Derek Wilmot and Mike Trobman, two of the three business partners at Marijuana Mart, help a customer in June 2015. The shop was the first recreational marijuana business to open in Grand Mound.
Business partner Mike Trobman points to a special on pipes at Marijuana Mart in Grand Mound. The store opened on May 27 and was the first recreational marijuana store in Grand Mound.
Derek Wilmot and Mike Trobman stand in front of their business Marijuana Mart in Grand Mound on Monday. They are two of the three business partners who opened the store on May 27 as the first recreational marijuana store in the town.
Business partners Derek Wilmot and Mike Trobman help a customer at Marijuana Mart in June 2015. The shop was the first recreational marijuana business to open in Grand Mound.
Marijuana Mart opened its doors on May 27 as the first recreational marijuana business in Grand Mound.
Two weeks in, the store had over 630 transactions.
The convenient location, just two blocks off Interstate 5, has allowed for a vast amount of clientele, said business partner Derek Wilmot.
The state awarded the trio their operating license in July 2014, and they were among the first groups to be licensed in the state. They’ve set up shop along a stretch of Old Highway 99 that has several medicinal marijuana outlets, but previously no recreational store.
“The idea of being able to be one of the first groups in the world to do something like this is just so exciting,” business partner Mike Trobman said. “I don’t think we’ll ever have a chance to really be pioneers in an industry like this again.”
The business idea was that of Mike’s father, Bert, the third partner in the business relationship. Originally, a consultant for Initiative 502 businesses, or those in the marijuana field, Bert saw an opportunity that showed potential.
The relationship the partners have is unique. The father-son team of the Trobmans, along with Wilmot, a friend of over 20 years, combine to bring together previous relationships into the new venture they have undertaken.
Wilmot, who had worked in the beer industry for over 20 years, said he had a good relationship with the Liquor Control Board, the department overseeing the sale of marijuana within the state of Washington.
“We all have our certain strengths, and with the relationships we’ve all built amongst our previous endeavors, it will help us,” he said.
The store offers a wide selection of products, including flowers, strains, edibles, lotions, beverages and elixirs. Pipes and other smoking devices are also available.
Quality is a major focus for the business, Mike Trobman said, so the partners have dedicated the past year to visiting producers, the majority of which are local, to learn more about the products on their shelves.
To help make the selection process easier for customers, Marijuana Mart has a menu listing every strain, along with a description, and the smells and flavors associated with it.
“When people come in, we want it to feel like we are a regular store,” Mike Trobman said. “We want it to be open and welcome, so that’s the kind of atmosphere we’re going to create.”
Approximately 60 percent of customers have been locals in the area, but the rest have traveled from South Lewis County, Olympia, or have spotted the sign from the interstate during their commute.
So far, Trobman said, the store had been receiving good feedback.
“We’re grateful for the response that we’ve had,” he said.
Although now the store only focuses on recreational marijuana, the business partners have hopes to expand into the medical realm once new laws are put into place in 2016.
