No stop light, but tiny town getting one of Washington’s first pot shops

With just 712 people, there’s not even a stop light in Bingen, Washington. But thanks to Margie Lemberger there’s now a legal marijuana shop.

Lemberger is among the first granted a license by Washington State Liquor Control Board to operate a retail outlet in Washington state. She hopes to open the appropriately named Margie’s Pot Shop in the tiny town along the Columbia River across from Hood River, Ore. later this week, just as soon as her supplier can deliver the first harvest.

“In the 60’s I was one of your original flower children. I’ve always believed that marijuana should be legal and one of the things I’d like to see is that it’s safer for people,” says the longtime pharmacist, who just quit her job two weeks ago to focus on her budding new venture.

Margie says she’s always wanted to run her own business, and threw her hat in the ring when the state first started accepting applications. She was inspired in part by the drug-related crime activity she witnessed while working in Yakima over the years. Little did she know, while many her age are retiring, she’d be launching headlong into history.

“I have friends and people that I’ve known for a long time and we’re just going to open this and hope for the best,” she says.

While the Klickitat County town has so few people that call it home, Margie is confident there’s more than enough interest and traffic to make her pot shop a success.

“There are a lot of pot smokers here and we’re right next to the wind surfing capitol. Hood River is right next to us. There’s many people that go right by this busy, busy road right by my store.”

Margie expected some attention once she put the big yellow sign proclaiming her pot shop in front of the old Carquest Auto Parts shop. She says she never imagined the reaction would be so positive.

“People drive by when I’m outside, toot their horns and put their thumbs up with a big smile on their face. I think that people here are really glad to have me,” Margie says.

She’s becoming a bit of a celebrity. Along with profiles in the local newspaper and several others around the state, she even got a call to appear on the Al Jazeera network. “Al Jazeera? Oh my gosh,” she gushes.

Even though it’s a small shop, Margie promises to offer a wide supply of top quality pot from several suppliers, including one local woman she says is growing 84 different strains. But she won’t be sampling all of them.

“I do use the product occasionally, but it puts me to sleep. So I can’t be an entrepreneur and be smoking weed at the same time,” she laughs.