It’s happening in every neighborhood: Bars and shops that are essential to the character of the city are boarded up, while weed stores, relatively new on the scene, are open for business. Many people didn’t see that coming. At The Reef on Capitol Hill, right after the governor announced stay-at-home orders but before the clarification that pot shops were officially “essential,” the line of customers extended down East Olive Way to the Crescent. A friend reported waiting in that line for half an hour. The Reef’s director of marketing Jesse Codling talked to The Stranger about the crowds, the crisis, and deals for people stocking up for the apocalypse.
The last couple times I walked past The Reef I saw a line around the block. Are you seeing more customers than usual?
We saw a surge in business during the month of March. But ever since cannabis stores were deemed “essential” things have come back to normal. The line around the block really is a reflection of the social distancing measures and safety policies we have in place.
Are people buying different stuff during this crisis than they were before?
Definitely.
