The Evergreen Market Hits the Max Allowed Washington Cannabis Retail Locations with Bellevue Acquisition

The Eastside is being painted evergreen as cannabis retailer The Evergreen Market takes over the former Belmar location at 638 116th Avenue NE in Bellevue. With the torch being passed to retail titan The Evergreen Market, Bellevue cannabis customers will be able to pick up right where they left off, even using the Belmar loyalty points they accumulated before the shop closed down.

After years without the ability to use their Bellevue license, closing this deal was a monumental relief for The Evergreen Market founders Eric Gaston, Jeff Anderson, and Arne Nelson. It meant there was finally a location available that fit within zoning laws for 502 retail stores – something that was not proving to be easy to find. The story really begins with the fact that there were more retail licenses given out by Washington State than there were places that the City of Bellevue elected to make available. The Evergreen Market had been waiting in the wings for this opportunity to open up and it is with tremendous excitement that The Evergreen Market will be continuing their presence on the Eastside by now adding Bellevue alongside their Kirkland location, opened in April, as well as two Renton locations.

The next hurdle to jump within Washington State won’t be so easy to clear. As the rules now stand, the maximum number of retail stores a single ownership group can own is five. With a location in Auburn, Kirkland, two in Renton, and the new Bellevue store, The Evergreen Market has reached their maximum capacity for retail stores. Despite this limitation, co-founder Eric Gaston (who grew up on the eastside in Kirkland) continues to have a positive outlook.

“Being able to own multiple stores allows for greater efficiencies and greater access for our customers,” said Gaston. “While I understand the desire to maintain a small market, a five-store maximum does limit the growth of Washington retail brands and could ultimately marginalize Washington cannabis at the national level. That being said, we are super excited to operate the five stores that we have, and will continue to focus on delivering a best-in-class shopping experience with our emphasis on education and normalizing the world-class cannabis products available to Washington residents.”

The Bellevue The Evergreen Market location is scheduled to open up this summer, so Eastsiders won’t have long to wait. Want to stay up to date with news about the store opening? Sign up for our email list at www.TheEvergreenMarket.com or follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

About The Evergreen Market

The Evergreen Market was founded by three dads from Issaquah who met through their daughters being in the Y-princesses YMCA program. They’ve been a leader in the Washington recreational cannabis space since 2014. From outreach events to senior homes, sponsoring a local MMA fighter who advocates for CBD, publishing a how-to cookbook for making infused dishes with proper dosing, and having a proprietary position on staff dedicated to education (the educator) The Evergreen Market takes every opportunity to make cannabis friendly and approachable. They’ve been recognized by Architectural Digest for their dispensary design, winner of Best of Western Washington’s best dispensary two years in a row, beat out the Seahawks for Renton’s Business Excellence award, and remain active members in both Renton & Kirkland Chambers of Commerce.

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