MUSKEGON, Mich. (WOOD) — The first marijuana business set to open along the lakeshore welcomed its first customers Friday morning.
Park Place Provisionary at 1922 Park St. near Laketon Avenue opened its doors at 10 a.m. The first person through the door was Muskegon City Commissioner Ken Johnson.
“For me, it was important to get rid of prohibition because of the way it had negatively impacted so many people in my community and had unfortunately — not only in Muskegon, but throughout the country — has been applied in a way that disproportionately affected people of color,” Johnson said.
He said the city’s adoption of medical marijuana sales rules put it in a good place when recreational use became legal following a statewide ballot proposal in 2018. Grand Rapids is further behind on that track: it’s not expected to have recreational pot until late summer at the earliest.
“We have something that’s going to attract people, bring them to the lakeshore, whether they’re already planning on going to the beach or not, or going to our many new restaurants or businesses downtown and throughout Muskegon,” Johnson said. “It’s another way to bring people to Muskegon and maybe bring people to Muskegon that haven’t been here in a while and be able to see the new Muskegon, the growing and revitalizing Muskegon.”
A small crowd started gathering a few hours before the shop opening. The first person showed up at 7 a.m., with customers really beginning to arrive shortly after 8 a.m. to wait in a heated tent that Park Place had set up.
>>Inside woodtv.com: Marijuana in Michigan
News 8 got a preview earlier this week inside Muskegon’s first recreational shop and Bella Sol Wellness Center, 1839 Peck St. south of Laketon.
Bella Sol, also in Muskegon, expected to open on Saturday for recreational sales. However, the facility announced on Friday it couldn’t get an adequate amount of product for the grand opening.
Therefore, the owners decided to postpone the grand opening for recreational purposes. The facility has several concentrates available for recreational sales. However, the owners suggest people call or email before coming in.
The Muskegon shops are among three dozen now licensed to sell recreational marijuana in the state.
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