Elevated. Sublime. Energetic. Soft. Alchemy is an innovative flagship that rejects staid cannabis clichés to deliver a cerebral experience infused with artistry, nature, and technology. The aesthetic is directly informed by the brand’s identity, which celebrates the tension that exists in the world of cannabis. Specifically, that it grows naturally in the earth, but still benefits from the worlds of science and artistry to develop high-quality products. Not dissimilar to this alchemic transformation, the flagship melds high-tech ingenuity with natural materials to create an elevated space that feels much like a high fashion house or contemporary design boutique. Nearly every aspect of the design was informed by not only the current government mandates, but also the principle that the merchandising would need to retain fluidity as these regulations change and evolve over time. We leaned into the mandates and used them as design constraints, with the goal to celebrate each aspect of the in-store experience. The arrival area sees customers queue around a lush plant installation. Small digital viewers are embedded in the surrounding walls, showing kaleidoscopic visuals and acting as voyeuristic points of discovery for guests to explore while waiting (If the store is at capacity, guests often have to wait due to government mandates.) Once inside, soft and strong geometry coexist alongside a few key elements of tech ingenuity in this room, such as custom cannabis sniff jars, which give product descriptions on a screen when customers interact with them. The highly technical self-checkout table is engineered from solid aluminum sheet and outfitted with custom wheels that allow it to glide through the space along an in-floor aluminum track. A cinematic David Lynchian aesthetic takes over in the accessories room, a scintillating space of mirrored stainless ceilings, carpeted floors, undulating orange walls, and products displayed against a back-lit shelf. To end their journey, customers enter the checkout area where natural unglazed terracotta brick, aluminum walls, terrazzo flooring, and a brightly-lit ceiling evoke a world quite different than the last. There is a wabi-sabi quality to the materiality, where the handmade and earthen is contrasted by highly technical materials. For us, this project is about celebrating the cannabis experience through a highly considered, multi-sensory environment. If a retailer earns the privilege of a consumer stepping out of their online platform and into a physical retail space, that space had better be astounding. This unconventional flagship presents a highly architectural feast for the senses, with a sublime artistic soul.