Get to know your local (legal) pot sellers: Brothers with buds

The excitement is blooming for two Saskatchewan brothers as pot legalization nears.

"The biggest challenge is the unknown," said David Thomas, 31. Thomas and his brother John, 33, landed four cannabis retail permits in the provincial lottery.

"My brother speaks to it, but when he went to build his pharmacy there's a road map, there's plenty of pharmacies that you can go in and look at their model," Thomas said.

The brothers are opening up the only retail cannabis shops inBattleford, Estevan, Martensville and Moosomin. All except the Moosomin storefrontare on track to be open in October once cannabis is legalized.

"We're designing our stores to be the local cannabis shop down the street," Thomas said, noting the brotherswere raised in the province.

They want customers of all ages and experience levels to feel their "home-grown"atmosphere.

Consumers will be able to skip the line in an express lanemeant for people who already know what they're after.But people can also consult with a "budtender" about their options and go through a showroom.

We're designing our stores to be the local cannabis shop down the street.- David Thomas

Currently, the brothers plan to hire eight employees per store, but Thomas says that could shift depending on the demand, which he calls a "moving target."

He says they made their estimatesusing historical data, but noted they won't know for certain until the shops open.

SLGAhas registered seven federally licensed producers to date.

Producers have to be federally licensed and in good standing to supply Saskatchewan buyers. There is not a set number or a limit onhow many of those producers can supply to wholesalers and retailers, according toSLGA.

Thomas says the energy in and curiosity about the industry has been encouraging.

"It'sa breath of fresh air to be working in such a new industry."

The Thomas brothers first became business partners in real estate. They stumbled upon the cannabis RFP on SaskTenders and decided to go all in.

Thomas never imagined he'd trade in a career in electrical engineering for cannabis sales.