Pubdate: Wed, 01 Oct 2014
Source: Seattle Times (WA)
Copyright: 2014 The Seattle Times Company
Contact:  http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/409
Author: Evan Bush
Page: B3

2ND SEATTLE POT SHOP OPENS DOORS

Central District

Owner Happy With Debut; 'Fortress' Gets Mixed Response

Finally, Seattle has a second pot store.

Uncle Ike's Pot Shop, in the Central District, opened its doors to a 
steady stream of customers Tuesday, nearly three months after the 
first state-licensed pot stores launched.

The opening at 23rd Avenue and East Union Street drew customers of 
all types, including neighbors and tourists, nurses and rock 
musicians. "It's the full gamut," said Ian Eisenberg, Uncle Ike's 
owner. "What we were hoping for."

Uncle Ike's first customer, Ryan Elbrecht, who recently moved to 
Seattle from Florida, had been waiting since 9 p.m. Monday for the 
store to open. He bought a single gram of Snoop's Dream but didn't 
seem particularly interested in his purchase.

"I haven't smoked weed in a year," Elbrecht said. "I don't even like 
weed that much."

Monday night, he explained, he'd been drinking with a childhood 
friend at a nearby bar. His friend bet him $1,000 to be the first 
person in line at Uncle Ike's.

Although he slept outside the Uncle Ike's door, Elbrecht said he'd 
let his friend's bet slide and take a couple months of free rent instead.

Third in line, Kay Hendon, or "Crazy Kay" as her linemates called 
her, danced and sang her way into the store, hamming for TV cameras. 
"Welcome to the CD," she announced after buying some kush, referring 
to her longtime neighborhood, the Central District. "Everybody's got 
to get high," she shouted to the line outside as she made her exit.

About 25 people waited in line at Uncle Ike's, a fraction of what 
Cannabis City, Seattle's first pot store, drew when it opened on July 
8. Eisenberg said that was just fine with him.

"I was a little apprehensive. The line is good. We were scared we 
would be like Cannabis City and get lines around the block," he said. 
The company hired security guards to check IDs and keep a watchful 
eye on customers outside Uncle Ike's, which Eisenberg and store 
manager Ben Smith call the "fortress," a nod to the store's metal 
siding and four backroom safes.

Inside, the "fortress" looks more like a minimalist jewelry shop - a 
long glass counter holds bags of pot, prerolled joints and edibles. 
Anti-pot propaganda movie posters like "She Shoulda Said 'No!' " and 
"Devil's Harvest" adorn Uncle Ike's plain interior.

Uncle Ike's charged $26 a gram, regardless of brand, and $44 for an 
edible with 10 mg of THC, the psychoactive chemical in marijuana. "If 
you're going to price-shop compared to dispensaries, then this is not 
the place," said Eisenberg. "But ours is tested and you know what 
you're getting."

Concerned about supply, Uncle Ike's operations manager Ben Smith said 
the store would limit customers to 4 grams initially and keep hours 
from noon to 7 p.m.

Smith said he believed the store would have enough pot to last about 
10 days, and was excited because growers had been calling to offer 
more supply. "Until you have a license in your hand, it's hard to get 
anyone to talk to you," said Smith. Eisenberg said Uncle Ike's had 
deals with about 10 suppliers.

So far, Uncle Ike's employs 14 people but plans to add more as 
business ramps up. "We're going to play it by ear," said Smith.

Curious Central District residents came to buy pot, or just check out 
their new neighbor.

"(Uncle Ike's) is going to breathe life into this corner," said John 
Ketchpaw, who has lived in the Central District for six years, from 
the line outside.

Neighbors Mary and Gerald Singletary watched from across the street 
as Uncle Ike's buzzed with activity. "We came here to eyeball," said 
Mary. "I think it's a bad thing. It's right next to a church."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom