Local Roots, Edmonds area’s first retail marijuana store, to open in March

Partners Kyle McClanahan and Rahn Bruns have put up a banner announcing the upcoming opening, expected in early March.
Partners Kyle McClanahan and Rahn Bruns have put up a banner announcing the upcoming opening of their recreational marijuana store, expected in early March.

The old Mike’s Deli Mart, located at 23211 Edmonds Way in unincorporated Esperance and shuttered since a devastating fire two years ago, is about to get a new lease on life as Local Roots, one of a growing number of retail pot stores in Washington state.

“We’ve been working on this for more than year now,” said spokesperson Rahn Bruns. “Look for a soft opening in early March, followed later by something a bit grander.”

The interior of the Local Roots Bothell store gives a hint of what Edmonds customers can expect when the new Edmonds Way location opens next month.(Photo courtesy of Local Roots)
The interior of the Local Roots Bothell store gives a hint of what Edmonds customers can expect when the new Edmonds Way location opens next month.(Photo courtesy of Local Roots)

In business since 2012, Bruns describes Local Roots as a “family-and-friends-owned company” with strong ties to the Northwest and the communities in which they operate. Bruns is one of several partners in the company, which already operates three other retail marijuana stores in Bothell, Granite Falls and Brier. In addition to the Edmonds-area location, another new store is scheduled to open soon in Everett.

Locating a marijuana business in the Edmonds area has been a particular challenge. While many hopefuls have made the attempt, all have failed, primarily due to running afoul of the buffer zone requirements established by the state in the wake of the passage of Initiative 502, which legalized recreational marijuana use in Washington State. These buffers surround schools, day cares, arcades and similar facilities; marijuana-related businesses are prohibited from operating within a buffer zone.

The location of the new Local Roots store on the east side of Edmonds Way at 232nd Place is just outside of the Edmonds city limits in unincorporated Esperance, and outside of all buffer zones (shaded areas).
The location of the new Local Roots store on the east side of Edmonds Way at 232nd Place is just outside of the Edmonds city limits in unincorporated Esperance, and outside of all buffer zones (color-shaded areas).

According to City of Edmonds Planning Manager Rob Chave, the relative density of these types of facilities in Edmonds means that there are “very, very few potential locations that remain” where it would be even possible to locate a marijuana-related business (see more information about this issue and a map of buffer zones in Edmonds in our April 2014 story.) Local Roots is in one of the few locations that falls outside of all buffers.

And while Local Roots is subject to all state regulations, its location just inside the unincorporated Esperance neighborhood means it is not governed by local Edmonds ordinances or subject to Edmonds taxes.

But that’s not stopping Bruns from making Local Roots an Edmonds kind of business.

McClanahan and Bruns stand amid the construction activity of the Edmonds Local Roots store.
McClanahan and Bruns stand amid the construction activity of the Edmonds Local Roots store.

“We love the Edmonds community,” said Bruns. “We’re planning to reflect this with a warm, welcoming store featuring photos of local scenery and works by Edmonds-based artists. Local Roots is more than just our name — it’s our philosophy, it’s how we do business.”

One possible addition would be an outdoor reader board with ferry schedule updates. “We’re right on the route to the ferry, so it would be a great service to the community and anyone traveling,” he added. “And we’d love to have some murals outside.”

According to Bruns, Local Roots will fill more than a dozen positions in the new Edmonds store, and are actively looking to hire locally. Call or visit the Local Roots Brier store, 212 W. Winesap Road, Suite 101, Bothell (phone 425-673-7420) to apply and learn more.

— Story and photos by Larry Vogel

  1. One thing in the article, “…inside the unincorporated Esperance neighborhood means it is not governed by local Edmonds ordinances or subject to Edmonds taxes.” I had no idea that part of town was unincorporated. I’m trying to wrap my head around it via the enclave’s Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Esperance,_Washington — so who provides safety and services for the ~1,300 household enclave? Fascinating, but confusing to me.

  2. Wow, interesting. Thanks Larry. I wonder if a potentially thriving recreational marijuana store not paying .030 taxes to Edmonds could push the issue of annexation, once again. I need to do more homework on what it means to live in an “enclave’ like Esperance. Very interesting.

  3. So a pot store in Edmonds is not “subject to Edmonds taxes” because it is in unincorporated Edmonds. So how, exactly, is Edmonds supposed to benefit from such a store? It seems that there are plenty of stores selling this product just up the road. What is in it for our community?

  4. Edmonds does not get to decide on any of this. The store is in Esperance which is governed directly by Snohomish County.

  5. Welcome to Edmonds. If someone asks “what’s in it for our community” (thinking about tax revenue), I’d say a nice, friendly, and legal place to buy recreational pot locally. Best wishes.

    1. That’s a true statement from (and for) a reasonable person. My concern is the unreasonable ones who will look for any opening to make a stink. This “Esperance is an enclave” factor is news to me, so I’m assuming it’s news to others. Edmonds not seeing tax revenue from the new store is bound to create some theater, at least at an upcoming council meeting or two 🙂

  6. It is a legal product, and Edmonds has recently welcomed breweries, distilleries. Too bad Edmonds will not capture any tax revenue from this but that was the decision Edmonds made. Maybe Edmonds can encourage an Artisan munchies shop in Westgate and get some revenue. My guess is that if that business is successful, Edmonds will have a change of heart if there are significant revenues to be had. Money talking and all that.

  7. Snohomish County. We lived there for years and the Edmonds police department could not respond to our dead end street. They had to sit outside and wait for the sheriff to come.

  8. The State allows multiple stores using the same name. This is a locally grown business much like Renton’s Taco Time business growing from 1 store in 1964 to over 90 today is Washington. I can’t tell you how many dozens of sites were reviewed to complete Local Roots roll out of their 5 family stores. Let me attempt to assuage: 1) Risk from the governments points of view is technical and not actual, 2) The Feds have issues 8 enforcement guidelines for the industry, 3) The operators have gone through criminal background checks and have no record of any kind, 4) There is traceability on all product meaning all product is from licensed producers and no way that black market can make it into the store, 5) All product is sealed and packaged off site, no smell from marijuana, no loose product, 6) No consumption on site and no open marijuana product, 7) There is surveillance and security for every square inch. All surveillance is stream directly to State offices in Olympia, 8) Local Roots is a desirable tenant for business reasons: attract increased retail traffic, that is a benefit to nearby business, attract tourist traffic, public will generally not the location and increase awareness of the immediate area and surrounding business. Wave goodbye to the so-called medical marijuana shops, say goodbye to the black market, audios to delivery services. This business will generate far more in taxes (46% of sales) the the Casinos of Mountlake Terrace that generate $800,000 a year in taxes.(think double). Stop by but bring ID, it will be friendly and no pressure will be applied.

  9. The best answer for all is to annex Esperance to Edmonds. Better services for Esperence better tax base for Edmonds

  10. So far the voters of Esperance have rejected attempts to annex the area, from what I understand. You can try, but “we want your tax revenue” probably isn’t a great selling point.

    What it’s like to live here: slower response times from police, fewer patrols, and July 4th is like WWIII (which is good and bad). Lower property taxes. One less layer of bureaucracy to deal with if you run a business or do anything unusual with your property.

    Otherwise, surprisingly like living in the rest of Edmonds.

  11. “4) There is traceability on all product meaning all product is from licensed producers and no way that black market can make it into the store”

    Like the grow operation in the basement of the house on 80th near Seaview Park that was going into one of the “legal” stores on highway 99?

  12. It has been YEARS since anyone in Esperance has been asked if they want to be part of Edmonds. Annexation of this “snohomish county island” does not require a special ballot or vote as this urban growth area is completely surrounded by Edmonds. I know a number of folks that live in Esperance that would love to be part of Edmonds because of the services that Edmonds provides. It is something I would like the Mayor and City Council to revisit this year and it would have a significant impact on City services, etc. – so it is something that has to be looked at pragmatically. A number of citizens have concern over the relaxed building standards and zero lot lines that supposedly are allowed in the County. I have not investigated any of this as it is not on our Council radar.

  13. Well the stats are in with Colorado, they have seen a large growth of addictions and crime related to the legalization of pot. Now they have many people buy pot and cross state lines, selling it at double and triple what they paid. Great. What a great business to be in, the harming of the health for many people. But heaven forbid if you smoke a cigarette. This is a joke. I will bet we Washingtonians never hear about the end result of legalization.

  14. We have tried twice to annex Esperance by a majority vote of the people of Esperance once in the 80’s and once in the 90’s. Both measures failed. If the council has the legal authority that’s the way to go.

  15. If you want to convince people in Esperance that it’s a good idea to join Edmonds, coming up with a plan to clean up the mess that is Highway 99 might be a good place to start. Just this morning there was a home invasion robbery two blocks from where I’m sitting. Four guys forced themselves into a house and there were shots fired. We’ve had several stabbings in the past couple years (these seem to happen both in Edmonds and the unicorporated area), and property crime here is so common nobody bothers investigating it as far as I can tell.

    There are definitely county regs on how close structures can be placed to property lines — whether those are observed is something else entirely. Reporting a neighbor for violations will not make you any friends, and I doubt the county comes around checking.

  16. I find it unsettling that no one is concerned for a town that drug use is huge by under aged children and everyone is worried about the tax implications. Pot is a gateway drug for these kids and I for one don’t believe it belongs here at any cost.

  17. I can’t speak for anybody but myself, but I am doubtful that the increase in property taxes would be matched by an equal value in increased services. There is a general feeling that this end of town gets less attention than downtown — which may or may not be fair (I do see a lot of Edmonds cops in the Safeway parking lot nearby), but crime here is certainly more pronounced in both frequency and severity than anywhere else in the city.

  18. Being an Esperance resident, I would be interested to know just how much my property taxes would go up if annexed into Edmonds and how much in services we would receive. If it seemed worth it I would be voting yes! My street really could use a sidewalk as there are many daily walkers along here. That will never happen if we stay unincorporated.

  19. If my data is correct, Esperance residents would see a substantial reduction in taxes if annexed by Edmonds.

    I looked up the total property taxes for Edmonds outside the Port of Edmonds district and Esperance (which is outside the Port). I was surprised by what I found. Here are the rates for a home with an assessed value of $300,000:
    Edmonds outside of port district: $3,084
    Esperance (which is outside the port district): $3,636
    Edmonds taxes are lower by $552 per year.

    Here is the main reason why (again for a $300,000 home):

    The portion of taxes collected by Edmonds (which includes fire and roads) is $600
    Fire District 1’s portion for Esperance is $689
    Snohomish County road taxes for Esperance: $456

  20. While Property taxes would be lower overall within the city of Edmonds, having lived in both Edmodns and now in the “unincorporated” Edmonds is that overall taxes would be higher. Cell phone taxes, utility taxes etc would ALL be higher within the City of Edmonds versus that of “unincorporated” Snohomish County.

    And let us all stay on track here, is the story not about the new marijuana store opening up and not about the annexation and taxes? Forget tryng to annex us, we like it here just fine.

  21. Shelli, it’s not that I am not concerned about drug use, but 1) WA voters decided to legalize pot whether we agree with or not, and 2) this establishment will be 21 and over. People are asking why the city has no say in whether it goes in or not; the fact that it’s not part of the city is why, just like Edmonds has no say in what happens in Shoreline or Lynnwood.

    The attitude expressed elsewhere that Edmonds should annex this area so we can be milked for tax revenue while tolerating the worst crime in the area probably isn’t convincing a lot of people that annexation is a great idea. What does Edmonds bring to the table?

    As for this store, there are plenty others like it nearby. I doubt it will cause significant harm to the city, and may just help the food business in town.

    1. Edmond’s please don’t allow additional cannabis stores within the City, This can be done by zoning. Do you think Mercer Island has any zoned land for cannabis? No. They are 1st amendment cognizant and allow the use but don’t happen to have zoned land without buffer issues. As a proponent of Local Roots I think we can get them (see 502data.com) get above $500,000 a month in sales. This will provide the State about $5,000,000 annually from this single store. Remember Edmonds no more stores. Also, because of Local Roots has buying power with 5 stores their pricing is very competitive. We hope people will buy on this side of the water. Remember to consider high CBD strains as they won’t get you high but will heal most aliments.

  22. Welcome, welcome, welcome!! Now I won’t have to travel far to get my ‘nightcap’. I use it every night to help get to sleep. Used it in the 60’s and now in the 00’s. What a treat! Here’s a 60 something who has had great times on pot and never moved on to other things. None of my cohorts did either! Here, here to being legal. Wouldn’t mind a part time job at the shop. Who knows maybe I’ll meet y’all there!

  23. Edmonds Local Roots is now officially opened. Thanks to all of you for standing in line, to wait for us to open. You’ll have to admit, the place looks 100% better, inside and out. Come in and check for yourself………You’ll be impressed!!

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