Thanks to legalization of recreational cannabis and the progress of medical legislation in a growing number of states, the days of buying your bud from a strip mall shop with bars on the window or your friendly black market delivery guy are long gone. An entirely new business is booming with interior and architectural design firms catering to the cannabis industry. Whether enlisting help or using their own eye for design, dispensary owners are creating stunning spaces — a welcome reality, giving customers a more sophisticated shopping experience. Here are 11 of the most decked out dispensaries across the country that elevate — and set the standard — for cannabis retail in this new world. Please note that each dispensary was selected based on style, not product and are listed geographically, not ranked.
WASHINGTON
Evergreen Market (Recreational)
Monday - Saturday 9 AM - 9 PM; Sunday 11 AM - 7 PM
409 Rainier Ave.
Renton, WA 98057
425.318.8898
Just 15 minutes from downtown Seattle and the closest store to Sea-Tac Airport, Evergreen Market might feel slightly familiar. Designed by the owners themselves through an architect who worked on multiple Starbucks locations, the space reflects the rugged northwest lifestyle with reclaimed wood from a barn in Northern Washington and corrugated steel. A twisted willow gate divides the entry from the dispensary that’s outfitted with an “education bar” and a giant THC molecule pattern etched on the floor. A second location in Auburn is slated to open this summer.
OREGON
Bridge City Collective (Medical and Recreational)
Monday - Sunday 10 AM - 10 PM; Sunday 12 PM - 7 PM
4312 N. Williams Ave.
Portland, OR 97217
503.384.2955
215 SE Grand Ave.
Portland, OR 97217
503.477.9532
Growing up around artists and designers thanks to a marketing mastermind father, owner David Alport learned a thing or two about branding, identity and design through the years. Collaborating with hand-picked local makers and artisans, his vision for “modern pacific northwest” is spot on. Natalie Novak from Combed Thunder and Gary Nash from Brace and Bit created custom bench seating in the entry with Nash also handcrafting the bars and shelving out of Oregon walnut. Accents like an Evan B. Harris mural and plant installations from Sera Dixon of Hyacinth Orange complete the beyond cool look.
CALIFORNIA
The Apothecarium (Medical)
Monday - Sunday 10 AM - 9 PM
2095 Market St.
San Francisco, CA 94114
415.500.2620
A solid-wood door with handmade iron-work marks the spot to this gem housed in a turn-of-the-century building in the historic Castro district. The inside impresses with a spirit of an old neighborhood apothecary mixing traditional elements like Victorian wallpaper and crystal chandeliers with modern furniture and finishes. The details shine through too with leather bound menus, daily fresh flower arrangements, white marble countertops and rotating works from local Bay Area artists.
Photo: Kenneth Probst
SPARC (Medical)
Monday - Sunday 8 AM - 10 PM
1256 Mission St.
San Francisco, CA 94103
415.252.7727
Sand Studios is behind the award-winning design of the San Francisco Patient and Resource Center aka SPARC, a nonprofit cannabis collective that’s served patients since 2001. A minimalist approach with cement floors, steel shelves and glass light fixtures are complemented and warmed with a wall-size steel grid display full with wooden boxes of goods. The sales counter is handcrafted from local oak and inlaid with glass display windows and anchors the swanky store.
The Green Easy (Medical)
Monday - Sunday 10 AM - 7:50 PM
8311 Beverly Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90048
323.424.3035
Serving West Hollywood since 2009, The Green Easy stands out in the sea of strip mall shops scattered throughout Los Angeles. Bold, blue nail head chairs line the waiting room with white marble floors that lead back to a minimalist main room accented with crystal chandeliers, flat screen menus and an 8-foot indoor “Smoke” waterfall installation.
ARIZONA
Photo: Tien Froggett
TruMed (Medical)
Monday - Saturday 10 AM - 7 PM; Sunday 11 AM - 5 PM
1613 N. 40th St.
Phoenix, AZ 85008
602.275.1279
The High Road Design Studio was founded in 2013 and is one such firm with cannabis-focused clientele. Owner and designer Megan Stone was inspired by design trends of boutique bakeries and cupcake shops when she custom designed this concentrate bar in the former tire shop space. Using Tru|Med’s clean, modern, design aesthetic as a starting point, Stone installed a jaw-dropping showcase and backdrop.
NEW MEXICO
Photo: Tien Froggett
Minerva Canna (Medical)
Monday - Friday 10 AM - 6 PM; Saturday 10 AM - 4 PM; Closed Sunday
7103 4th St., Building M
Albuquerque, NM 87107
505.888.2699
Another project dreamt up by The High Road Design Studio, Minerva Canna combines the traditional cannabis retail dispensary with a grow shop, clothing and accessories store and wellness space — all under one roof. Natural materials like raw wood and rough stone are met with an array of textures like cement floors, leather and velvet upholstery, glass tiles and brushed metal finishes to tie together the elegant yet casual atmosphere.
COLORADO
Silverpeak Apothecary (Recreational)
Monday - Sunday 11 AM - 7:00 PM
520 East Cooper Ave.
Aspen, CO 81611
970.925.4372
Tanagram Design, a multidisciplinary design firm that specializes in branded environments from the United States and Spain to Uruguay and Argentina, was tasked with “completely rethinking the culture of cannabis to convey a new era of social responsibility and acceptance” when they took on this project in 2013. Catering to the luxury loving residents and visitors of the toniest ski town, Silverpeak Apothecary is like the Barney’s of the dispensary world with clean lines, natural light, rich woods and custom cases — all which make cannabis look better than ever. Plus, all purchases are presented on a silver platter!
Photo: Ellen Jaskol
Good Chemistry (Recreational)
Monday - Sunday 11 AM - 9:45 PM
16840 E. Iliff Ave.
Aurora, CO 80013
303.745.2420
Your Green Contractor, founded by Nathan Mendel to work specifically with the cannabis industry, brought Good Chemistry’s vision for its just opened suburban Denver outpost to life in conjunction with architect Brett Miller of Miller DesignWorks. Together, they built out the 3,600-square-foot store into a sleek, state-of-the-art facility integrating the company’s four color-coded categories of the recommended uses for cannabis: stimulation, sleep, relief and relaxation on glass panels. A walnut and steel reception desk with a simple neon “G” is a warmer welcome than the standard dispensary teller window into the Apple store-esque experience.
Native Roots (Medical & Recreational)
Monday - Sunday 9 AM - 7 PM
1555 Champa St.
Denver, CO 80202
303.623.1900
What began as a medical dispensary in this original 16th Street Mall home has grown to 14 locations across the state (and counting) and one of the largest chains of marijuana shops in the country. Using their own in-house design team, each store is outfitted with their signature minimalist industrial look: concrete floors, blackened steel and white wood walls. Native Roots’ trademark graphic black and white wallpaper, which looks as amazing across its branding, has also morphed into a must-stop photo opp for the any one of their many celebrity clients passing through Colorado.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Photo: Studio 3877
Capital City Care (Medical)
Monday - Friday 12 PM – 6 PM; Saturday 12 PM – 4 PM; Closed Sunday
1334 North Capitol St. NW
Washington, D.C. 20002
202.670.4420
As Washington, D.C.’s first medical marijuana dispensary, Capital City Care had to get it right. Enlisting Studio 3877, an award-winning residential and commercial architectural firm, this brownstone features a bright reception room with exposed brick and plenty of natural maple. The space, which is just a short walk from The White House, was specifically built to also feature an accessories boutique and counseling room.