The little strip mall on the neighborhood corner

[Teaching3bears]

You know the little ones with 4-6 small, locally-owned businesses?

The ones near me all seem to have: a pizza take-out place, a dentist office, a hair salon, and then either a corner store, a florist, a small drug store, a pet-food store, a nail salon, a small bakery or another take-out place.

BUT, now they all have a Cannabis store.  There is one on every corner now.  Suddenly, a bunch sprung up.  I guess they do well.

[Resilient]

Cannabis stores moved into the little seaside town where we used to vacation.  Multiple long-standing businesses moved out of town--the clientele that was coming into town had changed.  There are too many empty storefronts in that town now. :0(

[Scarlett]

10 hours ago, Teaching3bears said:

You know the little ones with 4-6 small, locally-owned businesses?

The ones near me all seem to have: a pizza take-out place, a dentist office, a hair salon, and then either a corner store, a florist, a small drug store, a pet-food store, a nail salon, a small bakery or another take-out place.

BUT, now they all have a Cannabis store.  There is one on every corner now.  Suddenly, a bunch sprung up.  I guess they do well.

Our little town has like 17 of them.  Ridiculous.  And yes it changes a town.  

[kristin0713]

I haven't seen any local to me. I'm not sure if they are allowed to open yet (NJ) but it's supposed to be legal here now. 

[wintermom]

I have a tiny strip mall near me with a day care, investment business and a new Istanbul Marketplace with bakery!! So fun! We have cannabis stores in town, but they seem well regulated in numbers fortunately. I wouldn't be happy with one right in the neighbourhood.

[Home'scool]

We have two or three cannabis stores in the surrounding towns where I live, as well as one in the town. I have found them to be very professional, clean and the staff very educated on the products. It's not like a "smoke" store or some sketchy place (anyone remember Spencer's from the malls? haha). Places that only sell CBD oil can also be sketchy.

I also see people from all walks of life in the cannabis stores. There are young people but I have seen older couples and some quite straight laced looking people. Overall they have been nothing like you would expect a pot shop to be. 

When I moved in with my sister 6 years ago she was NOT a cannabis user at all. Now she uses it nightly to combat her rheumatoid arthritis and she says without it she would not be able to sleep. It's better than being on a chemical medicine.

 

[ChickaDeeDeeDee]

Cannabis isn't legal in our current state, but when we lived in California our town changed their zoning laws so that no stores could go in.  I wasn't actively against it at the time, but I tend to always first think of zoning as an infringement on property rights.  Seeing how some places have been negatively impacted are making me question what I think about it. 

[Arctic Bunny]

Our local cannabis stores are a lot like liquor stores. Some are very trendy and upscale, others not so much. 

[SounderChick]

We don't really have any new cbd store maybe one or 2.  The health stores, and smoke shops all sell cbd. Marijuana is legal here and we have 2 dispensaries but they are both outside of town limits and pretty much sit by themselves.  

Our little neighborhood strip mall has a dog groomer, computer repair, guitar lessons, a quilt store, coffee shop, pizza and a nail salon.  

[Corraleno]

Oregon has had medical marijuana since 1998 and recreational sales since 2015. We have the highest (per capita) number of dispensaries in the US, but they are heavily regulated and at least the ones in my area seem to be very clean and professional and no different from any other shop. Marijuana taxes add well over $100 million/year to the state budget (most of which goes to schools or mental health services). In CA the tax brings in over a billion, and I think in WA it's around half a billion. Eventually it will be legal everywhere and dispensaries will be no different from liquor stores: upscale stores in upscale areas, run down stores in run down areas, average stores in average areas.