Releaf is near
Summerside couple opening store selling glass pieces for legal herbs and medical marijuana
It’s a cause close to Megan Patey and Tommy Biggar’s hearts.
“I use it for my anxiety and PTSD. And since starting it, I’ve been functioning a lot better,” explained Patey.
The “it” is medicinal marijuana prescribed by a physician.
Biggar added, “It’s incredible. It went from her nails being below the skin, to being able to paint them, to having to cut them. It was incredible to see how it helped her.”
In April, Patey and Biggar will open their new business Island Releaf Glass.
“There is no store like this in Summerside. Instead people have to drive to Charlottetown to get glasswear that is used for taking legal herbs and medical marijuana.”
“It isn’t about smoking it, it’s
about ingesting it,” said Biggar. “We know there is the possibility of (marijuana) legalization coming to Canada and I think this is something that could help the downtown area of the city. But we want to make it more affordable for people.”
Island Releaf Glass will sell glass pieces, accessories, papers as well as novelty items like stickers, patches and band memorabilia to those 19 years and over.
“We’re going to be sticky on that,” said Biggar. “We’re not here to support anything illegal and we certainly don’t condone it.” What’s surprised the couple is the support they’ve already received from Islanders.
“It’s been overwhelming actually. There seems to be a lot of people excited for it. It seems like the stigma … is going away,” Biggar explained. “Where we expected a lot of pushback, we’ve been accepted with open arms.”
One of the difficult parts of the process was tracking down distributors.
“That posed an issue. There was a lot of verifying where our storefront was. But we have our first shipment arriving on Friday. It’s exciting,” Patey added. Bigger continued, “Being a business owner is difficult and I’m sure we’re not alone in this experience. Every day has been a learning curve. It’s all been happening so fast.”
Ultimately the store is meant to be a comfortable place for people, Patey said.
“We want to be that place where people can come and if they want to talk about prescriptions and get more information about it then we’re here. We just want to help and be there if people need us.”
The store is allowed to carry 12 to 14 brands of glasswear and is set to open April 1, with it’s grand opening scheduled for April 20.
“We’ll have a grand opening sale through the weekend and we’re hoping to have a barbeque so we can all get to know each other and the community.”