A full year-and-a-half of hard work paid off for Joe Khan and his staff as Bonnefire Cannabis’ newest location in Brighton opened its doors last week.
“It was a bit stressful, it did take quite a bit of time, but we appreciate the municipality, including the mayor and councillors and the other businesses, all rooting for us to get open,” said Khan.
Bonnefire Cannabis, a Toronto-based cannabis retailer, opened its second location in Ontario in downtown Brighton on Friday, May 27 with Mayor Brian Ostrander and members of council on hand for the grand-opening ribbon cutting.
“We were welcomed by a lot of locals out here. We received a very warm welcoming here. A lot of folks came out,” said Khan of the big day.
Although he grew up in the Toronto area, Khan said he’s familiar with the Brighton area, having visited the area numerous times to walk the hiking trails.
“I’ve gotten to know a lot of locals and businesses nearby. I really enjoy it, I enjoy being here,” he said.
In the week since the grand opening, Khan said staff have been ironing out the processes involved in the early days of a new enterprise, but so far so good.
He notes Bonnefire Cannabis employees are well-versed in the product lines at the location, which stocks everything from CBD oils, to edibles and lozenges, coffee, vapes, dried flowers and pre-rolls with the inventory growing from week to week.
“Our staff are locals and they’re very passionate about the industry. Our store itself, we pride ourselves on our selection. We try to cater to our demographics so we do really stock up on our CBD, and a lot of premium products are here, too,” said Khan, who employs four full-time staff members at Bonnefire Cannabis in Brighton.
“We are always constantly growing our inventory and we do take requests in and as we order on a weekly basis we do bring in stuff and do call our customers and let them know that we do have it in stock right now. We find that’s going really, really well for us and is very effective,” he added.
Khan said municipal officials, others in the business community and customers have all voiced their strong support for the cannabis store.
“They keep coming in to say if anything you need from us, you let us know and don’t be concerned about any negative energy come toward this store. We haven’t heard anything to be honest with you, none of it. So many people are concerned there is going to be backlash but we’ve heard none of it,” said Khan.
“Honestly and truly we’re very appreciative of the locals. Everyone has been so supportive.”
What sets Bonnefire Cannabis apart from other cannabis locations in Ontario? Khan said the company is committed to hosting local events in an effort to educate. But, it’s mostly about taking extra care to give local customers what they ask for in terms of needs.
“We’re just more interested in catering toward the demographics… You’ll see a lot of events take place here. Everything has been resonating so well. Even since our opening day, inventory has been growing, we’ve listened to what everybody here wants and it’s been effective. The customers are appreciative that we are putting in an effort to cater to their needs,” he said.
Bonnefire Cannabis in Brighton is at 23 Main St. and is open seven days a week on Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information, consult the website at Bonnefire.ca.
