Will the Cirrus Social Club Concept Work?

Last Friday night, my husband and I were guests of Arend Richard at one of his "Seshes" at his home in Denver. Arend has been hosting seshes at his home throughout the summer; inviting influential people, potential partners and investors to be among the first to experience Cirrus Social Club. I was thrilled to be invited as I have been extremely curious about Cirrus and excited about the prospect of having a different way to look at cannabis consumption lounges.

Arend's take on the cannabis consumption lounge is definitely different.

Cirrus is designed to make Arend's 70-year-old Nana feel right at home. In fact, the billboards that were put up this morning outside the building let passersby know, "your grandma will love it here."

When asked "what would you call the aesthetic you're cultivating here?" Arend's response after a long pause, "it's me, if you cut me open, this is what would come spilling out." On the way home I coined that aesthetic Modern Grandma. And, I think Arend will approve. Arend's lovely Denver home is a preview into the vibes that will be experienced at Cirrus when it opens in 2024.

We arrived right on time and were greeted by Arend at the door. Six additional guests joined over the next hour. We spent the first hour in the living room. And when we arrived we were each introduced to our "Flight Attendant."

The Flight Attendant is your personal concierge on the road to consumption. When Cirrus opens, there will be packages starting at $50pp that will include one piece of "Seshware" (the name for which Arend had trademarked), and cannabis. The Flight Attendant's job is to help you customize your cannabis experience. At Arend's home, we were invited to try as many pieces of Seshware as we desired and 2 strains of cannabis were free flowing. Our flight attendant, Ashley, packed our bowls, kept our bongs fresh and even offered to light and pull our bowls for us. In addition to smoking from water pipes/bongs, vaporizer bags from a nearby Storz & Bickell Volcano station were also available.

Everyone who was at this sesh was an experienced cannabis consumer. But, the real differentiator in the Cirrus concept is that it's not technically built for "stoners" or your typical cannabis user.

Arend got his start on YouTube, where he amassed 100K+ followers before getting de-platformed and starting WeedTube. Arend's forte was always "teaching the world to smoke weed." His how-to videos have been viewed by millions and with Cirrus, his goal is to bring his lessons to life for everyone.

Cirrus is for bachelorette parties, birthday celebrations and yes, an afternoon with your grandma.

Have you ever been to tea at The Plaza hotel? Have you watched Bridgerton? Now, add bongs, volcanoes and Flight Attendants and you're getting close to the concept at Cirrus. The idea is to introduce the mainstream to cannabis through a familiar and fun experience; High Tea.

At his home Seshes, Arend gave those of us lucky enough to be invited, a glimpse into what the High Tea experience would be like. We left the living room and entered the dining room, set with vintage tea cups and saucers, depression-era glass and cloth napkins.

When we were seated, we were offered 4 different teas to smell and choose among. Next, tea sandwiches and scones with delicious sweet spreads were brought and the tea was poured. The Flight Attendants were there to fill a bowl to smoke, and I chose to switch from the "Sativa" called Peach Maraschino Cherry to the Buttermilk Biscuits that was considered an "Indica."

The biggest question I had going into the sesh was "Will it work?" Will Arend be able to attract a new demographic; the mainstream, to cannabis with an immersive experience like High Tea?

The answer is, I think so. I think that in the Instagram-obsessed, experience-questing, wanderlust world of Millennials, this concept has legs. It took me a while and a conversation with a few people who are the demographic to come to this prediction. I also just saw an Instagram video about a tea party bus in NYC that takes people on a tour of Manhattan ($75 pp and no cannabis). In the post-Covid world, it's hard to get people to go out and spend money. But, I think that Arend's concept will bring newbies, families, and especially women to cannabis.

The experience for newbies will be just enough cannabis for them to have a great time, but by the time they leave, they're no longer high. Experience-seekers who come to visit Denver will have a much better time at Cirrus, than trying to figure out what to buy at a dispensary and trying to find a legal place to consume it. And, for those of us who live locally, it will be a fun place to bring out-of-towners.

I was definitely looking for a place "for me" at Cirrus. I was hoping it would be a place for cannabis brand events, a place to host a meeting and a place to meet up with other cannabis users. I think this will come over time at Cirrus, but it's not the focus.

I am looking forward to watching this concept come to life over the next months and am wishing Arend incredible success with his different and innovative concept. The world definitely needs more cannabis consumers, and Arend is going to teach the world to Sesh.