California Cool

This story was originally published in the November 2017 issue of Marijuana Venture, on sale now. 

When medical marijuana was first legalized in California in 1996, patients were often forced to patronize dark, dreary dispensaries policed by scowling guards stationed behind bulletproof glass. But as cannabis has gained both social and legal acceptance, those days are long gone.

Today, many cannabis retail shops resemble upscale boutiques more than seedy opium dens. Nowhere is this trend more evident than in the Bay Area, which is home to some of the most stylish and sophisticated retail outlets on the planet.

One of the most striking examples is The Apothecarium in San Francisco’s Castro District, an elegant emporium of cannabis that features crystal chandeliers, white marble countertops, tufted leather chairs, original artwork and fresh-cut flowers. Visiting The Apothecarium is not unlike checking into a trendy, European-style hotel. Customers are greeted by a smiling receptionist behind a semi-circular desk illuminated by domed pendant lamps. After a check of their doctor’s recommendation, visitors are assigned to a “patient consultant” to guide them through the menu of available products, which range from flowers and edibles to concentrates and topical applications.

The 5,000-square-foot space, which was formerly occupied by an upscale restaurant and cocktail lounge, is divided into several sections, including a boutique offering marijuana paraphernalia, clothing and a variety of other items; a gallery area displaying a rotating selection of work by local artists; a space for seminars and support groups; and the sales floor, with its sleek white counters and dark wood cabinetry.

The Apothecarium was designed by Urban Chalet, a woman-owned interior design firm based in Marin County, in association with San Francisco architect Vincent Gonzaga. The designers aimed to create a space that was clean and modern, but also had traditional touches that would appeal to a wide range of clients.

“It was important to create an aesthetic that allowed patients of all types to feel comfortable,” says Michelle Granelli, a principal at Urban Chalet. “We wanted a space that was very fresh and contemporary, but also blended traditional elements.”

To that end, the cool, minimalist look is accented with classic notes such as wingback chairs, houndstooth fabric and traditional moldings.

The Apothecarium’s Market Street location was so successful that the Urban Chalet team designed a second dispensary on Lombard Street in the Marina District, which opened over the summer. The new shop has a similar feel as the Castro location, but a slightly different design to appeal to a different demographic, Granelli says.

Less than a mile away, in the Mission District, Medithrive offers customers a more intimate but equally stylish experience. The small storefront gets customers into the proper frame of mind with large monitors displaying vivid photographs of cannabis plants and other related subjects, trippy artwork by local artists and the soothing melodies of Bob Marley on the sound system.

An assortment of brownies, donuts, chocolates and other edibles are brightly displayed in a curved, three-tiered glass case. The buds themselves are cleverly exhibited on slender black poles, illuminated by powerful pin lights under birdcage-shaped glass domes. The effect is like looking at a sculpture in a museum.

Customers can examine the buds on cantilevered glass countertops. For a closer inspection — to ensure the cannabis is free of disease, rot or other defects — microscopes are available that project images of the buds on to large, wall-mounted monitors.

Medithrive manager Sheryl Clark says the dispensary was designed to give customers a feeling of openness and ease.

“We’re all about transparency,” she says. “We wanted to make sure our customers can get close to the product and close to our staff.”

Word has apparently gotten out. Medithrive has been featured on the front page of the San Francisco Chronicle and in the style section of the Los Angeles Times. Staff member Carla Selvin was voted best budtender by readers of SFWeekly.

Across the bay in Oakland, Harborside is one of the oldest and largest marijuana dispensaries in the country.

Founded by renowned cannabis evangelist Steve DeAngelo, Harborside doesn’t have the polished vibe of its San Francisco rivals, but it does offer a warm, inviting ambiance, which is exactly what designer Yolanda Felix intended.

“When we opened Harborside 10 years ago, going to a dispensary felt like visiting a jail,” Felix says. “There were angry, mean-looking guards behind bulletproof glass. You went down into this dark place. It made you feel like you were doing something wrong. We wanted to bring it into the light.”

Harborside is located in a nondescript brick building on the Embarcadero, across from Alameda, that was once occupied by tunnel builders.

“The first day I saw it, I thought it was the ugliest building I had ever seen,” Felix recalls. “It was just a horrible place.”

She ripped down the interior walls to open up the space and broke through the exterior walls to bring in more natural light.

“My intention was to make it a clean, open space where people could move around easily,” she says. “I wanted everyone to feel comfortable no matter who they were, rich or poor, young or old.”

Felix used her limited budget to build angled glass display cases that allow customers to examine the goods without having to lean over. She painted the walls white and used natural, nontoxic materials.

“We’re not decorated,” she explains. “It’s a simple, utilitarian design. I felt my job was to set the stage for our patients, to create a special place where they could shine.”

Jen Chan is the founder and president of White Tiger Condo Conversion (WhiteTiger.us), a pioneering San Francisco real estate service company specializing in multifamily residential condo conversion. She has an MBA and more than 25 years of experience in business, residential and commercial real estate. She is a member of Commercial Real Estate Women’s San Francisco Chapter (CREW SF) and a frequent contributor to The VIEW, a quarterly publication dedicated to real estate issues in the Bay Area. A version of this article was originally published in The VIEW.

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