Redefining what a dispensary experience feels like—while building the business from the ground up.

Quick Snapshot

• Industry: Cannabis Retail

• Location: Denver, CO

• Role: End-to-end concept, design, and business build

• Scope: Site selection → Design → Buildout → Hiring → Training → Operations

• Outcome: Grew from opening to $2M+ in annual revenue within 3 years

The Opportunity

This wasn’t just a design—it was a ground-up build.

Entering a newly legalized, highly regulated market, most dispensaries defaulted to:

• cold

• transactional

• security-first environments

OR

• unprofessional

• smoke-shop feel

• overly casual environments

There was an opportunity to build something different:

A space that balanced compliance with trust, comfort, and legitimacy from day one.

My Role

End-to-end concept, design, and business build

Led the project from concept to operational business:

• Identified and secured the retail location

• Designed the full customer experience and physical environment

• Managed the buildout from concept through execution

• Built and trained the team and operational systems from the ground up

• Established operational flow and customer experience standards

The Approach

Spatial Strategy

Controlled entry, visibility, and transitions

Layout designed for both compliance and ease

Operational Design

Hiring, training, and team structure

Systems that supported consistency + culture

Experience Design

Emotional journey: guarded → comfortable → confident

Staff interaction as part of the experience

Every element balanced

• regulation

• flow

• emotional experience

• Spa-like, calming material palette

• Lighting to soften security presence

• Intentional spatial transitions

• Controlled flow without friction

The Outcome

From opening day, the business scaled quickly:

• Reached $1M in annual revenue within year one

• Grew to $2M+ within three years

  Driven by:

  • strong customer experience

  • repeat visitation

  • differentiated positioning in a crowded market

The result didn’t just function—it shifted perception.

From Westword Magazine: “Entering the dispensary zone, I suddenly felt like Dorothy opening the farmhouse door to find the Land of Oz in sparkling Technicolor on the other side. I was greeted by a cacophony of invigorating and relaxing colors, well-balanced textures and Zen-inspired art; the experience was like moving from a normal health practitioner’s waiting room into the Cheshire Cat’s day spa. It was one of the most visceral moments I’ve had at a dispensary. I loved it!” -The Wildflower Seed

Read the full article →

Great experiences don’t just look different—they perform differently.

When space, systems, and people are designed together, performance isn’t accidental—it’s inevitable.