As the marijuana industry blooms in Missouri, entrepreneurs seek to provide new avenues for consumers in cannabis lounges.
The Treehouse Lounge, a cannabis lounge outside of Nixa, opened in November 2023 and eventually hopes to expand its presence across the state.
“We're eventually trying to get to an area where we can franchise … out to multiple locations. That way, if you're a member with us, you can be a member with all of us," Treehouse Lounge co-owner Anthony Bingham said. "If you go to St. Louis, you have a place where you can hang out. If you're a club member with us, if you go to Kansas City, you go to a place where you can hang out.
“Our main goal is to eventually make it into a normal franchise location that people can go and enjoy cannabis and know that they're safe.”
The state does not regulate cannabis lounges and consumption venues, leaving it up to cities and counties. The Treehouse Lounge operates outside of Nixa city limits, in Christian County.
“That was a struggle trying to find the right place,” Treehouse Lounge co-owner AJ Chamberlain said. “We worked for two years trying to find a place that worked for us with the local municipalities and things like that.”
Cities weigh legislation
In St. Louis, discussions about allowing cannabis cafes in the city are ongoing. Cafes provide a similar function to lounges, except cannabis-infused foods can be made and served at cafes.
St. Louis Alderman Rasheen Aldridge is working on two cannabis-related ordinances. One, Board Bill 15, would extend the hours of city cannabis dispensaries. The other would allow cannabis cafes to operate in the city.
Aldridge hopes to see both bills passed by the end of the city's legislative session in April 2025.
He said the cannabis cafe ordinance was inspired by similar concepts in states like Colorado and California, and said that revenue made from cannabis can benefit local municipalities.
“St. Louis and Missouri, I would say we're slow to the change that's happening amongst us," Aldridge said. "So we're trying to catch up and also trying to see different ways that we can attract tourism, but also do something new and innovative in the city."
Membership model proves popular
Mary Jane’s Place, in Ashland, opened in April. Owners Valorie Frost and Chip Swarzentruber sat down with city officials to discuss their plans for the business and receive approval.
The membership model is common among private cannabis venues; both Mary Jane’s Place and The Treehouse Lounge offer memberships for access. Daily, monthly and annual memberships are available at both venues.
At The Treehouse Lounge, daily passes are $15, weekly passes are $35 and annual passes are $420. Daily passes at Mary Jane’s Place are $5, weekly passes are $20, monthly passes are $50 and annual passes are $210.
“So we call ourselves a gym membership kind of for cannabis,” Chamberlain said, “where you can come in and pay a day membership or an annual membership, and try out all the equipment and try some different things you may not be ready to buy yet.”
Frost said locals usually tend to purchase annual memberships, with the clients that purchase weekly memberships being traveling workers. Daily memberships can be a good fit for those who may be curious about the business.
“The day membership basically gets you in for the day and you can hang out until and it lets you know if you want to purchase a membership, and it lets you feel the vibes of the place at its busiest, at its slowest …” Frost said. “So, depending on how long they're going to be here in town, then it reflects on their membership that they get.”
'They'll be all over'
Lounges are working to appeal to consumers with unique offerings and settings.
The Treehouse Lounge allows local brands and dispensaries to donate their products and feature them at the location, and hosts educational events to inform consumers about marijuana.
“One thing that we do, that's really cool … we do an educational class with an actual certified registered nurse that comes in,” Bingham said.
Mary Jane’s Place also seeks to offer different areas for consumers.
“We have a smoke shop, we have a park, we have a veranda out back,” Frost said. “We have an event room, bong rental room (and) a sports room. We serve little freeze-dried candies and stuff like that. And so it's a really good environment to actually just chill.”
Frost said that the emergence of cannabis lounges in the state could signal a much bigger influx in the future.
“It’s basically a wild, wild, west in the Midwest. We're actually pioneering,” Frost said. “So I do believe that you're going to see more of these, just like there are bars. Give it about five years, but they'll be all over.”
This story was originally published by the Missouri Business Alert, a fellow member of the KC Media Collective.
