Whidbey Island Cannabis Company is a recreational marijuana store in name only.

More than two months after being told she could not operate one of Washington’s first recreational marijuana stores by Island County, owner Maureen Cooke is still waiting on the permits.

Soon, that may change.

Cooke said she heard from Island County’s planning department that she could receive her permit within days.

Back in July when the Washington State Liquor Control Board approved her retail license, Cooke’s concern was finding weed. (A joke among Whidbey Islanders was that she was one of the only people who couldn’t find weed to buy.) Even before she made national headlines as the state’s first listed license holder, Island County’s planning department sent her a stop-work order because she had not received a type 2 land-use permit or a building permit. That threw a wrench in her plans to open the Bayview store, near El Corral and Double R Rentals, amid the buzz of Washington enacting its voter-approved legalization of recreational use and retail.

Now, Cooke is eager to hear from the county as to if and when she can open.

“If he said ‘Today,’ I’d run up there and get it and open on Sunday, if I could,” Cooke said, referring to county Planning Director David Wechner.

In an email sent to The Record on Sept. 26, Wechner wrote that Cooke’s permit was still under review after the Island County Planning Department conducted a site visit.

“Staff will be sending a review letter to Ms. Cooke identifying what she needs to address to obtain permit approval,” he said.

Cooke, on Monday, said she had not yet heard from the county about her permit or the site visit.

Meanwhile, recreational marijuana sales have been big across Washington. When the first stores opened in July alone, $3.2 million was brought in from sales. That number more than doubled in August, with a little over $7 million. To date, $5.76 million was spent in September. Between July 1 and Aug. 4, $851,075 was taxed on retail sales.

That kind of pinpoint tracking has required a software system that follows every piece of product sold. Former users may find the packaging and barcodes an odd sight.

For Cooke and her four employees, it means time to familiarize themselves with a system they have not been able to actually use. The last thing Cooke said she wants is to have customers come to the shop, ready to buy, and wait while they figure out the program.

“We don’t want to be standing there with egg on our face,” Cooke said.

Startup costs have been high for Cooke. She estimated she spent $50,000 so far on the 875-square-foot space, security and staff without a dollar coming in to her new business. Cooke is also the proprietor of Mo’s Pub & Eatery in Langley.

Island County received four retail allotments by the liquor control board. So far, only one shop on Whidbey is open, Herbs and Buds in Oak Harbor.