When the final permits were issued for UEMCannabis last Friday, owner Lee Jackson realized that he could open the family-operated store on April 20 – also known as 420.
“It just worked out,” Jackson said of opening on the 20th day of the fourth month of the year.
The store will open Tuesday, on the date that has become a touchstone in cannabis culture in recent decades, and looks likely to become the first licensed cannabis shop to open in Langley.
UEMCannabis, which stands for Urban Earth Made, will be one of two shops, along with HIGH5, located in Aldergrove and also slated to open this month.
Jackson said he and his staff don’t know exactly what to expect on day one, but there has already been a lot of interest, including calls asking when they would be opening.
People have been coming by and asking at the shop location, too.
“It’s a pretty high traffic area,” he said.
#Langley we are looking forward to opening on #420 #CannabisCommunity #LangleyBC #UEMCannabis #April20 #Vancouver #dispensary #high pic.twitter.com/TjaKBD30Me
— UEM Cannabis (@UEMCannabis) April 19, 2021
Living locally, he knows that friends and acquaintances are aware that the store is set to open soon.
He was pleased that there was no push-back from the store’s neighbours. It’s located in one of the Carvolth commercial areas within the on-ramp loops at the 200th Street interchange, with no homes nearby.
Jackson said there won’t be any big celebration, as COVID means no gatherings are permitted. Instead, staff have been focused on masks, sanitizers, and making sure there are markings indicating distancing requirements for customers at the store.
About 10 to 15 people will be employed at the shop.
READ MORE: Langley’s first retail cannabis store HIGH5 set to open its doors in Aldergrove
The store will get its products from the government, and will sell a range of cannabis items including flower, edibles, tinctures, concentrates, and drinks.
The path to opening cannabis shops in Langley Township was a lengthy one.
The provincial government has given local governments a lot of leeway in how or whether they allowed local commercial cannabis retailers.
In the Township, a plan was drawn up to allow one shop in each of the seven major neighbourhoods, plus one in the Carvolth area just off the highway.
In the end, after months of debate and input, the Township council approved just two, with the HIGH5 in Aldergrove and the UEMCannabis in Carvolth as the only successful applicants.
Jackson said from his perspective, the Township was good to work with.
He and his family, including his wife Carli and father-in-law Michael Young, have been working on getting the shop ready for the big day.
Have a story tip? Email: matthew.claxton@langleyadvancetimes.com
