Max Bonilla read the e-mail from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario several times before he believed it.

A few months earlier, Bonilla teamed up with his sister Jessica Trethowan and her husband Kevin, to enter a provincial lottery - one of 16,905 other applicants, each hoping to be among those opening one of the first 25 retail cannabis stores in Ontario.

Bonilla expected it to say something like: "Thank you for your application."

Instead, the email advised him that their application had won the lottery - clearing the way to move forward with plans to open The Niagara Herbalist in St. Catharines - in a busy plaza at 33 Lakeshore Rd., Unit 15.

It was better than winning a lottery jackpot.

"We were probably more excited winning this than winning $50-million - for me at least," Bonilla said. "That's my passion. It's a vocation, it's a job, it's everything we could wish for and strive for in life."

Kevin, originally form Oxford, England, said they were also adamant about setting up shop in St. Catharines - Max and Jessica's hometown.

"This is an amazing area to be in, the Niagara Region. This is where we are. This is our home."

The win, however, meant a lot of work in the months to follow.

Bonilla said they have each been working up to about 15 hours a day in the months since that email arrived, and the workload only increased in the three weeks after the AGCO granted them their operator licence.

They also invested as much sweat equity as they could to transform the former real estate office into the first retail cannabis shop in the Niagara Region, while ensuring the shop complied with numerous provincial government regulations.

"There were a lot of regulations to go by, but they were very well communicated," Kevin said. "Everything was laid out. It was a case of this is what you need to do to get it done. The process was intense, but it wasn't particularly complicated."

They also had to hire, train and certify about a dozen full- and part-time employees to work at the shop, serving customers and handling store security - while paying them "liveable wages," along with benefits.

And it all had to be done by April 1.

Cannabis retailers who fail to open on April 1 will lose $12,500 of a $50,000 letter of credit they were required to provide. If the shop isn't open by April 15, they face another $12,500 charge, and they lose the remaining $25,000 if the shop isn't open by the end of the month.

However, The Niagara Herbalist team is confident the shop will open on schedule, avoiding those penalties.

But another shop planned for Niagara Falls called Choom Cannabis is not expected to open on time, after a late start to the process. As of Friday afternoon, the business had yet to be issued its operator licence, according to the AGCO website.

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And for The Niagara Herbalist, being the only retail cannabis shop this side of Burlington will likely result in a lot of eager customers when they open their doors at 9 a.m., Monday.

"I think we're hoping for a lineup," Jessica said.

The business is bringing in Niagara Regional Police officers for the opening day, helping to ensure the first day of business runs smoothly.

And despite being located in an already busy shopping centre, Kevin said the retail nature of the shop should keep customers flowing and minimize the impact on other plaza tenants.

"We are working closely with other business in the plaza to make sure," he added. "We understand that this is still a sensitive business, and it's important for us to be as transparent as possible with other businesses and the public. If there are any questions or concerns, the door is open."

Although Brock University business expert Michael Armstrong recently predicted pot shops should average more than $1.25 million in sales a month, Kevin said he doesn't know what to expect from the business.

"Because it's a brand-new industry - it's the first time there's going to be bricks and mortar stores - we really don't know," he said. "There are so many variables."

Allan.Benner@niagaradailies.com

905-225-1629 | @abenner1