“The line kept growing because it was for Method Man, and we were able to choose the best of the best.”
In April 2022, with his own Boston pot shop still in the preliminary licensing phase, Jeff Similien went on a fact-finding mission to Colorado. At the top of his list of places to visit was Simply Pure, a Denver dispensary that boasts several superlatives, including being owned by Wanda James and Scott Durrah, the first Black, veteran marijuana license holders in the country.
In addition to that legacy and reputation, the store had products from Tical—the weed brand named via and co-owned by Wu-tang Clan icon Method Man—on the shelf. At the time, Similien still had more than a year before his spot, LowKey, would open in his native Dorchester, but he wanted in.
“I sent [Tical] a DM and said, Hey, we definitely need to have you guys here in Boston.” Fast-forward to a whole year later, the LowKey CEO recalled, “in April 2023, I followed up again and said, We are about to open up at LowKey, and can we have a conversation? We signed an NDA, and we were able to turn it into a relationship.”
Next, they needed to secure flower worthy of Meth. Tical Official, which embraces the acronym “Taking Into Consideration All Lives,” is a New York-based brand that “prides itself on partnering with the best licensed operators in each regulated state.” They currently have products for sale in California, Colorado, Arizona, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, and, as of last week, Massachusetts.
“It took visiting as many craft cultivators as we could,” LowKey COO Laura Similien told Talking Joints Memo at the Tical release last Friday. “The line [of people wanting to work with LowKey] kept growing because it was for Method Man, and we were able to choose the top of the top, the best of the best to work with us on these partnerships.”
Sam Gerber, the LowKey inventory manager, broke down the specs of their initial two drops: “With The Method, this strain is a Dual OG S1 grown by our good friends over at Impressed LLC in Hanson, Mass. They’re one of the best grows, one of the most amazing facilities. We work with them very closely with their own Impressed brand as well as one of the limited partners for the Tical project.”
Gerber continued: “In the Love Jones package, we have a delicious Chem #91 X G13 grown by our friends at Bailey’s Buds in Lowell. Phil and Gus Bailey do an amazing job, they have an organic no-till live soil grow. … We are very selective about the cultivators across the state that we’re working with. We have the luxury of being able to pick and choose from who grows the best flower and who is the most excited to be a part of this project.”
Chiming in from the Tical camp, Nathaniel “Nutta” Vereen said, “Working with the team at LowKey has been dope. They really are for the people. We look forward to a long relationship with the store and getting more products into their hands. … Boston holds a special place in our hearts. There’s a great hip-hop community here and the cannabis smokers know their stuff. I’m excited to work with another Black-owned store like LowKey and have high hopes for this launch.”
“We are huge fans of Method Man and our values align,” Laura Similien said. “We are super honored to be working with such a huge brand being a small, family-owned business. We are excited to bring it to our community, the community where Jeff is from. This is a dream come true.”
Jeff Similien added that in time, they “plan on expanding to other partners,” and specifically “economic empowerment partners that we have relationships with.” But for now, The Method and Love Jones strains can be found exclusively at LowKey.
“We don’t know what the future holds,” Laura Similien said, “but right now, if you want to get Tical, you have to come right here to 571B Washington Street.”
LowKey is hosting its official grand opening celebration this Saturday, Nov. 18 from noon to 5pm with music by DJ Slipwax and other Boston artists plus food from Everybody Gotta Eat, El Pelon, and House of Seven Cafe.
