In June, a marijuana shop opened in Union City in the San Francisco Bay Area. Typically, a cannabis store debut isn’t news in this state.
But this one, run by Grupo Flor, a vertically integrated operator based in Salinas, is located in a prime spot: a shopping center called Union Landing that features a Walmart, a Best Buy, a Burlington Coat Factory and more.
That’s a dramatic shift. Not long ago, most cities would force cannabis retailers into less desirable industrial zones, as if the marijuana industry represented an eyesore.