Harp Hoonjan, founder of Imagine Cannabis Co., says he wants to bring more than just a cannabis store to the Ladner community, if they are successful in their application to the City of Delta.
Investing into community programs and initiatives, increasing traffic to the proposed location of Ladner Centre mall and bringing increased security measures to the proposed shop’s surrounding area are some of the impacts Hoonjan highlighted to Ladner Business Association (LBA) members during their Jan. 4 virtual meeting.
“We want to gauge from the Ladner Business Association, what their perspective is on having a cannabis store in the community ... We’d be willing to make whatever adjustments,” said Hoonjan.
Their proposed shop location at the Ladner Centre shopping mall is beside the Dairy Queen, but Hoonjan said they are open to potentially moving to a different vacant store within the mall since more stores have closed down since they first started this process.
However, remaining in the mall, and not in a residential area near schools and parks, is the best location out of the others they were considering, he explained.
In response to a question from an LBA member, he shared that if Imagine Cannabis Co.’s application were to be successful and pass through Delta council readings and public hearings, the store would open to customers this summer.
The store, itself, would be attractive and bright, he said.
And as for clientele, Hoonjan assured an LBA member that it’s not only the stereotypical “potheads” who shop in these kinds of stores, but a variety of all kinds of people.
A couple LBA members emphasized, during the meeting, how they know a significant number of people who use cannabis for medicinal purposes, as well.
“I think everyone here in this group is a business person, and if you look at your businesses, a cross-section of that is our clients,” he said.
And he stressed that cannabis retailers are, inversely, also business people.
“I think it, [the cannabis industry], is something that’s going to come. If the community accepts it today, or if it accepts it four to five years down the road, it’s going to be there,” said Hoonjan.
