The Burnt River Farms retail building. (Submitted)
ONTARIO — Burnt River Farms LLC joined Ontario’s retail marijuana scene last Thursday, Aug. 8. According to Community Development Director Dan Cummings, the store opted for a non-publicized soft opening for a slow and steady start.
Now, after a week of sales, Burnt River Farms is having its grand opening at 10 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 15.
“Sales have been really good — very steady,” said Shawn McKay, co-owner of Burnt River Farms. McKay is hoping the ribbon cutting on Thursday will welcome new customers to the store, located at 1055 N.W. Washington Ave. by Love’s Travel Center.
Burnt River Farms was one of the few dispensaries that opted to build from the ground up. McKay said the building was constructed with both customer experience and security in mind. The wood-paneled building features a ring of windows around the top that provide natural light so customers “feel like they’re shopping in any normal store,” while simultaneously avoiding security issues that may arise from ground level windows, according to McKay.
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While Weedology, the first dispensary to open in Ontario, may have had a couple weeks head start, McKay says that Burnt River Farms has a unique edge.
“We’re a vertically integrated company,” McKay said, meaning that the company is also a marijuana producer and processor in addition to being a retailer. Burnt River Farms grows cannabis at the company’s farm in Huntington.
Employing a “farm to market” model that McKay says is “unique to the cannabis industry,” Burnt River Farms will carry its own products in addition to products from across the state.
McKay says that 25% of the flower and 10% of the oils at the retail location are Burnt River Farm products. Because of the team’s experience at every step of the process, McKay said the retailer and it’s 50 retail employees have a “better understanding of the product” and can educate customers accordingly.
Have a news tip? Reporter Isabella Garcia: [email protected] or 541-473-3377.
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