1859 is now open in Black Hawk on Gregory Street

By Jeffrey V. Smith
BLACK HAWK
Two of the leading companies in the developing marijuana industry—one specializing in high-quality edibles and the other in premium flower and extracts—have teamed up to open the first dispensary in Black Hawk. Located in a building that housed, appropriately enough, the home and offices of one of the town’s first physicians, as well as a sweet shop, the 1859 recreational–only dispensary concentrates on providing premier products and a superior shopping experience.

1859, is the first joint venture between Mindful, which is a renowned commercial grower, and EdiPure, the largest manufacturer of infused products in the country, and offers a “massive selection” of high-quality, hand-crafted strains, edibles and concentrates. It opened for its first day of business on New Year’s Eve a few days after the state finally approved their license and the day after all other inspections were completed.

“We are really excited to be here, and even more excited to be good neighbors and good partners not only with the city but with the other industries that are here,” Dan Anglin, managing partner of EdiPure, said. “I think we’re probably one of the most transparent set of companies as far as who we are, what we do, how we do it. We’ve also partnered in other states with cultivating and manufacturing, but this is the only dispensary. It might not be the last, the vision has been very easy to accomplish and so far it’s a match made in heaven.”

The new retail marijuana store, located in a historic building on Gregory Street, is one of the first businesses to be a part of the town’s History Appreciation Recreation Destination District, which will eventually become a pedestrian-friendly, retail and hospitality area of Black Hawk. The building, vacant for close to a decade, now has a new paint job, new lighting and new signs outside and was completely renovated from garish, pseudo-Victorian casino décor into a sophisticated, contemporary retail store.

“The city has a vision for the HARD District and it’s our understanding they were really looking for people wh o had the same concept for their dispensary of what would be here in the future,” Anglin said. “It’s one of the reasons we chose [the name] 1859 because that’s the establishment of the town, and when you look downstairs you’ll see our mining cart and our symbol is a canary being set free. We wanted a recreational dispensary that was really geared toward the same type of fun and adventure people are looking for when they come to Black Hawk.”

Meg Sanders, CEO of Mindful agrees. “I think our goal here is to be able to offer a wide variety so we can hit multiple customer bases. Whether you’re just up having fun for the weekend or whether you’re a local, there is something for everybody,” she said.

Meg Sanders, CEO of Mindful, with Mindful concentrates and Edi-Pure candies
Photo by Jeffrey V. Smith

While the two companies have been working together for about two years—EdiPure prefers to use Mindful’s raw material in its infused products—the two got together on the 1859 project simply due to a chance meeting in the street in front of the building. “We discovered, in the middle of the road in February 2014, that they were looking and we were looking,” Anglin said. “We were looking at this building and they drove up. They had been working on it a little bit longer, but our side had a great relationship with the owner of this building which made it easier for what the city was looking for. The synergy’s between the two companies just made sense to get together on this dispensary.”

One of the things the partners and town are hopeful for is 1859 and another related project will help lower the demographic of visitors to Black Hawk. “With unincorporated Jefferson County putting yet another moratorium on recreational sales, we’re really hopeful to capture all of those folks on the Front Range who would like to come up here anyway, and we’re graced with the ability to open longer in Black Hawk.” Anglin said.

Independently, Mindful operates three other dispensaries and has two in Aurora and one in Fort Collins opening soon. “They are very successful at the dispensary side, and of course at the cultivating side,” Anglin said.

According to Sanders, her mom takes EdiPure nightly to sleep. “She takes her two lemondrops or her two berries and she sleeps like a baby,” Sanders said. “She has chronic arthritis and issues from a car wreck, and she has been able to get off all of her medicines due to EdiPure. It’s the only product she trusts and uses. She’s like the EdiPure spokesperson.”

One of the reasons EdiPure is one of the largest manufacturer in the nation of infused products, Anglin explained, is because of their precision dosing. “We’re able to keep [dosing] at exactly whatever we’ve decided the serving should be,” he said. “If its recreational, it’s a 10mg per serving piece of candy. It’s consistent. So, that’s why folks like Meg’s mother are fans of EdiPure, because once you know what your tolerance is then it’s very consistent. Once you have experience with edibles, with an EdiPure product you will have the same experience every time.”

Mindful cannabis at 1859
Photo by Jeffrey V. Smith

Mindful is known for their Tierra Rojo Genetics created by Chief Horticulturist and Partner Phillip Hague. “He’s truly world-renowned, just an amazing grower, amazing breeder,” Sanders said. “He’s very dedicated to the plant, very competent with true commercial-scale growing. That is a skill set that many don’t have. We’re very excited to have consistent product availability, consistent genetics, consistent quality.” She also explained everything used on the plants is organic and without pesticides or “anything that would create any issues with the plant.” According to Sanders, they currently have 300 strains in their genetics and are “always creating something new.”

Sanders pointed out 1859, and Mindful stores, offer “recent classics” like Blue Dream and Green Crack, but there is always a “strain du jour.” Right now, it’s Gorilla Glue. “Everyone wants the Glue,” she said. “The purple strains always fly off the shelf. People love the purple strains.” She said other sought after strains by Hague include the “very popular” Upgrade and Breakfast. “His Stardog is probably one of the best strains we have. That’s an intense beautiful strain. I’m passionate about it, I love it,” Sanders added. Mindful also creates “top-notch” extraction products including waxes, shatter and live resin.

1859 is located at 231 Gregory Street in Black Hawk. It’s open Wednesday-Saturday. Call 303-582-3510 or visit bemindful.today for more information.

Originally published in the February 2015 issue of the MMAC Monthly