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The Bulldog Barcelona
It’s an interesting social club located in Calle Maria Cubi 101 in Barcelona, not too far from the underground station of Gracia.
The club can be easily reached traveling on the lines L6, L7, S7, S7T of the underground or by taking the overground.
It’s a social club where the consumption of cannabis is legal and it’s therefore a private club.
In Spain in fact, to make sure the sale and consumption of cannabis are legal, both need to happen in private places. For this reason some cannabis consumers have joined together to create private clubs to which delegate the cultivation of their own plants. This way clubs, that were born thanks to a surprising legal void, manage to avoid sanctions from authorities. The status of private clubs protects them from police objections. Every club protects the privacy of its own members and manages carefully the acquisition of new members.
To gain access you need to be over 18, residing in the city and you need to know a member who would sponsor you. Without the invitation you won’t be able to enter easily!
The Bulldog Barcelona, just like every other cannabis social club, is a private club that requires you to contact it in advance to be admitted among its members. Compared to other social clubs, however, this was born from an Dutch entrepreneurial idea and possesses 40 years of experience thanks to its founders. The club has a good website and it’s possible to contact them via email to ask for information on how to become members. It could be slightly easier to join this club compared to others in the city.
From Amsterdam to Barcelona. The history of Bulldog
The history of The Bulldog Barcelona begins in 1974 when, in the middle of the red district in Amsterdam, Henk Vries founded his first coffee shop. He had in mind a welcoming place where everyone could feel welcome. The name got inspiration from his dog, a bulldog named Joris that still represents the logo of the company.
When he was 24 Henk inherited the sexy shop of his dad. After a trial period he realised that it wasn’t what he wanted to do and decided for a drastic change in career. The sexy shop became a welcoming venue open to everyone: the first coffee shop in Amsterdam, the Bulldog.
From that time on, Henk Vries progressed in his career and from his first coffee shop a successful franchise was born. His empire includes 5 coffee shops, a hotel, 3 cafes, 3 souvenir stores and successful merchandise in Amsterdam only. Abroad he owns a hotel and holiday accommodations in Canada, a restaurant in Rome and one in Aruba, without mentioning Spain.
The Bulldog Barcelona is his most recent success. By taking to Spain the coffee shop concept, however, he had to adapt it to Spanish law. The Bulldog Barcelona is a private place that completely respects Spanish law and had to lose its peculiarity of being open to everyone. It is, however, a welcoming club where it’s not difficult to access and that was born from the 45 years’ experience of an expert and serious team.
Atmosphere and sociality. A place where to meet and feel at home
“I wanted to recreate the atmosphere of a living room. A place where people could smoke, speak and feel well”. These are the words of the founder Henk Vries and its venues are loyal to his original project. The Bulldog Barcelona is a welcoming and simple club. It’s decorated in a warm way with comfortable stuffed sofas and small tables where to put your glasses and roll undisturbed your own weed. The furniture reminds the one of a pub: wood and bricks on the ground floor with bright walls on the basement. The walls are full of paintings and prints, and on a corner you can find a pool table and a DJ station. Music is everywhere but the most important part is the “home” sensation that you experience when you are in. The pool table, available to the members, contributes to the social atmosphere that you can breathe.
The Bulldog Barcelona, precisely for its story, is a very well-known place and brand. Its members are plenty and often it is crowded. The atmosphere is calm and happy and its staff is always smiling and prepared. It’s an experience to enjoy. Entering a club feeling like at home, surrounded by friendly faces and being able to enjoy those small specialties are something that you cannot buy somewhere else.
Quality and convenient. A club suitable for everyone
The Bulldog Barcelona is a club that makes quality its hallmark. The 40 years experience of its founder really makes the difference! The varieties of cannabis available to the members are plenty and the cost is definitely accessible.
A bar in the club, offers food and drinks to satisfy those who like to have cannabis with a snack or a drink.
The nice thing about this club is its relaxed atmosphere that you breathe. It’s easy to enter and be conquered by the warmth and courtesy of the staff. Just like in your living room, following the winning idea of the founder, you can spend time talking, playing or listening to music.
Among all the clubs in Barcelona this is maybe the one that gets the closest to the original idea of a coffee shop. Being the little brother of the first Dutch coffee shop, this club brings to Spain the ideas of freedom from which the cannabis legalisation movement was started. Although this has been adapted to the needs of the market and Spanish law, this club perfectly embodies the original spirit. It’s an open club, accessible to everyone, where each visitor can feel at ease and find what they are looking for. It’s a place that does not forget about its primary goal, and the large variety of cannabis being sold is there available to those who want to try it.