How Eclipse Cannabis Co. Became the Hottest Dispensary Under the Sun

Home to around 200 dispensaries and one of the largest annual 4/20 celebrations in the world, Denver stands out as Colorado's cannabis capital. Yet just about every ambitious Colorado grower and hash maker is trying to get inside a pot shop on the outskirts of Boulder.

Eclipse Cannabis Company has built a reputation that surpasses that of South Broadway's famous Green Mile or anything in trendy neighborhoods north of downtown. Getting on the shelves at Eclipse is a coveted accomplishment for a new cannabis business. If the customers come back asking for your rosin or flower, the test is over. You've made it.

Not everyone can pass those requirements, though.

"If you really want to see how your product does on the market, launch it at Eclipse. Their staff and customer base are very intelligent, so you'll see where it stands really quick," recommends Miranda Burton, marketing director for rosin edibles company Dialed In.

Established brands like 710 Labs, Dablogic, Green Dot Labs and Lazercat account for much of the real estate at this space-themed dispensary. Owner Christopher Anderson's family owns a flight school in Texas, and the staff keeps Eclipse's offerings at a first-class level. But good weed sells itself, biscuit, and pushing the popular stuff don't mean shit. What this place does better than others is spotting new talent.

"We get hit up every day for new and interested vendors, but we have a high quality control. After we pick up a new product, it's common to see four or five other stores carry it soon after," says Eclipse Chief Operations Officer Dakota Meshell. "We originally wanted to cater to all ends. There should be affordable stuff for people out there — but we wanted to sell the stuff we smoke."
Eclipse was one of the first stores to carry products from Bubba's Kush, an up-and-coming cultivation in southern Colorado growing the stankiest Georgia Pie and Super Boof west of the Mississippi, and Meraki, a fantastic new grower bringing Sour Diesel back to Colorado. Meshell and his team also dove into Colorado's rosin scene three years ago, giving more retail space to the solventless concentrate as it grows in popularity.

Meshell says the average purchase at Eclipse is over $100, far above what most stores command in today's market. You can find edibles here, mostly infused with rosin, but the store is known for fine flower and hash. Over the past few years, the dispensary has gone from one fridge to four to store rosin, which can be volatile outside of cold temperatures but commands upwards of $40 per gram.

"We sell more hash than flower here. Colorado has become a more hash-forward state, and I think we were ahead of that wave here, because we were all smoking it at home, too," Meshell explains. "We're always on Instagram, social media or asking around for new brands or companies to check out. If you stay updated on Instagram, you'll see a lot."

Lots of stores offer lip service, but Eclipse lives it — to an uncomfortable point at times. If you mention an outdated cannabis stereotype or hype a brand with little substance, the budtenders will let you know what they think. Most cannabis connoisseurs appreciate that honesty, however.
"They’re far past the indica and sativa thing," Burton says. "I think a lot of that reputation has been cultivated over the years. It’s sort of a balance between the staff and the customer intelligence."

Shortly after Egozi, a small family-owned rosin company, launched in 2022, Eclipse came calling. Founder Elias Egozi was quick to pounce.

"Part of their model is being up on the new brands. They’re known for being on the front lines of the heady movement, so it’s validation if you can get in there," Egozi says. "I hadn’t heard this before, but they told me that they like to support brands that don't have other outlets, brands that don’t already have other dispensaries and businesses behind them."

The same went for Red Roots Rolling Company, a new Denver company that makes a popular and unique line of infused pre-rolled joints. "If you want to smoke the best, it's kind of known that you look at Eclipse first. When I first got on the shelves there, I couldn't believe how excited I was," Red Roots founder Kayne Perry recalls. "It sort of felt like I made it already."

That's a lot of shine spread around from one dispensary, but it's just a small window into what you'll see there. Sunshine Extracts rosin and Single Source pre-packed flower, two relatively new products for Colorado shoppers, are having their moments in the sun at Eclipse right now.

And what brand is the top performer there?

"710 Labs, 100 percent. Especially now that their flower is readily available," Meshell says. "But we have a lot more to offer, and I want our footprint to go everywhere."