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Hobo will be Kelowna’s first pot store

Published on July 23, 2019 by David Wylie

Hobo's Ottawa location

Hobo will have the distinction of being the first licensed retail cannabis store in Kelowna.

The retail chain has two stores in Vancouver, as well as a store in Ottawa.

The Kelowna location is at 2121 Springfield Rd., near Orchard Park Mall.

“We’re bringing BC bud (and more) home to one of the planet’s best growing environments in the heart of the Okanagan,” says the Hobo website.

“There’s a new normal in town and its name is Cannabis. You don’t need to feel shady about buying it anymore. Certainly not in our stores. Whether it’s a literal or figurative adventure you’re after, we’re all in and here to help you on that journey.”

The company expects to be open this week once their first cannabis order arrives.

The chain is owned by the Donnelly Group, which owns and operates public houses, cocktail taverns and nightclubs of note in Vancouver.

Hobo’s stores feature colourful rugs, light wood shelves, lots of plants and retro furniture.

The name Hobo has drawn some controversy online. Harrison Stoker, vice-president of brand and culture at the Donnelly Group, says it’s about “the verb to hobo.”

“The idea of readily dropping your worldly possessions and travelling that was championed in the late 19th century when the railways were being developed in North America … We’ve all read a lot of Jack Kerouac’s On The Road and other books of people who are hobos.”