Low turnout for Michiana's second newest recreational marijuana store

BANGOR, Mich. - A recreational pot shop is now open in Bangor, Michigan.

The Green Door has been in business since 2017 but Monday they are selling recreationally for the first time.

However, it wasn’t busy at all, especially compared to the opening day of The ReLeaf Center in Niles that had lines out the door.

However, what’s interesting about this business, is actually how it got its start.

“Words cannot describe how proud I am,” Samantha Smith works with her dad, the owner of The Green Door.

“This technically started about ten years ago at its core. He started doing this because I have seizures and we were trying to find a way to control my epilepsy,” Smith said.

What was once her uncle and dad growing out of their garage, soon became a thriving business.

They have two locations, both in small towns. The Green Door is located in Bangor and first opened its doors in December of 2017.

“It was a little slow at first but within the first 6 months we were really going, and we’ve been growing ever since,” Smith said.

Today, the store is selling recreational marijuana for the first time.

“There are people that need this medicine who either don’t have a medical card or they can’t afford one because it is kind of expensive. It’s very beneficial to them, it’s beneficial to us, it’s beneficial to the community that any store is in,” she said.

And although the day started off slow, she said they’re hoping to see a lot of people today.

“Our goal is about $25,000, that’s what we would like to see,” she said.

Even though there is a store in Niles, this one is closer to big cities like Kalamazoo and St. Joseph.

“There are still limited options even though it passed the law,” Cher, one customer said.

Customers tell ABC57 they are glad there is another option in southwest Michigan.

“This is the first one around here, so this is really exciting,” Matthew Lech, another customer said. “I just wanted to show my support, spend $20 on a joint.”

“It’s wonderful because, with my back issues I’ve had for a long time since I was in a bad car accident, it gives me a lot of pain relief, so looking forward to it,” Cher said.

“It’s about time,” Bryan Corey, another customer said. “I think a lot of people need and can use it and I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it unless you abuse it like anything else.”

Staff at The Green Door tell ABC57 it was a strategic move building their business in a small town and that they hope to see more people by this weekend.