According to Miss Jones Cannabis, their budtenders "share a deep appreciation and understanding of cannabis and cannabis culture."
Soon, the GTA-based cannabis dispensary — and its budtenders — will branch out to Barrie, Orillia and beyond, all the way to a confirmed storefront on McKeown Avenue in North Bay, with another outpost in the works.
Local restaurateur Nathan Taus, who is acting as a local affiliate under the Pegasus Group corporate umbrella to get the north end shop up and operating, says a deal is progressing on a Miss Jones dispensary also setting up shop in the former TD Canada Trust space in the North Bay Mall in the near future.
Uncertainty borne by the COVID-19 pandemic has affected many sectors in retail and has pushed back the opening date for the McKeown Miss Jones.
"We have the keys to the building. A lease is signed, a design has been implemented," for the vacant plaza shop located at 955 McKeown Ave., says Taus, "and we're just waiting a little bit of extra time because of what's going on in the economy before we go in and build the dispensary — it's going to happen."
Taus describes his role as a "boots on the ground guy here in North Bay for whatever the building or operating needs are," adding the plan is for the McKeown dispensary to be a corporate location while the West Ferris store could be operated by a franchisee.
"We're trying to service both ends of town, we believe there is the market for it," says Taus. As far as West Ferris goes, "maybe it's one less thing people have to venture across town for."
Cannabis shops have been sprouting up in the area since late winter. Tokyo Smoke North Bay has been operating during the pandemic — predominantly at curbside from its Nipissing Plaza location, while the Fire & Flower Cannabis Co. store planned for Algonquin Avenue has yet to set a date for a grand opening.
Meanwhile, Nipissing First Nation-based outlets Kana Leaf and Cheerful Charlie's Cannabis Co., are open for business, with Northern Zen Cannabis expected to begin operations on NFN land soon.
