• Space - 3111 S. Pine St., Tacoma
Spokane Green Leaf - 9107 N. Country Homes Blvd., Spokane
• The Happy Crop Shoppe - 50 Rock Island Rd., East Wenatchee
Top Shelf Cannabis - 3857 Hannegan Rd., Bellingham
• Verde Valley - 4007 Main St., Union Gap
• Westside420 Recreational - 4503 Ocean Beach Hwy., Longview
• Whibdey Island Cannabis Company - 5826 S. Kramer Rd., Langley
420 Carpenter - 422 Carpenter Rd., Lacey
2020 Solutions - 2018 Iron St., Bellingham

Alison Holcomb at opening of Cannabis City in Seattle, with owner James Lathrop at her right. (seattlepi.com)

Steve Bloom

Steve Bloom

Publisher of CelebStoner.com, former editor of High Times and Freedom Leaf and co-author of Pot Culture and Reefer Movie Madness.