LivWell Opens New Dispensary in Old Hamburger Mary's Location

Obtaining a license for a brand-new dispensary is difficult in Denver, where only a handful of such opportunities remain. But moving an existing store to a more desirable location is still a possibility.

That's exactly what LivWell Enlightened Health began doing last year after receiving state and city approval to move from a location at 1660 Pearl Street to the intersection of East 17th Avenue and Washington Street. Colorado's largest dispensary chain just finished the makeover, and the new, improved LivWell dispensary in Uptown opened September 21 at 700 East 17th Avenue, with a grand opening planned for Saturday, October 2.

The store replaces the Pearl Street location as LivWell's 21st dispensary in Colorado, and marks the second time the company has moved store licenses within Denver. Last year, LivWell moved a store from 3980 Franklin Street to 6651 North Tower Road, in the process creating the closest dispensary to Denver International Airport.

"When you find that better real estate, you jump on it," explains LivWell vice president of marketing Chris Mapson. "We thought the Washington Street location would provide a better retail experience."

The new dispensary occupies a 3,700-square-foot space that was once home to the original Hamburger Mary's. It has over 400 square feet more shopping space than the store on Pearl Street, Mapson says, and sits on an intersection where it will be easier for customers to find parking.

When the Denver Business Journal first reported LivWell's plans to move into the former Hamburger Mary's, chief operating officer Michael Lord hinted at plans for a tasting room that would allow social pot consumption. Although the City of Denver has opted into a state program allowing marijuana hospitality establishments, Mapson says that LivWell has since backed off from any plans for a tasting room and doesn't have any current plans to pursue marijuana hospitality in the handful of other Colorado towns where LivWell operates.

"Right now we're just trying to focus on the best dispensary retail experience," Mapson says, adding that  recreational marijuana delivery, another business service now legal in Denver, isn't in LivWell's plans at the moment, either.