Tweed stores, such as this location in St. John’s, are designed to appeal to customers from all walks of life.Greg Locke/Tweed
Although recreational use of cannabis has been legal in Canada for six months now, getting your hands on some bud at a store isn’t always easy, especially in Ontario where, until recently, cannabis was sold exclusively online. For cannabis company Tweed, retail operations are a critical part of their self-imposed mandate to educate Canadians on the plant. “Working towards de-stigmatization is a huge component of our stores,” says vice-president of retail Lacey Norton.
With more than a dozen stores in Newfoundland, Manitoba and Saskatchewan and plans to open even more, Tweed sells a variety of cannabis strains, which they grow in a handful of greenhouses, including at the former Hershey’s chocolate factory in Smiths Falls, Ont., and some from partner growers. Their cannabis products are available in the more traditional flower form as well as soft gel capsules, oils and pre-rolls. Tweed also offers accessories such as specialty smoking and storage equipment and have plans to capitalize on their chocolate-making connection once edibles are approved in October.
According to Norton, Tweed’s stores are designed to offer a welcoming space where customers from all walks of life can feel at ease asking about this newly legal consumable. “It really has a warmth and it creates the intention for people to feel comfortable and a place that’s familiar to them and not what people would traditional expect of a dispensary,” Norton says. “We really wanted to challenge people’s expectations of what dispensaries look and feel like.”
Tweed, 189 Water St., St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, 709-701-6015, tweed.com.
Tweed Branded Glass One-Hitter, $5.Tweed
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