Hauling Coal to Newcastle
The Katmandu Kite shop opened up down at the long-shuttered Suds and Duds Laundromat. Katmandu Kite isn’t a kite store, its name means higher than a Katmandu Kite and they sell cannabis products. The Barker Brothers, Tom and Harold, both in their 50’s, figured it was the investment opportunity of a lifetime, deducing, I guess, us South enders had been waiting decades for legal marijuana to hit a retail store near us. What we’d been waiting for was another laundromat, maybe re-open the Tyee Store and why not, while we’re making a Wish List, bring in a decent little tavern and spare us the DUI’s getting home at night from our favorite watering holes.
On opening day a few of us curious lookee-loos rolled in to see what was behind the gated windows and the concrete block walls. Tom and Harold had painted the blocks, not green like you might expect, but an inconspicuous grey. Legal or not, they wanted a Stealth presence, apparently. ‘C’mon in guys,’ Harold piped up when we cracked open the steel door with KATMANDU KITE nicely lettered in mauve blockprint. In one of the barred windows a neon OPEN stood out like Christmas lights in June. Display cabinets had hand blown glass pipes and bongs, baggies of exotic strains, candies and drops, edibles and smokables.
Two Toke was in 7th heaven. At least until he saw the prices. ‘My god, Harold,’ he whined, ‘I’d have to get a job to buy from you boys.’ Tom said, ‘Well, it’s gonna shake down soon. Still got some bugs. Not enough product and the medical dispensaries undersell us but that’ll get sorted out. I’d give you some samples, ya know, but the State frowns on that.’
We all fumbled around awhile, a little embarrassed we weren’t filling up shopping bags with ‘product’, but finally Dotty Bingham and a gaggle of her friends hauled in, giving us an escape. I wish Tom and Harold all the luck in the world, I really do, but hellfire, they’re selling us at twice the price what we’ve been growing since the ‘60’s. Maybe they’ve been sampling their own merchandise….
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