Cannabis retailers are starting to prepare for the reality of no longer being the only game in town.

Sherri Graham is the general manager of 10 Cannabis Supply Co. locations in the province — one of them on Niagara Parkway in Fort Erie that started serving THC products over the counter on Aug. 24.

Since 2016, the company served medicinal customers as a telemedicine clinic, which the Fort Erie store also did prior to becoming a full-service dispensary for recreational users last month.

It has plans to open a location in Niagara Falls around mid-December, and another in St. Catharines in early 2021, said Graham.

Currently the lone licensed store in Fort Erie, a town of 30,000 people, they could have some company from the same industry nearby soon.

A storefront on Garrison Road, in the same plaza as Uncle Sam’s Bingo, Paradise Cannabis appears to be setting up shop.

In Crystal Beach, signage on a unit at a small plaza on Ridgeway Road is boasting that Village Cannabis Co. will be opening soon.

“It’s definitely going to be competition for us,” said Graham when asked whether she thinks three stores in a town the size of Fort Erie is too many hands in the pot.

On Sept. 1, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario announced it would be doubling the pace of authorizations processed per month from 20 to 40, which Graham said will lead to more brands popping up across Niagara.

“There’s not much we can do,” she said, adding that customer service and quality will be the company’s focus.

Cannabis Supply opened its first store in Hamilton on Aug. 3, followed by Fort Erie’s three weeks later.

“Every day our sales are increasing a little bit,” she said about business so far.

In Niagara, there are five other dispensaries authorized to sell THC products – Niagara Herbalist and Corner Cannabis in St. Catharines, as well as Choom, Canna Cabana and SPDR Cannabis in Niagara Falls.

Sessions Cannabis in Welland’s application is “in progress,” according to the AGCO website.

On Aug. 17, owners of the Fitch Street Plaza, said the store was expected to open in about a month. Multiple attempts to reach the company have not been successful.

Also in Welland, Paradise Cannabis is moving into a renovated building at the south end of Niagara Street. The company that also has plans to open in Fort Erie does not appear to have a website or any social media presence.

There are five other applications before the AGCO out of Welland.

Auraleaf on Division Street, Inspired Cannabis Co. on Ontario Road, True North Cannabis on Steel Street, Mooligai on West Main Street, and Miss Jones on Lincoln Street have all started the process.

Other than the sites already authorized in Niagara Falls, there are another 10 awaiting approval –—three on Lundy’s Lane on top of SPDR, which is already on the lane.

In St. Catharines, 13 applications are underway with the province. These include Grand Cannabis on St. Paul Street, two others on Welland Avenue, and three on Fourth Avenue.

There are plans to convert a former Kentucky Fried Chicken on King Street in Port Colborne into a True North cannabis store.

Weedy Point on Main Street West in Port Colborne is working on an approval as well.

Take Off Cannabis on Pine Street in Thorold is also waiting for a green light.

The longest-running cannabis retailer in the region was Niagara Herbalist, which served its first customers last April, followed by Choom in Niagara Falls last June.