b'THE STATE OF THE THE JEWELRY THE COLOREDMAJORS DIAMOND DESIGN STONE MARKETINDUSTRYThen there were the digital innovations in Nikes House of Innovation.the Year list for 2018, and its easy to understand why when scrolling Despite the fact that the store was as busy as a major airport, therethough images online of the various dispensaries she and her team werent long check-out lines because customers can make purchaseshave designed; theyre beautiful, modern-looking spaces. using their smartphones via the Nike app. They can also use the appOpinions about the increasing legality of cannabis aside, its clear to request clothes be brought to a dressing room or shoes to one ofthat there are similarities between designing dispensaries and design-the pick-up areas located throughout the store. ing jewelry stores. We as jewelers really need to get our acts together, CalhounBoth, Stone points out, involve showcasing small, delicate, high-said as we neared the end of our store tour. Were totally left by thecost items in a way that elevates their perceived value. wayside already, and we know it.They also both involve keeping merchandise secure while at the same time making the shopping experience engaging and comfort-HEADING FOR HIGHER GROUNDable. And dispensaries have the added challenge of being all-cash The weekend following the convention, I ventured out on anotherbusinesses. (Banks are federally insured so will not take on cannabis retail safari, this time with friends who were in from out of town. transactions while it remains outlawed on a federal level.)They wanted to go to a CBDWhen Stone starts on a new store on Broadway just northBEFORE project, she says the first thing she of the Flatiron Building to pickdoes is what all retail store owners up some cannabidiol-infusedshould do when looking to rede-products. (For the uninitiated:sign a spaceshe dives into the cannabidiol is one of the chem- stories of the stores clients. Who ical compounds found in theis coming into the store, and why? cannabis plant; it can also beHow can we make them comfort-extracted from hemp, a plant inable in the environment? the cannabis family. Cannabidiol,That means the dispensary she which does not cause a high, isdesigns in Pennsylvania, where known for its therapeutic proper- weed became legal for medicinal ties and, as of this writing, is legalpurposes only three years ago, to sell in New Yorkis going to be com-City in some forms.) pletely different from What I found was aa space she creates in retail space that, over- Los Angeles, a more all, could be describedAFTER mature market where as calming, an auraboth medical and in line with what therecreational use are shop sellsessentially,allowed. wellness products.To combat the Natural lightinaccessibility of the flooded the front ofproduct, Stone has em-the store. There wasployed several tactics.soft music playing, aShe says she has nicely scented candleFRCH Nelson worked withput out vape car-burning and a quietLondon Jewelers to redesigntridges sans the oil or area in the back forits East Hampton, New Yorknon-medical gummies store, transforming the space meditating, complete(seen above) to be lighter,for display. That way, with a skylight that letbrighter and more open.customers can engage (Photo credit: Andrea Brizzi)in just enough sunlight.with the product while The saleswomen werethe most valuable part friendly and helpful.remains under lock and key, not unlike the way some jewelry stores It was an unexpected stop on my Saturday but set me up forhave brass-and-glass models that customers can handle freely. my already-scheduled interview the following week with MeganShes also employed an idea she borrowed from lingerie chain Vic-Stone, founder and owner of Tempe, Arizona-based High Roadtorias Secret, which displays its innerwear on tabletops, with drawers Design Studio. on the sides for additional stock thats sorted by size. Stone started her company in 2013 and, as some readers mightStone says High Road can install a showcase with a glass top have already guessed by the name, she and her three employees spe- and drawers thats similar in form and function. Customers can see cialize in designing cannabis dispensaries in states where it is legal forthe various strains of cannabis available through the glass and can medical and/or recreational uses.pull out the drawers to smell it or see the bud up close. When they High Road landed on design:retail magazines Design Firms ofdecide on a particular strain, out of the locked case it comes.Continued on page 1614 STATE OF THE MAJORS 2019'