It's opening day for the state's first city-run cannabis dispensary.
Anoka Cannabis Company broke ground last May and took less than a year to build.
Kevin Morelli is the city's Enterprise Operations Director and spoke to Vineeta Sawkar on the WCCO Morning News about how busy they expect to be.
"We're actually fully booked for, tomorrow's appointments," Morelli explains. "And last I checked, we're about 60% on Saturday, and then we have a little more openings on Sunday. But we anticipate those filling up pretty quick here. But we do expect some crowds today."
Morelli says projections show the dispensary is expected to generate over $1 million in revenue for the city by year three.
The dispensary is offering customers the chance to book appointments with so-called "budtenders" as well.
"Some people may not even buy anything," says Morelli. "Maybe they just want to come in and look at it. We had that opportunity last night. We had a community open house and that was a chance for people just from the area to come in and check out the building and without the pressure of buying, we had no sales. So, that time slot just ensures that you get the one-on-one time with one of our budtenders."
Morrelli says the store is the only currently operating, city-managed dispensary in the United States. The official grand opening and ribbon-cutting happens at 2:00 p.m. Thursday afternoon.