Soma Wellness Center in Crested Butte, Colorado.
CRESTED BUTTE, Colo. — If there’s a future in social cannabis, it could be found somewhere within the walls at Soma Wellness Lounge in Crested Butte, Colorado. The themes that dominate the interior design of many retailers’ location, such as counterculture icons, graffiti art or tie-dyed dancing bears, were left out so that Soma Wellness Lounge could take a more classical approach.
Polished hardwoods grace the floor. Stylish furniture stands out against the olive green and dark purple walls that run parallel with the ornate rugs and featured art gallery. It’s an elegant design made for lounging and hasn’t changed since Soma Wellness opened in 2010.
“We originally had Soma open in Boulder starting in 2010 as a medical dispensary and then moved up to Crested Butte, to switch to a recreational store on April 1, 2014,” explains Abra Karbin, one of the managers for Soma Wellness.
In 2010, Soma Wellness was met with enthusiastic reviews for its posh décor and unique atmosphere by Boulder locals. After state legislation matured to allow for recreational sales, Soma was poised to make the four-hour trek to Crested Butte where it re-launched as an adult-use retailer. Thankfully, due to Colorado state law, Soma was able to take nearly its entire menu of products from Boulder.
“For retail, you do have to supply up to 70 percent of your retail marijuana and then you can purchase up to 30 percent from an external source,” Karbin said.
Although Soma Wellness was able to retain 70 percent of its own product, Karbin said the business was also able to maintain working relationships with its preferred vendors.
“There’s one (external source) that we already have a relationship with, so, in terms of bud we prefer to go through L’Eagle (in Denver),” Karbin said.
Even though Soma has been able to maintain its menu and atmosphere after relocating more than halfway across Colorado, Karbin maintains that it’s too hard to determine what product performs best for its customers.
“I’s hard to say,” she said. “We have a lot of good bud; a lot of people just buy weed. But we have a great selection of edibles and topicals as well.”
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