CHESTERFIELD, Mo. – On a mild Monday afternoon, the shelves are stocked, and business is steady at Hippos Dispensary in Chesterfield.

Christy Kosem, a director of sales for cannabis products in Hippos stores, says when the state issued recreational licenses Friday, instead of Monday as expected, the company shifted fast.

“There was a lot of scrambling, but there’s been a lot of anxious, good energy,” Kosem said.

And good business as well. Kosem says over the weekend, they achieved weekly numbers in a day; seeing four to five times more customers than they had prior to recreational going live.

“We didn’t think we’d go backwards by any means,” she said. “We didn’t really know what to expect.”

According to the Missouri Department of Health and Human Services, medical marijuana sales totaled nearly $2 million on Friday, while recreational sales brought in more than $3 million. On Saturday, medical brought in more than $1.3 million, and recreational sales totaled $3.1 million. On Sunday, medical sales tallied nearly $890,000. Recreational sales were $2.1 million.

“We got in this thing for the long haul and, hopefully, we can continue to show people why we think we’re one of the best operators in the state,” said Kelly Chase, Hippos co-owner and St. Louis Blues alumnus.

Chase says he’s encouraged by the opening weekend’s business. He looks forward to growing and further legitimizing the industry across the state.

“We want it regulated. We want to know what each strain is. We want to make sure that we understand, and that people feel safe taking our product, and we want the testing stringent, because it gives us credibility,” he said.

“I think what we’re going to see going forward is people getting more comfortable in their peer groups and in society’s acceptance of it. So, I don’t think it’ll trend down,” Kosem said.