A privately owned cannabis store in Newfoundland is closing, and the manager says supply issues are largely to blame.
Puff Puff Pass Headshop in Clarenville is the province’s first private weed store casualty since recreational marijuana was legalized in October.
It is one of just six private, regulated cannabis retailers in Newfoundland and Labrador, and will shut its doors for good on Thursday.
Business manager Tina Greening says retailers in Newfoundland and Labrador are only allowed to purchase from seven licensed producers, picked by the province’s liquor commission. Frustrated by quality, lack of choice, customers tell proprietor ‘I’m just going back to the black market and never buy legal again’
It’s not just restaurants that are diverse when it comes to food in the GTA. We’re also lucky to have grocers catering to so many communities in the city. For example, there’s Yummy Market for Eastern European goods; Iqbal Halal for Middle Eastern staples; H-Mart and Galleria for Korean groceries and New Spiceland Supermarket for Sri Lankan fare. Even giant grocers like Loblaws has recognized the value of these stores, having purchased T&T Chinese supermarket and Arz Fine Foods over the last decade. There’s upscale spots such as McEwan and Pusateri’s, as well as the lower priced No Frills and Food Basics.
To give a snapshot of what’s out there, the Star sent me to five more niche supermarkets across the GTA with a budget of $50 to spend at each place to get an idea of what you could cook up...
Hart Stores Inc. is expected to move into the space formerly occupied by Rossy and later Liquidation World in the middle of the mall. It’s not known when the store will open, but it’s expected to take place sometime in either March or April.
As many as 10 to 15 people could be employed.
“We will have around 25,000 square feet and it will be a full retail store like all other Hart Stores,” company official Fady Haddad told the Amherst News. “This is an area where we see enormous potential so that’s why we’re opening there.
The city has been waiting patiently for this location to open since the first Farm Boy landed in Etobicoke in 2018. It's here, and it brought fresh produce.