Mar Vista has its share of medical marijuana shops already — in my opinion, more than its share. So, many are welcoming this action by the Council. I know I am. I hope it will mean closing some of these stores, one of which just opened recently 2 blocks from 2 schools. Please understand that I believe marijuana can be used medically — and that it should be available for those who need it. I just don’t like seeing a pot dispensary on every corner. Having a Starbucks everywhere is bad enough. I would feel the same way if there were liquor stores cropping up all over my neighborhood. The market is saturated, people. Find another way to do business: form co-ops and collectives with each other.

I already know about 2 other dispensaries in the neighborhood (one just about 1.5 blocks west on Venice Blvd. on the north side, and the other on Washington Place just east of McLaughlin), and I am a middle-aged mom. There are probably others I’m completely unaware of.

This location is 2 blocks from my kids’ school, and much closer to 2 preschools. And I realize that the actual marijuana for medical purposes is legal. But isn’t there a moritorium on opening any new dispensaries in the city of LA?

And here’s my strictly business question: have these guys done their market research? I mean, can Mar Vista really support that many dispensaries? I certainly hope it’s a no answer. But it begs the question: if not this, what businesses are going to fill the empty store fronts along our little downtown corridor?

I fully understand that rents need to be paid, and some of these buildings have sat unused for a nearly a year. Mar Vista Mom has profiled The Curious Palate and Floyd’s Barbershop, which have both recently opened, bravely, it might seem, in this economy — and I salute them and support them. They are the kind of businesses I am happy to see in my neighborhood and would love to see something open up there I could really get behind.

Because, as you might have guessed, I am not the target customer for the dispensary. No surprise, right? I am really looking for some cute retail options, some places to browse through (and buy from) after I’ve had my hair done at Floyd’s, with a Venice Grind coffee in my one hand, my Farmer’s Market veggies in the other. So if you’ve got a notion to open a store like that, please check out Mar Vista. There are leases to be had!

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An original post by Sarah Auerswald.