The Bellingham Business Journal Staff
BELLINGHAM — One of the city’s first pot retailers is also one of its biggest.
2020 Solutions led WhatcomCounty in the amount of marijuana sold in 2015. The business with two stores sold more than $5 million of pot last year, accounting for 38 percent of the $13 million in sales for the entire county.
Green Leaf of Bellingham came in second with $2.3 million in sales, about 17.8 percent of the total sold in the county.
2020 Solutions’ downtown Bellingham store at 2018 Iron St. led all single stores in the county with $3.18 million in sales and the 2020 Solutions store in North Bellingham at 5655 Guide Meridian ranked fourth among county stores with $1.8 million.
“The people of Washington first spoke with their votes on Initiative 502 and now are speaking with their wallets,” said Aaron Nelson, 2020 Solutions’ senior vice president of operations, in a statement. “It’s clear that people appreciate being able to buy cannabis products at comfortable and attractive stores, knowing that the products have been tested for THC levels and contaminants.”
Nelson said he expects sales to increase in 2016 because licensed retailers will be able to offer medicinal marijuana products starting on July 1.
He expects that some stores will close this year, which he said isn’t unusual with a new retail sector. The state’s 37-percent excise tax rate and state regulations pose challenges for the young industry, he said.
