On a recent trip to Hood River in the Columbia Gorge we spent some time strolling up and down the main street in town, which is Oak Street – where many shops, galleries, cafes and restaurants are located. On the upper end of the street, but still in what one would call the frequented area we noticed a new store – a dispensary that was selling Mariuhana. These kinds of stores have spung up all over Oregon a while ago after the drug was legalized. Still, we wondered: Right in the main tourist area? So, we thought of hypotheses why this might be? Did the owner of the house decide to turn it into a business, did the outdoor and surfing crowds discover Mariuhana to get into the grove? Then I remembered a similar astonishment that in many downtown areas in Germany – right in the center of town, often in the most prominent spots you will find a McDonalds. Sometimes it replaced what previously used to be a high-end store. Examples that come to mind are Bremen and Dresden, but others are likely similar. So, is it perhaps that these stores are highly profitable based on their ware and visitor volume that they can actually afford the high rental prices or property prices that buildings in such prominent locations can demand?