This document summarizes a panel discussion on the importance of dispensary design, sustainability, and customer experience. As the cannabis market expands, dispensaries must differentiate themselves through retail design to attract different consumer demographics like women and seniors. Interior design, customer experience, and visual merchandising are crucial for cannabis normalization and education. The panelists will discuss these topics and include a senior designer at Point7 and the CEO and founder of Simply Pure Dispensary, the first African American owned dispensary.

1. Exploring the Future of Dispensaries:
Design, Sustainability and Customer Experience

2. Dispensaries of the Future: Design, Sustainability and
Customer Experience is a women-led panel exploring
the importance of dispensary design, sustainability and
consumer experience. As the cannabis marketplace
continues to expand and products commoditize, retailers
must identify new ways to differentiate themselves in an
increasingly competitive retail environment.

3. The Importance of Design as a Differentiator
“In the past, cannabis sold itself. Strains, packaging, branding, let alone the design of a store,
didn’t matter as much as it does in today’s competitive environment. But with the floodgates
open along the West Coast of the U.S., and Canada preparing for legalization, cannabis
consumers now have more retail options than ever.” - Marijauna Venture

4. PANEL
TOPICS
Interior
Design
Customers can now
purchase similar—
if not the same
products—at most
dispensaries. As prices
commoditize, retail
design is one of the
only ways a dispensary
can differentiate itself
from the competition.
Further, the fastest
growing consumer
segments with regard
to cannabis purchases
are women and senior
citizens. Catering to
these demographics
by introducing modern,
thoughtful design is
becoming more critical
to non-chain, and chain,
dispensary retailers
alike.
Customer
Experience
Designing a customer
experience extends
beyond aesthetic
elements; retailers—
charged more per
square foot than a non-
cannabis retailer for
the same space—must
use each square foot
in a meaningful way to
remain profitable and
to be memorable to
consumers.
Visual
Merchandising
Well-curated inventory
and beautiful displays
are crucial to the
cannabis normalization
process as well as the
promotion of cannabis
education.

5. Panelist One // Chelsea Bernardo
Senior Creative Designer at Point7
Chelsea Bernardo is a seasoned graphic and interior designer
specializing in interior design and visual merchandising. Chelsea spent
five years working both domestically and internationally for mainstream
retailers including Victoria’s Secret, GAIAM, Bath and Body Works, Chico’s
and Hilton, to name a few. In 2017, Chelsea began designing medical
marijuana dispensaries throughout the United States, lending her
extensive retail design experience to dispensary owners.
Chelsea is now the Senior Creative Designer for Point7 where she
manages a wide array of client facility design projects, aiming to create
sustainable, high-impact dispensary experiences.

6. Panelist Two // Wanda James
CEO & Founder of Simply Pure Dispensary
In 2009 Wanda and her husband Scott Durrah became the first African
Americans legally licensed in America to own a dispensary. Since then,
Simply Pure has become one of the most well regarded dispensaries in
all of Colorado. Wanda has been named one of the 50 most important
women in the cannabis industry and has been featured in a wide range of
media outlets and publications including Viceland, the Daily Show with
Jon Stewart, CBS Sunday Morning, BBC, CNBC, The Atlantic and Mic.
com.
Wanda began her career as a U.S. Navy Officer before beginning an
extensive career in politics. Today, Wanda also manages and owns
Cannabis Global Initiative (CGI) a cannabis-centric marketing and
consulting firm.