"We plan to be open Tuesday-Saturday, 12-7 pm. But it is all on the availability of product and the amount of customers that come in that will ultimately set or schedule," said owner/operator H.J. Norris.
Waiting in the parking lot of the recently converted Terra Firma cosmetic store in the Port of Willapa Harbor, David and Marika of Canada, on a road trip, waited for the "open" sign to be lit.
"This is our first road trip south down the 101," said David. "We travel every year, but usually by airplane. This time we decided to drive down and learned that Washington had recently made marijuana legal, so we wanted to find a store."
The couple, very knowledgeable about marijuana, started their scouting in Port Angeles. Unable to find any retail outlets they continued their search as they traveled south. They next tried Olympia and then Aberdeen, but still nothing could be found. It was just by chance that the traveling pair stopped in South Bend for the night and were advised about the opening of Mr. Doobees; so they showed up and waited.
"I like a sativa," said David, "I prefer a good Merlot," said Marika, who admitted that she did not smoke, but was not against the opportunity to have the choice.
The couple was able to make their purchase and had a little bit of sticker shock when advised of the current price.
"We are from Canada, but I grew up in Amsterdam, so to me the prices are a little high," remarked David.
"It is good to see that the United States is looking into the marijuana industry. I mean look at us as an example - we have stayed in a hotel, ate at a restaurant and even purchased groceries from a store here. We will be getting gas before we leave. It's the little things that will make the difference here," said David.
With supply issues still a small problem, it is creating an expected initial price hike to retail outlets trying to open.
At Mr. Doobees, you will find a gram of "Britt", a hybrid Indica/Sativa strain available for $30 out the door.
"I tried about 40 different suppliers. But with scheduling, training, timing and harvesting, we found a supply from Manastash Gardens out of Olympia that could meet our opening schedule. We are trying to keep everything as local as possible," said Norris.
The staff at Mr. Doobees all has specific jobs and are ready and willing to assist the customers as they funnel through the door.
The protocol is simple - A customer is greeted and verified for age at the customer counter. They next move to the display case of available product and make their selection, advising how much they wish to purchase. The customer is next escorted to the purchase window where once again the purchase is verified, shown to them, and packaged for carryout in a discreet paper bag.
"The system also checks on the purchase of an individual, making sure they have not exceeded their daily purchase allowance. All stores are tied into the same system for checks and balances," notes Norris.
Currently the daily purchase allowance for a single customer is one ounce of marijuana flower, 16 ounces of edibles, 72 ounces of infused liquids, and 7 grams of marijuana concentrate.
"It is important that we know how much a person has purchased prior to visiting our store, with the restrictions by the State, we can get in very hot water very quickly for over selling to a customer beyond the daily allowances."
For David, he took a couple of grams of the hybrid and was eager to get back on the road to finish his trip. But first the couple stood next to the Mr. Doobees sign to vogue for an travel photo.
The current product at Mr. Doobees is 15.8% THC with only trace amounts of CBD. The store also offers glass pipes, rollers and rolling papers. Soon the inventory will increase with Norris in hot pursuit of processors who have additional available product like edibles.
As the industry starts to take a foothold in Pacific County, one more retail allocation is yet to be open, and residents may soon have not one but two retail outlets to choose from by the end of the year.