Tell me what you think…Please vote on the right hand side —————->
There’s a “new” business in town and they’re in the old Rexall pharmacy building. It’s called “Mr. Nice Guy’z Smoke Shop“. I put “new” in quotation marks because they’re not all that new. They’ve actually been operating a “medical marijuana delivery service” out of a duplex on Dry Creek road for quite a while now.
Check it out here. And here. And here.
Now, I’m not disputing the need or existence of medical marijuana dispensaries. I think cannabis has legitimate uses as medicine.
But this place is a little different. They have a website here, and among their products:
- Instant Virgin Spray is the perfect way to enable you to do away with dangerous and expensive cosmetic surgery to rejuvenate your vagina, because now you can easily enhance your vagina, with Instant Virgin.
- The Cock Torch is also very versatile in that it can be used not only for self pleasuring but could also be introduced into couples sex play very easily.
- Rasta Weed is a fine blend of herbs that when smoked, gives a euphoric high  that feels somewhat similar to high potency marijuana.
So now there’s a dispensary / smoke shop / adult store on the corner of Main Street USA. That’s just swell.
Really, where my concerns fall are two-fold; The location, and the sign.
Location: They’ve set up a storefront in the old Rexall building at the corner of Rio Linda Blvd and M Street. Right under the arch. The historical “entrance” to Rio Linda and Elverta. There’s a liquor store (Rio Linda Liquor… for god’s sake, paint your building) 50 yards to the east, and a bar (Lew’s) directly to the south. Across M street to the north is the abandoned Archway Hardware lot. Is this an image that we want to present to the people who are visiting Rio Linda? In an already blighted community, and on a particularly blighted M street, is this the impression we want to present when people travel under the historic and iconic Archway?
I think the business is fine. I think the location is completely wrong. Less than a half-mile away there’s already a head shop at the Food Source strip mall for all your bong, pipe, baggie and scale needs.
Sign: Are you kidding me? There’s a dude on the sign smoking a blunt!
In 2010, Sacramento County’s Department of Neighborhood Services developed the “Rio Linda Visions Plan” to to guide the revitalization of the Downtown Rio Linda / M Street corridor toward the goal of creating an attractive and vibrant downtown main street environment that attracts people, activities, and commerce while maintaining the community’s historic small town charm.
Some of the priorities developed within the community are:
- Maintain Rio Linda’s rural, small town character
- Address nuisances (e.g. code enforcement)
- Refine historic themes
- Focus on gateways to community
- Sidewalks on M Street, lighting, and signage improvements are top priorities
- Refine the historic themes in the downtown
I think locating the medical marijuana dispensary, or head shop, or smoke shop, right at the Archway intersection flies in the face of every single one of these priorities.
Unfortunately, I think the County’s business licensing and code enforcement departments have dropped the ball on this one, and no matter what I believe we’re going to be stuck with this business for a long, long time.
So now, tell me what you think… Should we be thankful a business opened there at all, or is it the wrong business in the wrong neighborhood?
Please vote on the right hand side —————->
One more trashy thing for our town to contend with. This was a great place to live,when I decided to retire here in 1972. What a change.This should have never been allowed here. Code enforcement will fine you for the smallest infractions.But the law looks the other way at trash like this. I thought The NCN was the worst thing that could possibly happen.. Are we being punished? We have to protest this some how.
so if you search for this place it also shows a delivery site thats at 6111 dry creek rd. right across the street from the elementary school. I thought 1000 ft or less is a drug free zone. whats this world coming to that we set up drug shops right across the street from a school.
It’s this kind of thing that makes me wonder why we pay taxes. Obviously, nobody examined this business during the licensing process.
well the store that opened up mr nice guys. it has the same name as the delivery service. and the duplex next door is for rent. 916-308-9616 is the owners # off the for rent sign. i don’t think he has any idea his tenants run a pot delivery service.
I guess it doesn’t matter that this place is well within 1000ft of a school. I am so glad that they were allowed to open this sort of business this close without any sort of “inspection”
Going to be very convient for the locals to ride their bikes to….
i ama police officer in rio, i will look into it!
while you are at it… would you keep an eye out at that crappy bar next to the hardware store. I was parked across the street from that place talking on my cell phone in broad day light when 2 guys came out and gave me a hard look, after talking with them a while one of them said that he was the owner… he was thinking that I was a cop! and that the cops have been watching him. he even told me to” tell my people that he is doing nothing wrong!” this is one strange man. the others that were there did not disagree with him when he said that he was the owner, so I believe that he is. What kind of business owner comes out of his building and confronts a person in a truck sitting all the way across the street talking on the phone? is this what this town has come to?
Want to clear up a few things about Mr.Nice Guy’z SMOKE SHOP!!!!
We are NOT a dispensary, or a sex store.
We welcome ANYONE 18 and over to come in and see for your self.
We are natives of Rio Linda, and a family as well. We are just trying to make an honest living and raise our children in a small community like the rest of you all.
And to the person who wrote this…..gets your facts together. The products you listed that we have in our store….I have never even heard of them.I INVITE YOU TO COME SEE FOR YOURSELF. Before posting false information, slandering a new community buisness.
I went to Rio Linda Elementry School, Jr High, and High school.
My grandmother owned Archway Pizza in Rio linda in the 90’s until my grandfather fell ill and we had to sell the buisness.
WE ARE HERE TO STAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We should focus on the homeless problem out in Rio Linda , activities for children, the run down hardware store.
Our (Mr & Mrs. Hater) comments were never aimed at the smoke shop.
For us, the question at hand is this: “They’ve actually been operating a “medical marijuana delivery service” out of a duplex on Dry Creek road for quite a while now.”
I do support medical Marijuana as I know numerous friends and family that are card carrying with validated reason. I support cannabis as legitimate use for medicine. I understand that you have a family to support and agree that is any persons first priority. I totally understand the need to provide delivery service to those that may not be able to drive etc etc. I just question the establishment listed as being within 1000 feet of a school in a residential area. I think we have enough drug dealers on our streets, in any given neighborhood, not just Rio Linda, that we don’t need to add to it with placing a business like this out of a residence especially close to a school.
I also think that we should focus on the other matters at hand (IE, activities for our children, homeless persons, drug users and crime at our local parks) and strive to make our community the best that it can be while supporting new and old business’ alike. Congrats and best of luck with your business. =)
One more thing the “Dry Creek ” address, We have not lived there for over a year and a half, due to the fact there was a school across the street. Total time there…4 months.
Thank You for your support!!! VERY much appreciated.
Well, I guess if this Nice Guys head shop is ok in this town,maybe the next thing is to legalize Ms nice gals brothal.
i checked it. i recieved concent to search and located over a half pound of marijuana buds in a bag. The owner said it was for his personal use….. nothing i could do about it due to sac. county da not caring. sorry rio linda. i will continue to monitor. i will forward my info to code enforcement. -caring ofc.
Ok, I’ve never set foot in “Mr. Nice Guys”, but I assure you, I’ma visit them now. I’m really curious as to why in a town full of pot heads it would be a problem to have supply’s handy. Better yet, isn’t local business good for our community? You people need to stop whining and open a business across the street. I’m tired of seeing that building sit there empty. Lets create some jobs. Lets look at what we can do rather than what isn’t done right. 🙂
Mr Nice Guyz Smoke Shop is the best shop in town why drive to other stores when we finally have one down the street gas is so expensive Good job Mr Nice Guyz people you guys doing a good job and got best customer service you are good people!
Thank you for your comment.
Why is their customer service the best?
Thanks to everyone for your comments. I’ve been sick for quite a while, and haven’t had the energy to do a lot of work on the site, so I really do appreciate all your comments.
It’s obvious that there are many opinions on this issue, but according to the poll, the prevailing opinion is that this type of business isn’t ideal for the community, or the location. 80% of the respondents believe that the smoke shack should at least move elsewhere.
I don’t bear a grudge, and I hold no malice for the owners of the business. It’s a smart business decision to place your shop in the best possible location.
But it’s not the best decision for the community, and that’s -my- concern.
My argument would be to now ask Mr. Nice Guys if they received a bank loan or not to open the store. If they have a bank contract then I’m going to say that it is in fact in the best spot possible already and that people have other unvoiced concerns. I’m not picking sides, I don’t pick sides. I just see more good than bad with the business. Btw, I do not personally condone the use of marijuana for purposes outside of medical reasons. So that is not affecting my words.
I see local economy growth, and I see a business that if it starts to do well, it’ll encourage other businesses to move into Rio Linda. This means more money in our community to do things that are needed such as street lamps or park maintenance. Think about how good and encouraging it’ll look on paper to other businesses.
Well, the shop is already open, so the question of a bank loan is moot.
It’s a real failure in community planning and code enforcement, though. This type of business should be placed in a special category that allows for a community review previous to being licensed. The signage is of special concern to me. The mirrored windows are also a concern.
Regarding economic growth, I have a difficult time seeing other businesses citing the success of a head shop as a factor in opening or re-locating in Rio Linda. I mean, brothels do well in Nevada, but you don’t see any on the Las Vegas strip, or on Virginia street. They’re located way out of town for a reason.
The mirrored windows are added security and to be less of a problem to possibly seeing something we do not wish to see.
Well, Its a lot better than another empty building. Am I wrong?
I’m not going to trust the poll numbers, and neither should anyone else reading this, as the poll itself is nowhere to be found on the page “on the right hand side”. I am using a modern browser (Firefox, v 3.6) and it’s just not there. I imagine a large number of visitors to this site are not seeing the poll. And without being insulting, in my experience IE users fall into what I’ll call a “particular category”.
You know what? First it was the “sex shop” argument, and since that has been shown to be false (by others here and by a brief visit myself), the argument shifts again. I say let them conduct business. The neighborhood has not changed since they moved in. It’s the same crazies at night that it’s always been. The same constant noise, disdain for mufflers, gunshots and lack of police presence in response to the above that it’s always been.
Rio Linda has real problems, and a dispensary or a head shop is, in my opinion, the very least of them. By a great distance. This is an opinion from someone who wouldn’t consider pot as a treatment personally for anything and wouldn’t touch it with a 10 foot pole. Didn’t we just have an axe murder just up the street recently? There’s a foreclosed house up my street that has been broken into multiple times, openly and brazenly. It may have occupants now. Don’t we have sex offenders on every corner? There’s a woman on M street that walks up and down the street day and night ranting and raving and yelling obscenities day and night. There’s a hog that flies up and down the street at all hours, rattling windows more than any kid with a 600 dollar stereo system in his car. Couples argue loudly in public, screaming obscenities at each other in the late hours of the night. While I have been lucky so far, all of my neighbors have had their homes broken into multiple times over the years. The radio towers nearby make it impossible to listen to any station other than the one (or 2) broadcasting from those towers. Mail is regularly stolen. Clerks at the 7-11 are regularly harassed.
Rio Linda is a mess, and that mess was not caused by and pre-dates this store’s presence by a decade at the least. Get your priorities straight.
Thank you. Finally someone see’s it how I do.
Sorry about that. The site’s changed format a bit since the article was written. You’ll find the survey on the front page. If you doubt the legitimacy of the numbers, I can show you the back end. Thanks for catching that, and thanks for reading.
You’ve cited a litany of issues affecting the community. Each of them have merit. That doesn’t mean that the issue at hand doesn’t have merit.
Having this business right out in front, at the Archway crossroads, does nothing to help mitigate the other issues you mentioned and misrepresents the wants and needs of the business community and the citizen majority.
Do you think that if you stood in front of Food Source and polled that you would get a different result? People just want to raise their children, and they’d rather not have to explain why the happy face is smoking a doobie at the corner building.
My priorities are straight. I’m not going to stand idly by and ignore something when it’s wrong.
These problems didn’t form overnight. It’s been a long time coming, and they stem from a lower quality of services from the SSD. CHP, the Board of Supervisors, Code Enforcement, Planning and Community Development, Neighborhood / Community Services and others that just aren’t interested in this community.
According to Mark Manoff, Area Service Manager, the Smoke shop is permitted as a retail use in the current SPA as a general use category. This use does not require any planning entitlement therefore did not go to the CPAC. So, the Dept of Planning never even reviewed the license. They failed us.
Additionally, smoke shops were not singled out as a permitted or not permitted use in the Vision or the SPA. The recently prepared DRAFT SPA has not even gone to the Board of Supervisors for approval yet. So, Neighborhood services and the BOS have failed us.
As long as Natomas, Downtown Sacramento and Oak Park are a part of District 1 as well as Rio Linda, we’ll never get the attention we need or deserve from the BOS. As long as Rio Linda is considered the armpit of Sacramento County, we’ll never get help on the issues that effect our quality of life, such as this, and the others you described.
But again, I’m not going to stand idly by and ignore something when it’s wrong.
Thanks for writing.
John Todd, are you a home owner in Rio Linda? Because I am.
Born and raised since 1969, and homeowner since 2008.
Anything else?
You much be closer to M street than I… I’m near 6th and Ust
Thanks, John. That actually puts your concerns into some perspective for me, personally.
But I do think that you should just take a moment to think about exactly what aspects of this “smoke shop” are “wrong”. I know the automatic response for most people is to associate pot with crime, but I think reality flies in the face of that. Most of the crime associated with the use and distribution of weed is directly related to its illegality. And I don’t want you or anyone to think that I was attempting a kind of straw man argument when it comes to this subject. I genuinely do believe that the problems in Rio Linda that I listed can be traced directly back to drug abuse, as well as widespread and untreated mental illness(many times directly related). But I also believe that the word “drug” is as misused and abused as the drugs themselves. Too often we lump marijuana in with drugs like meth and opiates/opiods, crack/cocaine and others. When clearly this is unfair and ultimately inaccurate.
What I do have a problem with is dishonesty. I’m not accusing you of this, but I do see it a lot when it comes to arguments related to legal use of marijuana. The arguments shift constantly. First its things like “sex shop” items for sale, with the person making the argument saying things like “I’m fine with the mandate of the people of California to treat illness with medical marijuana, BUT…” then when things like that are disproven, the argument shifts in another direction and weasel words like “wrong” are used. I have never seen anything in this world that is “just wrong”, and I’ve been around a very long time. Anything that is truly “wrong” stands up to close scrutiny and reason. We can clearly and distinctly explain why those things are “just wrong”. Just some food for thought. Thanks for your reply.
Oh and I never meant to suggest that the poll numbers were fudged in any way. I just meant that the poll itself was not visible to all readers.