Historic Black-Owned Dispensary Could Be Without a Home Soon

Simply Pure, one of Denver’s most historic cannabis dispensaries, could be without a home at the end of the month, but the owner says she’s doing her best to keep the store open.

Wanda James and her husband, Scott Durrah, became Colorado’s first Black dispensary owners in 2009 with Apothecary of Colorado, their medical marijuana store in downtown Denver. They sold the dispensary in 2010, moving on to the edibles sector that same year under their Simply Pure brand, and then expanding into another storefront five years later at 2000 West 32nd Avenue, after retail sales had become legal.

Since 2015, Simply Pure dispensary has been a regular stop on cannabis-friendly tours and documentary productions, largely because of its interesting owners, both of whom have played roles in Colorado cannabis activism, culture and politics. But now the store is simply trying to survive.

On Wednesday, March 11, a Simply Pure employee posted on the social website Nextdoor that Simply Pure would be closing its doors at 2000 West 32nd Avenue for good on Saturday, March 14. Ownership hoped to “find a new location in the near future,” the now-deleted Nextdoor post added.

According to James, the employee who made the post had good intentions and Simply Pure’s last days in the neighborhood could indeed be upon us, but not all of the information was correct. Simply Pure is still in talks with the building’s owner for a potential lease renewal, she says, and the dispensary will operate with a trimmed staff through the end of March no matter the outcome.

James and Durrah have operated businesses in the neighborhood for almost two decades; in addition to Simply Pure, Durrah runs Small Batch Smokehouse, a highly-rated Caribbean restaurant off West 32nd Avenue, and also had a now-closed Southern bistro on Tejon Street.

Durrah, a longtime chef and restaurateur, hosted popular cannabis cooking classes in Denver before recreational marijuana was legalized and is still a national authority on the subject. James spent years advocating for cannabis banking and social equity reform, and has a long political resume with the Democratic Party. She’s the first cannabis business owner in Colorado to be elected to a statewide office, winning a seat on the University of Colorado Board of Regents in 2022. Right now, she’s running to unseat longtime Congresswoman Dianna DeGette in the 1st Congressional District Democratic primary race.

If Simply Pure doesn’t renew its lease, James says she plans to locate a new spot for the store and will continue finding ways “to be part of Colorado’s cannabis story.” But she’s not looking to leave the neighborhood.

“Simply Pure remains open and operating, and we continue to serve our customers while we evaluate the future of our current location. After nearly two decades in this location and in our neighborhood, it is our desire to continue serving the Northside. We are currently in discussions regarding our lease and exploring the best path forward for the business,” she says.

Colorado’s Floundering Cannabis Market

Colorado’s cannabis industry isn’t as lucrative as it was a decade ago. Marijuana flower prices have never been lower, according to the state Department of Revenue, dropping over 65 percent from 2021 to 2026. Over roughly the same period, the number of registered growers has fallen by almost 40 percent while annual dispensary sales decreased over 40 percent, from more than $2.2 billion to around $1.3 billion.

Closures and consolidation have become common among Colorado marijuana businesses during the sustained recession. James, who also runs a Simply Pure cannabis consulting businesses and has opened a Simply Pure dispensary in New Jersey, says Colorado’s market has become oversaturated and suffers from a lack of welcoming tourism options for cannabis users.

“Like many businesses, particularly in the cannabis industry, we are navigating a rapidly evolving environment. Throughout our history, Simply Pure has adapted, grown and continued to move forward with purpose. We are actively exploring opportunities that will allow the brand to continue serving this community,” she says. “Simply Pure was built on resilience, intention and the belief that cannabis businesses can be both successful and deeply rooted in the communities they serve. That mission has never changed.”

Simply Pure’s current home at 2000 West 32nd Avenue has been a dispensary since 2009, operating as an iVita Wellness before James and Durrah took it over. According to James, the address would no longer qualify as a cannabis store if Simply Pure leaves because it was grandfathered in under former dispensary location rules.