Ron Strider
Well-Known Member
Light, bright and airy are not the first things that may come to mind when one imagines the inside of a cannabis shop — especially for those who have never stepped beyond a cannabis shop door.
And yet inside Serra, a medical and recreational dispensary in west Eugene, it’s as if one is entering a greenhouse. Serra means “greenhouse” in Italian, after all. There are tall and wide open windows, bright-white painted walls and glass-topped, shallow wood display cases in which cannabis buds “pop” on bright blue ceramic plates: think blue plate specials, folks. Even the floor is a custom-made leaf-shaped tile to capture that greenhouse feel.
“We wanted it to be really light infused, very airy, opening and welcoming to anyone who walked through the door. That was a big priority,” says Serra retail marketing manager Seneca Torres.
Houseplants and air plants are just as likely to be gracing the sleek wood shelving as is cannabis paraphernalia. T-shirts, too, with the clever “Quality Drugs” verbage, draw a chuckle.
“There are so many special pieces sprinkled throughout the entire store,” Torres adds. “When someone walks in, we want them to explore. We want to really encourage them to walk around the whole retail space.”
Come in, don’t be shy
Being welcoming and open is a common theme in the modern marijuana dispensary, as are sleek design and artistic touches.
At Sweet Tree Farms, another dispensary in west Eugene (and the only dispensary in Eugene to make it onto the Marijuana Monopoly board game), the look upon entering is classic cigar shop meets high-class jewelry shop what with dark cabinets and shelving matching the dark leather furniture. Cannabis flower buds are visible through clear jars along a wall of cabinetry.
“I definitely wanted a shop that was open to everybody,” says owner Thomas McGowen. “It being new for some people,” he adds of legalized cannabis, “I wanted everyone to feel comfortable coming in.”
Housed in a former meat deli, the dispensary came together after McGowen gutted the place. “I hit the ‘Go’ button,” McGowen recalls. “Everywhere I went I just pieced it together. That’s kind of something I have a niche with, designing and furnishing. If you came to my house you’d understand,” he says with a laugh.
McGowen’s wife, Anna, also designed T-shirts in seven different designs. “We wanted them to be fashionable,” McGowen admits. “You know, something you could wear out to a party or out to a game.”
Also striking at Sweet Tree Farms is the art hanging on the pale green walls: Matt Wordly’s intricate paintings are a riot of geometric black, yellow, red and white.
“When I opened, I called a bunch of my friends to bring me their art because I was going to sell art in the space,” McGowen explains. “After I got the art up I just fell in love with Matt’s. I like the cultural aspect of it and it’s got a lot of sacred geometry to it. The art just has an amazing energy to it.”
Celebrating the flower
Art and creative expression are at the heart of Flowr of Lyfe, too, a shop in the heart of downtown Eugene.
“Everything here is done by local artists,” says owner Morgan Glenn. “Even our display cases are made by local wood artists.”
Of course, the cannabis comes first, and those wooden display cases, which are as tall as most people’s shoulders, help to provide a sensory experience when the budtender removes a clear canister of flower and opens the lid: instant smell-o-vision.
“We present the cannabis much like a wine sommelier would wine,” Glenn says. By seeing and smelling the bud, customers have an instant connection, either of like or of dislike. “Based on their response we can go from there.”
Beyond the perimeter cabinets, the shop is all floor and wall art. From the waiting room where the colorful art of Steven Lopez hangs, to the main room where two vibrant displays on opposite walls play off each other, art celebrates cannabis.
On one side, colorful shelving in the shape of the cannabis THC molecule (that’s Tetrahydrocannabinol) displays glass merchandise, while on the other side, a mural expresses the shop’s guiding principle, words from poet William Blake’s “Auguries of Innocence”:
To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour
“Cannabis is all about creative thinking and creative expression,” Glenn says. “We want to be about nurturing our environment. Just like the plant itself. Giving life. Feeding life. It’s trying to mirror that.”
Exploration is key
Design considerations aside, the modern sensibility inside many of the newer cannabis shops is to provide a safe sanctuary for customers ranging in age and experience so that they feel comfortable in their exploration.
“I think the way it is being presented is challenging the old stereotypes and really reducing any stigma attached to enjoying cannabis as an adult and enjoying it responsibly,” Serra’s Torres muses. “The modern customer treats their exploration of cannabis in the same way they appreciate a very good cup of coffee or a craft beer, or even a nice glass of wine.”
“We’re trying to break through those old barriers,” Flowr of Lyfe’s Glenn concurs. And so by design, “we wanted everything to be visually pleasing, everything feels relaxed, very colorful and inspired.”
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Dispensary interior design is contemporary | Cannabis Culture | Eugene, Oregon
Author: Christine Sherk
Contact: Contact us | Eugene, Oregon
Photo Credit: Jason Minto
Website: Breaking local news, news updates, sports, business and weather | Eugene, Oregon
And yet inside Serra, a medical and recreational dispensary in west Eugene, it’s as if one is entering a greenhouse. Serra means “greenhouse” in Italian, after all. There are tall and wide open windows, bright-white painted walls and glass-topped, shallow wood display cases in which cannabis buds “pop” on bright blue ceramic plates: think blue plate specials, folks. Even the floor is a custom-made leaf-shaped tile to capture that greenhouse feel.
“We wanted it to be really light infused, very airy, opening and welcoming to anyone who walked through the door. That was a big priority,” says Serra retail marketing manager Seneca Torres.
Houseplants and air plants are just as likely to be gracing the sleek wood shelving as is cannabis paraphernalia. T-shirts, too, with the clever “Quality Drugs” verbage, draw a chuckle.
“There are so many special pieces sprinkled throughout the entire store,” Torres adds. “When someone walks in, we want them to explore. We want to really encourage them to walk around the whole retail space.”
Come in, don’t be shy
Being welcoming and open is a common theme in the modern marijuana dispensary, as are sleek design and artistic touches.
At Sweet Tree Farms, another dispensary in west Eugene (and the only dispensary in Eugene to make it onto the Marijuana Monopoly board game), the look upon entering is classic cigar shop meets high-class jewelry shop what with dark cabinets and shelving matching the dark leather furniture. Cannabis flower buds are visible through clear jars along a wall of cabinetry.
“I definitely wanted a shop that was open to everybody,” says owner Thomas McGowen. “It being new for some people,” he adds of legalized cannabis, “I wanted everyone to feel comfortable coming in.”
Housed in a former meat deli, the dispensary came together after McGowen gutted the place. “I hit the ‘Go’ button,” McGowen recalls. “Everywhere I went I just pieced it together. That’s kind of something I have a niche with, designing and furnishing. If you came to my house you’d understand,” he says with a laugh.
McGowen’s wife, Anna, also designed T-shirts in seven different designs. “We wanted them to be fashionable,” McGowen admits. “You know, something you could wear out to a party or out to a game.”
Also striking at Sweet Tree Farms is the art hanging on the pale green walls: Matt Wordly’s intricate paintings are a riot of geometric black, yellow, red and white.
“When I opened, I called a bunch of my friends to bring me their art because I was going to sell art in the space,” McGowen explains. “After I got the art up I just fell in love with Matt’s. I like the cultural aspect of it and it’s got a lot of sacred geometry to it. The art just has an amazing energy to it.”
Celebrating the flower
Art and creative expression are at the heart of Flowr of Lyfe, too, a shop in the heart of downtown Eugene.
“Everything here is done by local artists,” says owner Morgan Glenn. “Even our display cases are made by local wood artists.”
Of course, the cannabis comes first, and those wooden display cases, which are as tall as most people’s shoulders, help to provide a sensory experience when the budtender removes a clear canister of flower and opens the lid: instant smell-o-vision.
“We present the cannabis much like a wine sommelier would wine,” Glenn says. By seeing and smelling the bud, customers have an instant connection, either of like or of dislike. “Based on their response we can go from there.”
Beyond the perimeter cabinets, the shop is all floor and wall art. From the waiting room where the colorful art of Steven Lopez hangs, to the main room where two vibrant displays on opposite walls play off each other, art celebrates cannabis.
On one side, colorful shelving in the shape of the cannabis THC molecule (that’s Tetrahydrocannabinol) displays glass merchandise, while on the other side, a mural expresses the shop’s guiding principle, words from poet William Blake’s “Auguries of Innocence”:
To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour
“Cannabis is all about creative thinking and creative expression,” Glenn says. “We want to be about nurturing our environment. Just like the plant itself. Giving life. Feeding life. It’s trying to mirror that.”
Exploration is key
Design considerations aside, the modern sensibility inside many of the newer cannabis shops is to provide a safe sanctuary for customers ranging in age and experience so that they feel comfortable in their exploration.
“I think the way it is being presented is challenging the old stereotypes and really reducing any stigma attached to enjoying cannabis as an adult and enjoying it responsibly,” Serra’s Torres muses. “The modern customer treats their exploration of cannabis in the same way they appreciate a very good cup of coffee or a craft beer, or even a nice glass of wine.”
“We’re trying to break through those old barriers,” Flowr of Lyfe’s Glenn concurs. And so by design, “we wanted everything to be visually pleasing, everything feels relaxed, very colorful and inspired.”
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Dispensary interior design is contemporary | Cannabis Culture | Eugene, Oregon
Author: Christine Sherk
Contact: Contact us | Eugene, Oregon
Photo Credit: Jason Minto
Website: Breaking local news, news updates, sports, business and weather | Eugene, Oregon
