Just a few years ago, it seemed most cannabis retailers had the same hole-in-the-wall feel, designed to fly under the radar and not attract attention from law enforcement. But as the legal market has exploded, cannabis shops have come out of the shadows and have begun to use their storefronts and retail space to try and attract more customers through the doors.
These stores represent a sampling of some of the many ways cannabis retailers are creating shopping environments that are as visually stunning as they are effective.
Photo courtesy of The Apothecarium.
Photo courtesy of The Apothecarium.
The Apothecarium
The Apothecarium in San Francisco’s Castro District is every bit as stylish and classy as the city surrounding it. The company first gave customers a glimpse of what a cannabis retail experience could be in 2011 and much of the industry has been playing catch-up ever since. Designed by Urban Chalet, in conjunction with architect Vincent Gonzaga, The Apothecarium in 2017 was named one of the seven best-designed marijuana shops in America by Architectural Digest.
With its charcoal-colored walls, clean white counters and wood and brass fixtures, The Apothecarium looks as though it was created by a turn-of-the-20th-century architect trying to envision what a high-end drug store might look like 100 years in the future. The company has three equally stylish locations in addition to the Castro District store, two in San Francisco and another in Las Vegas.
This feature kicks off a partnership between Marijuana Venture and ST Media Group, which have teamed up to create the annual Retail Design Excellence Awards.
“Over the past several years we saw this amazing growth in cannabis retail stores up and down the West Coast. What struck me was not just the number of retailers, but how innovative and interesting they had become,” says Marijuana Venture publisher Greg James. “I was often blown away by the stunning designs and interior layouts. We realized that it would be wise to team up with a respected national media company to create a process for awarding excellence in retailing. We talked to ST Media Group and their VMSD (Visual Merchandising and Store Design) team and quickly realized it was a match made in heaven.”
ST Media and Marijuana Venture will be presenting the Retail Design Excellence Awards to retailers with innovative and interesting design concepts in the cannabis industry. Award categories will include: best stand-alone store (major market); best stand-alone store (small market); best merchandising; best chain; best use of space: best use of signage and more.
“As the leading publication in the visual merchandising and retail design space, we’ve been covering the growing legal cannabis market and bringing our readers the most innovative projects in that market for years,” says Murray Kasmenn, senior vice president and group publisher at ST Media group. “We’re excited to team up with the leading publisher in the cannabis space to create a meaningful award that recognizes retail design excellence for these increasingly sophisticated efforts. VMSD’s 120-plus years of covering global retail design make us the ideal partners for this exciting new award.”