A visit to the Stratford Festival nearly a decade ago stuck with Deepak Taneja, who, on Friday, opened the city’s newest pot shop.

The retail outlet, which is owned by Canopy Growth, will provide shoppers with access to legal, recreational cannabis accessories and products, including various formats from beverages, edibles and oils to dried flower, vapes and soft gels. The location near a grocery store and other businesses with a variety of everyday products also appealed to the owners. 

“We’re thrilled to be opening the first Tokyo Smoke in Stratford and bringing the Tokyo Smoke experience to this community,” said Melissa Gallagher, director of franchise and corporate stores. “Our differentiated store design, coupled with our team of education specialists, will offer guests an industry-leading retail experience focused on providing tailored cannabis education to each guest.”

Taneja co-owns the Stratford shop with his wife, Vaneeta Pahwa, and Arsalan Poorsina. Both Taneja and Pahwa have had family members who have used cannabis while sick and have seen its benefits first-handg, which is one reason why they got into the cannabis retail business.

With several cannabis stores now in the city, Taneja is hoping Tokyo Smoke’s well-lit 139-square-metre space will make customers comfortable when they walk through the doors, whether it’s to purchase a product or learn more about pot.

“They’re not just people to me,” he said. “I call them guests. They are not customers. They are visiting us like our family members would. We are there to help them. It’s more about knowledge than selling the product.

“People walk in, and it feels open, not congested, so we kept it bigger.”

Taneja, who comes from a retail background, wants to find employees from Stratford to help the local economy. It’s another way he wants to give back to a city that made a positive impression on him years ago. 

“This is the time,” he said. “It was just for us, not for anybody else, because I want to be here.”