MUSKEGON, Mich. — Sticky Muskegon, one of the three Sticky dispensaries in West Michigan, has permanently closed, leaving employees shocked and questioning what went wrong.
According to staff, the closure came suddenly. One employee said it seemed to come “out of nowhere.”
Joey Storch, a manager at Sticky Muskegon for four years, said the owner came in, said “We’re not making enough money,” and locked the doors.
Storch said he believes the owner struggled to effectively manage multiple locations, which contributed to the Muskegon store’s closure.
“He kept trying to open up new locations, and he was falling behind on money for that reason, which made no sense, because we had three great locations that were making a great amount of money,” Storch said.
While Storch admitted the closure took him by surprise, he said he believes the cannabis industry is becoming increasingly difficult due to oversaturation in the market.
“It’s an oversaturated business. There’s a lot of companies,” he said.
Michigan currently has more than 1,000 cannabis dispensaries licensed by the Cannabis Regulatory Agency (CRA), with approximately 330 active medical marijuana dispensaries and more than 660 active recreational dispensaries.
Muskegon itself is home to 21 active dispensaries, but recently 10 of those licenses have been voided.
Other dispensary owners in the region said the situation isn’t surprising.
“It doesn’t surprise me,” said CEO Joshua Covert of Meds Cafe. “For instance, in Lowell, we were the first store in Kent County. Within about a year and a half, there were quite a few stores in the small community. I believe it peaked at right around nine stores and today, there are probably about half that.”
The cannabis market in Muskegon and across Michigan continues to evolve, with competition growing as more dispensaries open and others close.
The future of the industry remains uncertain for many as the market reaches a saturation point.
