Waterloo’s first cannabis retail store, Bud & Sally Cannabis Co., has opened its doors in Uptown Waterloo.

John Radostits is the CEO and co-owner of Bud & Sally with his wife, Michelle Radostits.

He says months of planning have led up to this moment, and they are more than ready for business.

“Our goal today was to get the doors open and to welcome the customers when they get here.” he said.

On Saturday, residents came to the grand/soft opening on King Street South to discover and learn more about the products being offered.

While it was opening day, Bud & Sally didn’t see the usual crowd size compared to other cannabis retail store openings.

Corey Foxton, a resident of Waterloo, says he suspects a lack of advertising is the reason why he didn’t have to wait in line.

“I’m surprised, this seems like a ‘not very many people know.’ ” said Foxton, commenting on the number of people in attendance, “If my friend didn’t post something about this on Instagram, I probably wouldn’t have known.”

Andrew Rinehart, another Waterloo resident, says COVID-19 concerns could be another reason why he didn’t see too many people at the opening.

“I think that a lot people are staying in, self-isolating because of the virus.” said Rinehart.

He says if he didn’t live next-door to the store, he might’ve not gone at all.

“I think people aren’t taking enough precautions, it’s still doubling every six days.” said Rinehart.

“I’m not really at high-risk for being my age, but I think we need to take more socially responsible for people that are vulnerable. It’s a spooky time.”

With rising concerns about the novel coronavirus, Radostits says the store has taken steps to ensure customer safety on their first day open.

“We have a number of sanitizing stations throughout the store and we’ve got regular hand wash cycles going on in our team.” said Radostits.

“We’ve also removed the sniffer jars that you will see in many cannabis stores, because we think that is an important piece in customer and staff safety.”

Regardless of the COVID-19 concerns, Radostits says the virus isn’t dampening their spirits.

“The response we’ve had from the community has been overwhelming, and we’re just so excited to get the store open today and bring it to life.” said Radostits.

“Bud and Sally are now in Waterloo and we are ready to roll!”

Bud & Sally Cannabis Co. is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. – 11 p.m. Mondays to Saturdays, and then 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. on Sundays.