Corner Brook man saw business opportunity in cannabis legalization
Wednesday was the big day, the legalization of cannabis and one new Corner Brook business was ready for it.
Homegrow Experts NL at 27 West St. is an indoor gardening and hydroponics store.
The store is owned by Devon Pardy, a candidate in the city’s 2017 municipal election.
Pardy graduated this past spring from the College of the North Atlantic’s civil engineering technology program, but has decided to change his career focus by going into business.
He said he’s always had an interest in growing things and, of course, he knew that the legalization of cannabis was coming up.
“So, we thought it would be great to have a local place where we could get everything we need not only to grow fruits and vegetables indoors, but to grow marijuana and everything indoors.
“We realized that was something that wasn’t really around right now, so we figured it would be great to have in Corner Brook.”
The “we” are his mother and partner in the business, Kimberly Pardy, and his friend, Bob Mercer, who works at the store with him.
The store opened on Sept. 26 and Pardy said business has been great.
And there are a lot of people who come in for marijuana, asking questions about legalization and what they need to grow their own plants. Under the new law, up to four plants can be grown per household.
“We hope it’s actually going to cause a lot of people to realize all the great stuff that you can do with these products, not just for marijuana, but for all fruits and vegetables, and that will increase that market as well,” said Pardy.
Among the products that will be available at Homegrow Experts NL are a variety of herb vegetables and pepper seed, salad boxes, plant lights for offices or dorm rooms, fertilizers and plant foods, and complete grow systems.
Eventually, Pardy said, they’ll offer online sales and will ship all over.
He’s also planning on putting together some how-to videos that will be shared online and through the store’s Facebook page.