Affinity Cannabis Store Inc. wants to set itself apart from other weed retailers in Vancouver.
In a letter to the community, the company says the neighbourhood will see a different kind of shop with its proposed business at 5403 Victoria Drive.
It’s going to be a high-end store for top-shelf customers, according to Affinity’s pitch.
“For retail consumers, our target consumer in the community will be higher end clientele,” the company wrote in the letter. “Meaning products in the store will be strategically priced to ensure limited number of transactions. This can be controlled through having minimum purchase quantities and higher quality products.”
Affinity explained that its “strict quality regulations and higher price points will attract people interested in consuming in the comfort of their homes, and not in community spaces like schools, parks or around the store”.
“We are seeking to match the demographic of the neighbourhood and cater to upscale older population,” the company stated.
The store will also have the look of an upmarket computer shop.
Affinity wrote that it will use “high end materials and aim to open a store that is catered toward a higher end market, similar to that of an [A]pple store”.
“We aim to build a first of its kind store that meets the high standards of a community and we believe we will be able to execute this vision with your support,” the company told the community.
Another selling point is limited hours of operation.
Affinity said it will be open only for six hours from Tuesday to Saturday, for a total of 30 hours per week.
It explained that limited hours mean “less activity at the store and in the neighbourhood”, as well as “less product in the store, fewer transactions, less cash on premises”.
Therefore, “we would be a lower risk / target for crime for the community”.
Also, the people with Affinity are university graduates and have “no links to crime”.
“Nor were we ever involved in the illegal sale of cannabis before it came to be legal in Canada,” Affinity swore.
It also has a plan to control smell and smoke.
According to Affinity, it will limit the sale of “smoke ready” products in order to “reduce the possibility of clients consuming near the business”.
The company noted that the Victoria Drive community has “seen many cannabis stores pop up with a variety of adverse effects like loitering, smoking in areas around the stores, noise and crime”.
“Its [sic] time to change what a cannabis store is, and we are going to make that change,” Affinity pledged.
The City of Vancouver has given the public until Wednesday (July 31) to comment on the application.
