Sequim’s first recreational marijuana shop is now open. Karma Cannabis, 131 River Road, opened on Feb. 26 offering 30-plus strains of cannabis along with a number of concentrates, edibles and topicals.

Owner Anthony Owen said coming from a medical marijuana background, “we have a good feeling of what the consumer is looking for.”

His products come from all over Washington including a few from vendors on the Olympic Peninsula, he said.

“We have a good way of keeping our prices low,” Owen said. “We have a few brands exclusive to us because we’ve been in the industry for four-plus years.”

Recreational marijuana stores like Karma Cannabis have been open in Washington since 2014 but the City of Sequim’s sales on recreational marijuana moratorium expired last August. City councilors enacted the moratorium and extended it to wait for the Legislature to set in place tax proceeds from marijuana sales to go to cities.

Owen said they knew the moratorium was going to be lifted eventually and he planned to open the Sequim store about 60 days ago.

He previously attempted to sell medical marijuana in Sequim across the parking lot but city officials told him medical marijuana sales were illegal. Owen plans to offer medical marijuana sales from Karma Cannabis this July when recreational and medical sales merge.

“It feels good to be open,” Owen said. “We’re glad to be here. We were once here before, so to be back is relieving.”

Karma Cannabis employs 12 staffers and is the sister store of Owen’s The Hidden Bush in Port Angeles. Discount punch cards for cannabis and concentrates are interchangeable between the two stores.

Purchasing manager Randy Stark said it’s common for people to visit the store who are new to marijuana.

“At (The Hidden Bush), a 93-year-old man came in saying he was going to treat himself for his birthday for the first time,” he said.

Karma Cannabis is open 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays and 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

Competitor David Halpern, owner of Nature’s Gifts, 775 W. Washington St., Ste. C, won the City of Sequim’s sole recreational marijuana retailer license from a lottery system in May 2014, but integration of medical marijuana with recreational in July opened areas to more applicants like Karma Cannabis.

Staff from Nature’s Gifts’ said their state inspection was on March 1 with an announcement for an opening date coming soon.

For more information on Karma Cannabis, visit www.facebook.com/KarmaCanna or call 797-1743.