Valley Pure held a “soft opening” Saturday morning, and judging from its customers’ reactions, things went very well. A long line waited at the former Lemoore Railroad Depot to get into Lemoore’s first cannabis dispensary. The Lemoore Depot, which experienced an unfortunate fire just a few months ago, never looked better as Valley Pure added to the outdoor deck and remodeled the main hall.
Inside, those who attended the soft opening saw impressive glass displays filled with all forms of cannabis products.
“This is just the soft opening,” said Valley Pure District Manager Tony Caudle, who oversaw the remodeling and opening of the railroad depot's newest business. “We’re getting it opened, kind of getting the city generating some money from the tax benefits. We’ll have a grand opening re-launch on July 4.”
Caudle told The Leader that of its 16 total employees, eight are from Lemoore.
What can the average cannabis enthusiast get for his money in Lemoore? “They’ll definitely get the best pricing,” said Caudle. “We’re the best pricing dispensary around, usually in the whole state. (We) have an array of edibles. We have a few cannabis (things) we’re going to bring this way,” he said.
“We don’t have a lounge going in specifically, but we are looking into that. And there are a few other options we’re going to surprise people with here in the next few months.”
Caudle worked in Woodlake, the site of one of the Valley’s first cannabis dispensaries. According to Woodlake city officials, the dispensary has helped the city’s tax revenues. “I worked in Woodlake, but I’m from Tulare. We kind of came up with the concept, and we built the foundation for Valley Pure,” he said.
Just an hour or so after opening, several customers were roaming the attractive main room where they could buy any manner of cannabis, including edibles. Employees stood behind sleek glass enclosures housing the products.
Have the folks at Valley Pure received a good reception?
“It’s good. The community has been really good,” said Caudle. “The city has done really well. They’ve pushed everything forward for us and helped us get through it. The reception from everybody has been great. We’ve had a few naysayers come through, and (they) changed their minds after they decided to come in.”
Valley Pure plans to be in Lemoore for a long time. “We’re a family team. We’re all from the Valley,” said Caudle. “This is the whole thing (with) the Valley Pure name. We want to keep it here locally. We don’t want big business to come in and take over. We’re staying here.”
Valley Pure’s regular hours, once firmly established, will be 10 a.m. through 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Sundays.
Just a stone’s throw away is Lemoore’s second cannabis dispensary, located in the old Bank of America building where several hundred job seekers on Saturday lined up on D Street for a shot at a job.
Workers continued hammering away and are in the process of placing the finishing touches in what appears to be a large, cutting edge modern interior expected to display a wide variety of cannabis products.
Natural Healing Center will even have a smoker’s lounge on the site.
Natural Healing Center, based on California’s Central Coast, is expected to open sometime in July.
