Spiritleaf in Kelowna will have their grand opening on Saturday

Spiritleaf in Kelowna will have their grand opening this Saturday at 9 a.m., making it the third legal cannabis store in the city. 

Owner Tarek Shbib knew he wanted to get into the legal marijuana business back in December of 2017. 

“Before legalization, I knew I wanted to open a store, they were the brand that really appealed to me and they’re going to appeal especially to the Okanagan community,” explains Shbib. 

Shbib says no one was expecting the pandemic, especially new business owners, but he’s glad that cannabis is seen as essential during the crisis. 

“I feel like it does provide a lot of benefit for people, especially during a time like this… we’re excited its summertime, it’s the long weekend,” adds Shbib. 

He got his license during the COVID-19 pandemic, something he wasn’t really expecting, but is embracing the challenge of providing customers with a safe shopping experience. 

“We’re going to be limiting the amount of people so people could be socially distant, we’ll provide hand sanitizer, we’ve upped our hygiene,” says Shbib.

He says customers can expect a variety of products from edibles, drinks, topicals and flower. What he’s most excited about, is water-soluble drops. 

“You can put in basically any drink and dose yourself really accurately."

They also have a "select and collect" program where you can shop online and pick-up in store, which will be open 7 days a week from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. The store is in the plaza located at 1455 Harvey Avenue, right beside Domino's Pizza. 

The first 25 customers during the grand opening will receive a gift bag.