Gorilla RX Crenshaw Flagship
A visionary dispensary reimagining new highs for the cannabis industry for today, tomorrow, and generations to come – is celebrating the grand opening of its first brick & mortar location in the heart of Crenshaw, Los Angeles, California! As an innovative family-owned, community-based wellness brand, is proud to offer quality cannabis, homegoods, and lifestyle products to its community. “We’re so proud that will be first Black Woman-owned dispensary in the heart of South Central Los Angeles” said Kika Keith, Founder of . “The flagship will be a community home that will embody the vibrant spirit of the Crenshaw while offering the largest black-owned selection of cannabis goods, educational crafts and workshops, and a variety of homegoods, lifestyle, apparel and wellness products as apart of the Gorilla RX experience.” For the launch, Gorilla RX is partnering with industry-leading brands such as medical cannabis delivery service Eaze, notable cannabis directory Weedmaps, and award-winning actor and cannabis advocate Seth Rogen’s brand Houseplants. Additionally, the Gorilla RX flagship will carry a variety of retail products and services. The intention of the retail design, from top to bottom, is to respectfully observe and wildly reimagine; what the cannabis-buying experience is and where we have potential to grow. I looked to merge industries that Our People dominate, inspire, and continue to push forward (Music, Streetwear, and the Fine Arts) with Our undeniable imprint on spaces such as Politics and Community Empowerment.  
 From our vibrant color and materials scheme — to the thematically feminine arches — to vitamin-store-style category signage, we aim to create a candy-land experience for all. The nostalgia and joy of a candy store, met with the accuracy and fortitude of a wellness woman is our utopia balance that is thee Gorilla RX retail experience.  Breaking the rules of a traditional “hands off” customer journey, we remixed the mold by creating a guided roller rink circulation. From the time you walk in, we encourage the shopper to be family.  Giving homage to the community classes and seminars historically held on the sales floor, the space aims to promote Black entrepreneurship by stocking the shelves at the heart of the store. Outlining the perimeter shelves, our iconic arch acts as a datum line leading the shopper’s eye across all top categories — starting from Edibles to Tinctures, Concentrates, Flower, and Home Goods — all with one single line. An easy way for our eye to process the abundance of merchandise and wellness solutions. How to show our joy, how to display strength, how to efficiently display and store product, how to curate hype energy that is long lasting. — All prompts that sculpted our initial concepts. The result is that each touch point becomes a remixed version of what may be familiar to some and a fresh learning for others; bridging worlds of seekers and the converted. 
 “Textures and colors hold a weight to tangibly and spiritually feel like “us,” said Jocelyn Joy, Lead Experience and Retail Designer. “We look to embody our vibrance, warmth, and cultivation of life — a sense of home and belonging,” Jocelyn continues. Exposed brick and custom dyed concrete floors are merely two examples of how tonality offers a familiar touch; in a retail experience that is typically cold and alienating. The atmosphere bounces a color blocking language that is pulsed throughout all signage, wall treatments, and collateral to homogenize the entire cannabis buying experience.