The Munising Cannabis Co., the area’s only locally owned marijuana shop, is closing its doors soon.

“Munising Cannabis Company was a labor of love from a group of local people trying to do something different than a dispensary: growing and processing everything in house,” Munising Cannabis Co. General Manager Jody Irving said. “Unfortunately, that made it extremely expensive to run.”

Shutting down is a big change from winning the Microbusiness of the Year by Michigan Green State magazine, one of the largest state-specific marijuana publications in the nation. The business still has a 5.0 rating on Google reviews with positive reviews from locals and tourists alike.

“Our biggest thing was people loved us once they came through the door,” Irving said. “But what hurt was that people didn’t know how we were different or even what a microbusiness is.”

Microbusinesses are a different type of licensing that allows locations to grow plants and cultivate them before selling the product. However, this type of license prevents any other product from being sold on premise and also prevents them from selling their products with other dispensaries, even if they were other microbusiness license holders. A number of microbusiness license holders have already closed and another one in Kalkaska closing at the end of November.

The creative process never got off the ground for the company, either. A number of various product ideas – specifically those with foods – were not possible due to government regulation. According to state law, all products need to be shelf stable for six months, eliminating various dessert- style edibles and refrigerated products. State-required testing for each batch also was more than $800 and had to be shipped well outside the region, so any small-batch options appealing to tourists or cheaper options appealing to locals were out of the question.

Paired with the expense of cultivating the plants, labor and even things like having to change the building design due to parking requirements added up for the business while detracting from building up savings to get through the slower winter months or to advertise.

“It’s just super sad. We were trying to do something different. We wanted to do something that would do Munising proud,” Irving said.

While the business is still available for sale as a turnkey business, the store will have large liquidation deals to wrap up the available inventory. Those interested in the business or for buying or leasing the building after closure should stop in and talk to Irving.