Dispensary Design & The Importance Of Making Your Retail Space Female Friendly

Hello all and Happy New Year! I know I’ve already said Happy New Year but I’m really serious about this coming year being your best ever. Today, we’re going to discuss, which is a nice way of saying I think you should follow my advice and do as I say, the aesthetics of your new retail Cannabis space.
When I began researching layout and design for my retail Cannabis shop in Washington State, I only had Colorado to look at. And quite frankly, I was less than impressed. My wife Diane went so far as to say she’d never set foot in let alone stay in one of these shops I was examining. They were in no particular order; dark, dingy, dirty, and stocked full of mostly male employees who looked like a combination of bikers and and former wannabe tough guy bouncers!
When the first stores opened in Washington, about six (6) weeks ahead of my shop’s Grand Opening, I saw much of the same. But instead of looking at merely pictures and in some cases live streaming, I got to experience the actual, human, sort of, experience. So in addition to the loads of shades of green and tatoos and tank tops along with general sloppiness, I got to experience the real thing! Body odor, bad design and color schemes that looked like a local high school football team had put together. And perhaps the topper was the guy dressed nearly always in black, out in front of the store packing a firearm and checking IDs with all of the tact of an arresting law enforcement officer! Not inviting.
The problem was that I felt very strongly women would not feel comfortable in these environments. Now I know that sounds a bit sexist but I firmly believed and still believe we need to run our shops so that the girls, over 21 of course!, feel safe, secure, comfortable, and clean! After being in some these early shops, which felt more like head shops to me, I felt the need to immediately go home and shower! My shop is clean, brightly lit, and I dare say, cute.
It is a marvellously fun place to be and the girls love being in my shop. The guys feel good being in my shop as well, but I truly felt we needed to address concerns of the female customer and I believe after inquiring with dozens of female and male patrons, we have succeeded in creating a space where everyone feels great!
In addition, I observed the majority of employees and the majority of the customers in these early shops were in fact male. Cannabis Central of Ellensburg, my shop, is run by two (2) female managers. Half of my employees are female. We welcome all varieties of people; old and young, male and female, gay and straight, tall and skinny and short and fluffy! I need all people who are in my shop and who wish to spend their hard earned monies in my establishment.
One final but nonetheless vital point. Your retail shop will need to be brimming with positive energy and genuine enthusiasm. Some of your customers may be going through tough times, tough days. They may be dealing with personal issues, family issues, work-related issues. Make sure you try to make the visit to your shop the highlight of their day! We have a saying in the store and on the store literally, and that is “Spread the Happiness”. Be happy! Smiles are contagious! Our customers come to our store for a variety of reasons, too many to list here. But know they are hoping and in fact expecting to have a better day than they otherwise would have as a result of coming to see us in our shop. That is a big responsibility! Recognize that and never take that for granted.

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