It’s nearly impossible to miss: a towering, neon green sign proclaiming “Legal Weed” marks the spot on Main Street where Ellensburg’s second recreational cannabis store has opened for business.

The Green Shelf, co-owned by Cle Elum siblings Taylor and Brittany Choyce, opened its doors on Aug. 29, nearly 16 months after the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Control Board awarded them their license to operate a retail marijuana shop.

Finding the perfect location was part of the reason for the delay.

“There were other spaces available to us where we could have opened sooner, but they were much smaller,” Brittany Choyce said. “It was really important to us to have a big space so that our customers could feel comfortable coming in and interacting with the vast variety of products.”

Another reason the owners waited to launch their store was that retail marijuana prices were extremely high in the months immediately following legalization.

“I could not sell weed at those prices,” Taylor Choyce said. “I didn’t want to be a part of any of that. I’d rather not be open than be open and be ripping people off. Not that the retailers were necessarily ripping their customers off, but they were paying way too much to the growers.”

Taylor Choyce added that he felt high markups in the new industry were unethical because they took advantage of customers who were visiting shops and buying marijuana for the first time.

The Choyces said The Green Shelf strives to be a sophisticated, high-end retailer that values quality and selection—along with their customers’ health—over mere profit.

“We’re trying to have as many different products as possible,” Taylor Choyce said. “Currently, we have 150 unique items for sale. Eventually I’d like to get to 300.”

Products currently available at The Green Shelf range from pre-rolled marijuana joints to edibles, hash oils, lip balms, topical skin creams, energy shots, and even sex lubricants—all made with THC.

The owners of The Green Shelf also expressed a passion for organic marijuana.

“We like to work with growers who use non-synthetic nutrients or organic nutrients,” Brittany Choyce said. “That doesn’t necessarily make it better for you, but it’s just safer. You know exactly what you’re getting. We don’t sell anything that we don’t test first.

“We don’t want to be selling stuff that gives people headaches or sore throats. We don’t want to be selling chemicals,” Taylor Choyce added. “Vape pens have this toxic chemical called propylene glycol so we refuse to carry them.

“We only sell the ones cut with coconut oil. We pay extra for it, so that’s why our vape pens are a little bit more expensive than other places, but you’re getting a natural product.”

In addition to the immense selection, The Green Shelf will also be offering a 10 percent discount to Central students who bring their photo ID into the store on Tuesdays.

“We’re not here to make a bunch of money,” Taylor Choyce said. “We’re here to sell a bunch of weed!”

While student reaction to the new store has been mostly positive, the owners admitted that there has been—and always will be—a slight pushback from the community, especially in a town as small and conservative as Ellensburg.

“That’s why we put the entrance to our store on the side of the building instead of the front,” Taylor Choyce said. “We don’t want professors or anyone else who’s well known to worry about being seen walking in from Main Street. It sucks that we have to do that, and it sucks that they have to feel that way.”

“Washington is so progressive,” Brittany Choyce added. “Over time, I think people will open up to it.”