From behind bullet-proof glass, co-owner of Best Buds Co-op Summer Mitchell buzzed me inside to take a look at the newly remodeled space.  Magnolia’s newest medical marijuana dispensary opened last week.  Located at 2112 Thorndyke Ave W, Best Buds will serve patients 18 and older suffering from ailments ranging from cancer to Multiple Sclerosis. 

Summer’s husband Quinn grew up in Ballard, and has suffered from Crohn’s , a debilitating bowel disease since he was 8 years old.  He struggled through multiple surgeries and severe pain with little to no relief.  That is, until he was introduced to medical marijuana as an adult.  The treatment allowed Quinn to work and be productive, virtually pain-free.  The  couple, former restaurant owners, opened Best Buds to be able to legally offer the same relief to patients going through similar health struggles.

Patients enter the building through the mud room. There they present their WA state ID and  recommendation form (similar to a prescription) from their primary care doctor.  They are then buzzed into the lobby. After filling out paperwork, they are introduced to the “Bud Tender”- an expert on different types of marijuana.  This person knows which strains help different symptoms.  Patients can then choose from various forms of marijuana, from drinks,  to lollipops to medibles (medicated edibles), or plain old weed. The entire process (minus the time the patient spends “shopping”) takes less than 15 minutes.  All products are from state licensed suppliers.

Front desk

Best Buds has a state of the art security system- the entire 2800 square foot building is monitored by live feed video surveillance. They are only allowed to have a couple of pounds of product in the shop at any one time, and there is no cash or marijuana left overnight on the premises.   Everything is wireless- their patient information is not kept on-site.  Safety and  privacy are of utmost importance to them.

Medibles

The Mitchells don’t anticipate that Best Buds will impact the neighborhood negatively. Their client base is people who are suffering from extreme illness and disease,  They say neighbors need not worry about people hanging out and smoking pot on the street.   In fact, patients are not allowed to consume their meds in or around the shop- including on the premises or parked in their car.

The couple looks forward to being a productive part of the Magnolia community.  Summer says they are here to “provide safe, secure and affordable access to medical marijuana, and support our surrounding community.”  They want to be good neighbors and welcome any complements or complaints at bestbudscooperative@gmail.com.

Best Buds Cooperative

2112 Thorndyke Ave West

 9:30am-7pm, 7 days a week

A big thank you to the Magnolia Voice readers who sent us these photos- we live in such an amazing place.

Photo by Loree Wagner

Photo by Loree Wagner

Photo by K. Kennell

Photo by K. Kennell

Photo by K. Kennell

Send us your favorite Magnolia photos:  tips@magnoliavoice.com

The Ballard Locks will be closed to all pedestrian traffic next Tuesday and Wednesday. Vessel traffic will be stopped from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. those two days.

The 95-year-old Locks are showing their age. Water has caused erosion along part of the small lock wall creating a scour. “There have been scour problems documented in a nearby area for 30 years. The first major repair was done in 1985 to the apron,” said Marian Valentine, a hydraulic engineer in charge of operations and maintenance of the facility. “Water is very destructive so we actively monitor the locks and make interim repairs where necessary.”

 The Corps has contracted with a Port Gamble construction company to drive sheet piles adjacent to the wall to act as armor. The hope is this armor will prevent future erosion. The sheet piles will also be used as forms so concrete can be pumped in to fill the void.

Over the last couple of days, neighbors have experienced a rash of unwanted solicitors, often knocking loudly on doors and repeatedly ringing doorbells.  The Magnolia Moms and Dads group was inundated with posts yesterday about a person or pairs of people aggressively approaching homes, some blatantly ignoring “no solicitors” signs. 

Magwife, A Magnolia Voice tipster posted this last night:

“Over the past 2-days, two men have come to my door 3 different times, claiming to be seeking opportunities to practice social skills/public speaking. I answered the door just once but didn’t let them get far into the speech because I fell for an identical scenario about 6-months back – the guy tied the story in with magazine sales. I bought some mag subscriptions but never received anything. I later read on Magnolia Voice that this was a nationwide scam, potentially tied into home invasions. Anyway, it seems really weird that they keep returning even though my husband and i both I told them we aren’t interested. They have been here during the middle of the day and later at night…”

Among the more than 15 related posts yesterday on Magnolia Moms and Dads, residents reported:

• A man lurking in the dark near a duplex on 33rd ave w between Bertona and w Ruffner
• Solicitors banging on doors and repeatedly ringing doorbells on Smith and 29th
• 2 different groups of people soliciting the same house twice in 5 days near the Howe St. tennis courts
• 2 guys on Viewmont knocking on doors selling magazines

In one post, the homeowner called the police, and they came to take a statement.  The officer told her that she had done the right thing by calling 911.  He said that if you see anything out of the ordinary or suspicious to call 911, not the non-emergency number.   That way they can track the complaints and keep our neighborhood safe. He reiterated that even if it does not look like a crime, call 911 and let them know what you see. It may be just the detail they need for a case they are working on.  As of press time, the police are in pursuit of the person of interest, and had an idea of where the person might be, because of calls and tips from our neighbors.

Former West Precinct Crime Prevention Coordinator Terrie Johnston said in a recent note:

I think I speak for the entire Community Police Team when I tell you that every day in our e-mail inbox, or on our telephone’s voicemail inbox, we find messages from the community that say something like this, “I wanted to let you know that I just saw something suspicious……….but I didn’t think this merited a 9-1-1 call”. Almost always the information is detailed, withgood descriptions and refers to something that may or may not have been criminal, but certainly seemed odd. And almost always it is too late for SPD to do anything with that information. I am now hoping to encourage you to trust that gut feeling of yours. If you get the sense that something weird is happening, even if it isn’t an emergency, please call 9-1-1 and simply state what you are reporting. The call taker will decide whether your call should be transferred off the primary line onto a secondary line. You don’t know what you prevent by getting a patrol cruiser coming into your neighborhood.

By reporter Steve Smalley

“We’re going to have the first floating pie company,” reveals Seattle Pie Company owner, Alyssa Lewis in an announcement to Magnolia Voice. A banner in the window Saturday was the first sign the area’s most delicious pie store is moving to South Lake Union.     

It seems Seattle Pie is running out of room and leaving the neighborhood, but not the pie business.  Here is their idea: Alyssa and her husband Patrick will offer their wonderful fruit, cream, and savory pies, plus Appassionato Coffee, from a vessel moored at a commercial dock on South Lake Union.  ”Customers come on-board and order,” she says. “Like a food cart, but a boat cart.” There will be no cafe.

Seattle Pie Company sold retail slices and whole pies in the space next to Queen Margherita at 3111 West McGraw, and wholesale pies to major grocery stores around town including Metropolitan Markets, Town & Country, Central Markets, PCC, IGA and Whole Foods. Pies will still be available at these stores.  The Magnolia storefront closed yesterday.  If you have gift certificates, Alyssa advises to hold onto them until the new place opens in May or June this year, or take them to Dan at The Mailbox in the Village and she will deliver pies there.  Alyssa and Patrick send their love to all in the Magnolia community and thank everyone for their support. 

Look for Alyssa’s new book, “Pie-co-lo-gy” on Amazon and in local book stores this March.

For more information, you can email seattlepie@live.com.

After 8 years in the village, Magnolia’s Dish it up is closing.  Their employees and merchandise are moving to their Ballard Ave location. Employee Linda McGillvray said the building that houses Magnolia’s Dish it up is being sold, and the store “just doesn’t have the volume to keep up with expenses.” McGillvray was quick to mention that nobody will lose their job in this consolidation.  She says they will miss Magnolia and the friends they have made here, and that they hope their Magnolia customers will “cross the bridge to shop at the Ballard Ave store”.

Dish it up’s last day in the village is February 28th.  Classes will continue at the Magnolia location until mid-February.

Dish it up’s Ballard store is located at 5320 Ballard Avenue NW

Magnolia Moms hosts their annual pancake breakfast in the Our Lady of Fatima Parish hall on January 29th after the 8:30 and 10:30 masses to benefit the Easter Basket program. Magnolia Moms creates and delivers approximately 200 Easter baskets to Seattle women, moms, and children who are in transitional housing.  Baskets are filled with age-appropriate toy items, books, school-supplies, and toiletries.   The breakfast is open to the public.

Cost: $5/person and $20/family

3307 West Dravus Street

For more information check out www.magnoliamoms.org

They’re annoying, dangerous and when filled with water, deceiving. Now that the Seattle Department of Transportation is finished with the winter storm, the Pothole Rangers are out filling those pesky potholes.

Pothole on Clise Pl W and W Howe St

“Freezing weather and heavy precipitation mean that we’re seeing more potholes. We’ve added dollars to respond to pothole repair requests,” said Mayor Mike McGinn. SDOT has $9 million available to address street surface repairs, which includes potholes. About $8.5 million of that is earmarked for main arterials.

Click here to report a pothole. Keep an eye on reported potholes on the city’s pothole map