A new business in the community is looking forward to adding to downtown Estevan, and being part of a growing industry.
Peace of Mind Cannabis opened on July 9. Located in the 500-block of 12th Avenue, the business is a locally owned and operated retailer, and they’re hoping to see more people in the downtown core.
Owners Gary Cheney and Teresa Dyer said they are excited to have the store open. Dyer is a life-long resident of Estevan, while Cheney has been here since 1990.
Dyer is no stranger to Estevan’s business community, either. She owns Sensual Expressions, which is the adult novelties store next door to Peace of Mind. And she used her skills as a seamstress when she owned Teresa’s Sewing Basket.
When she came up with some ideas to replace Teresa’s Sewing Basket with a business in the same location, Cheney agreed with the cannabis store concept.
“We mustered through, and hopefully with all of our support already in Estevan, we’ll be fine,” said Dyer.
With their downtown location – the only cannabis shop in central Estevan – they have had a lot of customers walking in to view their products.
Dyer wanted to move into cannabis sales because she already had accessories such as pipes and bongs that she was allowed to have in the adult novelties store.
“We looked at this, and hummed and hawed, and thought about renting out the front, but nothing was (right),” said Dyer. “This way we can employ a few people in Estevan, help them out.”
While it took a lot of work to get the store open, it’s proven to be worth the effort.
Cheney said he and Dyer will be there to take care of some elements of the business, but they want to have the employees run the show, because they’re smart and hard-working.
Peace of Mind Cannabis offers a variety of products, including creams, seeds, cannabidiol (CBD), dried flowers, pre-rolls, gummies, drinks, bath bombs, and anything else they can legally sell. They even have products for pets.
“We have some really good suppliers, wholesalers, that are giving us products,” said Cheney. “I’m dealing with five or six wholesalers right now on a day to day basis.”
Adults of all ages have been part of their client base.
Peace of Mind Cannabis has five employees, which they call bud-tenders, to help customers with their selection process, regardless of whether they’re first-time customers or well-versed clients. Four menu boards and screens help customers with their decision-making process.
“We have a suggestion box on the counter for anything that our customers would like us to stock. We’re placing two or three orders a week,” said Cheney.
The suggestion box has always been full, Dyer said. People will ask for something they haven’t found in a long time.
All of the major work competed in the store and for the storefront was handled by local contractors, Cheney said, which is a source of pride for the business.
A grand opening will happen on July 30, and Cheney hopes some company representatives will be present.
Their website should be operational in a couple of weeks, and Dyer said they will have online shopping and deliveries for customers across the province.
