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Uncle Ike’s ‘Capitol Hill West’ shop ready to start construction on E Olive Way

(Image: CHS)

A year after The Reef won the race to bring legal pot to Capitol Hill’s western slope of E Olive Way, its neighborhood competition will finally begin construction on its new store.

Last week, the city’s planning department finally approved the construction permit for Uncle Ike’s “Capitol Hill West” shop, a project that will convert a former two-story legal office building neighboring The Crescent into E Olive Way’s second marijuana store.

Pot entrepreneur Ian Eisenberg paid more than $2 million for the two-story, 1967-era property in the fall of 2017 as a land rush for E Olive Way properties played out after shifting laws and policies opened up the street to I-502 pot development.

But the long wait for state approval and city permitting has made the investment a long-term play for Eisenberg who opened the original Uncle Ike’s, the city’s second ever I-502 pot shop, at 23rd and Union in 2014, and added a second Central Seattle Uncle Ike’s on 15th Ave E in late 2016.

The Reef, meanwhile, opened in the former Amante Pizza location in August 2018. The Reef’s new home made the old pizza shop nearly unrecognizable after a redesign of the interior by architects Olson Kundig. The Reef’s look and feel is modern and bright and its opening announcement played up the shop’s technology-forward approach to pot and the store’s location on “Capitol Hill’s Amazon Slope.”

Eisenberg hasn’t said much publicly about the coming Capitol Hill West shop and permit documents reveal only that the work will transform the two-story building and an added first-floor addition into a new retail space.

In June, his Central District original Uncle Ike’s clocked in with just under $700,000 in sales while his 15th Ave E shop turned in a $620,000 — down about 20% compared to last June. Total reported marijuana sales in the period were flat according to 502data.com. The Reef sales on E Olive Way, meanwhile, have been steadily rising. In June, the company reported its biggest sales month ever since moving from Bremerton to Capitol Hill with around $521, 000 in sales.

Overall, Uncle Ike’s shops have generated nearly $85 million in sales since 2014. Around $32 million of that has gone to Olympia under the I-502 excise tax.

Both The Reef and Uncle Ike’s are CHS advertisers.

 

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15 Comments
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Sloopy
Sloopy
4 years ago

The Reef rules. Best pot shop on the Hill.

jeff
jeff
4 years ago
Reply to  Sloopy

Except that it is way more expensive than Ike’s

Why pay more for the same stuff?

Ian
Ian
4 years ago
Reply to  Sloopy

The Reef is far superior and not even close to being as expensive as Ike’s.

ConnieChris744
ConnieChris744
4 years ago
Reply to  Ian

You’re stoned. Ikes is lowest price by far! I just got a text for $15 gram cartridges and $1 joints and all the stuff they carry that the reef also carries is like 10% cheaper. Clearly, the reef is all about taking more money from my already skinny wallet!

Stoned in Seattle
Stoned in Seattle
4 years ago
Reply to  Sloopy

ehhhhhhh I’d prefer my potshops to not feel like an Apple Store, but that’s just me. Ruckus all the way.

J
J
4 years ago

This area was Crack ROC Hill in the late 1980’s. It figures Uncle Ike’s would be the legal benefactor.

Brian N.
Brian N.
4 years ago
Reply to  J

C’mon now, what’s love got to do with it?

Mary S
Mary S
4 years ago
Reply to  J

1) This area wasn’t crack central in the 80s. Maybe heroin.
2) If it had been that means that 4 decades later people who weren’t even alive then should be able to shake down legal businesses? Cause let’s face it, that’s exactly where this (false) narrative is leading.

CD Rez
CD Rez
4 years ago
Reply to  J

That was 40 years ago

barnyard animal
barnyard animal
4 years ago

That’s cool, but I’m sticking with the Reef. Customer service at Ike’s sucks and the employees seems to hate their jobs. I get nothing but smiles and kindness at the Reef.

CD Rez
CD Rez
4 years ago

Not my experience at all for the CD location. Everyone is cool and chatty.

Jim98122x
Jim98122x
4 years ago
Reply to  CD Rez

Not my experience at Ike’s CD either. Everyone has always been super pleasant and accommodating. Were you born in that barn? Maybe it’s what you’re telegraphing.

Adam
Adam
4 years ago

I swore to never go to the Reef when they called West Capitol Hill “Amazon Slope”. Screw them.

Looking forward to Ikes, always have had a good experience.

Jeff
Jeff
4 years ago
Reply to  Adam

And as I said Ike’s is cheaper plus more choice and variety

Doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out, go to their websites and check

Also Ike’s offers a 5% discount on web orders. Just order online show up and its done easy peasy!

Stoned in Seattle
Stoned in Seattle
4 years ago
Reply to  Jeff

fiww, up until this month-ish, Reef was offering 15% off all online orders. I believe they’ve changed it to 5% as well.