A recreational marijuana store will soon bloom in Monroe County.

A recreational marijuana store will soon bloom in Monroe County.

Lume Cannabis Co. opened Friday at 15205 Tandem Court in Petersburg.

It’s the first business in the county solely dedicated to recreational marijuana, which was approved by a statewide voter initiative in 2018.

“We are excited to open our store, which will allow us to introduce the Lume brand to adult-use consumers in Petersburg and the surrounding communities,” said Doug Hellyar, president and COO of Lume.

“We take great pride in offering an unmatched variety of high-quality THC and CBD products.”

Hellyar said Lume is dedicated to providing safe cannabis products to consumers. The company doesn’t use harmful chemicals and conducts quality assurance testing, he added.

“Our goal is to make it as convenient as possible for our customers — no matter their experience with cannabis — to find the best products to meet their needs,” Hellyar said.

“We take great pride in offering a customer experience that’s rotted in education and can’t be replicated by our competitors.”

The City of Petersburg is one of the few municipalities to craft an ordinance and allow adult-use recreational marijuana retail facilities within its borders.

The voter initiative that legalized recreational marijuana also gave municipalities the power to opt-out of allowing retail facilities within their limits. Most in Monroe County did so, though there has been some recent action and discussion on the matter among other local governments.

In the City of Monroe in late August, City Council moved toward the creation of a subcommittee that will oversee the creation of an ordinance governing marijuana facilities in he city.

The move comes after council rejected a request from a special interest group seeking to implement an ordinance authorizing and regulating retail cannabis in the city.

In Monroe Township in late August, the board of trustees approved a zoning ordinance outlining where such facilities could be established and the rules surrounding any marijuana-related businesses.

Monroe Township Supervisor Al Barron said the township’s goal was to focus on the LaPlaisance Rd. corridor, which currently has several vacant properties and a near-empty outdoor shopping mall.

As the Petersburg store opens, social distancing and health safety guidelines required by the state in response to COVID-19 will be enforced, according to a spokesperson for the company.

The number of customers allowed in the space also will be limited, the spokesperson added.

The Petersburg location is Lume’s 11th store in the state. It also operates retail facilities in Adrian, Big Rapids, Evart, Honor, Kalamazoo, Mackniaw City, Neganunee, Owosso, Petoskey and Walled Lake.

Lume plans to open additional nine stores by the end of the year, according to a statement from the company. It also has a goal to reach 100 locations by the end of 2024.

The store will offer a variety of products, including cut buds, recreational pre-rolls, concentrates, edibles, accessories and topicals.

Overall, Lume cultivates more than 20 unique strands of product, carrying names such as Light Saber, Mac 5, Donkey Butter, Dod Is Dos and Blueberry Crumble, to name a few.

All first-time customers will receive a 20% discount at the Petersburg store through Sept. 14. After that, Lume has discounts for certain groups, such as seniors, healthcare workers and veterans .

Its product won’t be grown in Petersburg, though.

Lume’s cultivation facility is located in Evart, which is currently in the midst of expansion plans. The 50,000 square foot facility will grow to 150,000 square feet by the end of year.

According to Lume, it will expand the facility to 450,000 square feet by the end of the year.

Highly-trained and experienced growers ensure products have consistent aromas, appearances and effects, according to the company.

“We look forward to serving the cannabis needs of Petersburg residents and visitors,” Hellyar said.

The Petersburg store will be open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays.

For information on products and their availabilities, visit lume.com.