[ad_1]
If the cliché about marijuana and “food cravings†is true, Coastal customers will be in heaven. Or, perhaps more precisely, pepperoni heaven.
Moved from the corner across from Vallejo Police Headquarters on Amador Street, the dispensary moved to Glen Cove Shopping Center with Safeway to its left and Von’s Chicken and Domino’s Pizza to its right.
“They had been looking for (new) accommodation for quite some time,†said Tina Fowler of the Vallejo Chamber of Commerce, delighted that the previously vacant location has a tenant.
“It’s good not to have empty spaces in a mall,” said Fowler, adding that the site made Coastal “more visible.”
After a “silent opening” Thursday, the ribbon’s grand opening at noon Friday included certificates presented by Mel Orpilla on behalf of Representative Mike Thompson and by Tom Bartee on behalf of State Senator Bill Dodd.
“It’s a great thing,” said Jackie Arnold, board member of the Vallejo Chamber of Commerce and, she said, a client of Coastal.
“It was terrible to park†at the previous location, Arnold said. “And the employees did not have places to eat. They had to bring their lunch. It is a much better location. Much better. And safer too, I think. In the other place, you were hoping not to get hit by a car crossing the street.
Sarah Kubik, COO of Coastal Culver City, was also in attendance on Friday.
Kubik hailed Vallejo as “one of the capitals and must-sees for cannabis and the shopping experienceâ€.
Kubik said Coastal “is trying to create a store that caters to a customer who might not know all about cannabis. We put a lot of emphasis on product knowledge and training the customer to understand.
Placement with more traditional firms helps make the “legal product” more palatable, Fowler and Kubik agreed.
“We want to change some of the stigma that cannabis has suffered in the past,” said Kubik, saying it’s more about complementing and not competing with other dispensaries in Vallejo.
“I think every cannabis store has different identities,†she said. “We are happy to be part of the community with other stores in the area.â€
Vallejo Coastal General Manager Ryan Eusebio said the new location “has a lot more parking, for one, and a lot more foot traffic. There are a lot of businesses around.”
Coastal has already gotten cross-promoted with Von’s Chicken, while “Domino’s connects us every day,†Eusebio said.
Eusebio said Coastal has 11 employees and is hiring more.
Fowler confirmed that there had been complaints about Coastal’s move to the center, mostly from residents behind the building “concerned about traffic and safety.”
However, said Fowler, “with the additional security required, it will increase the security of the parking lot.”
The Amador Street dispensary started as “ReLeaf†in 2011 and then “Plantacea†by owners Maurice and Anh Solis. Coastal, owned by the company, bought the store, adding Vallejo in Stockton as Northern California stores to expand the nine Southern California dispensaries. A dispensary in Concord opens in 2022.
[ad_2]
