Cannabis Designer Megan Stone Nominated for A.R.E. Design Award

Lauded cannabis retail designer, Megan Stone, was recently nominated for the 23rd Annual A.R.E. (Association for Retail Environments) Design Awards Competition this year.

The A.R.E. Awards is always a big event, as some of the most famous names in the design world compete for recognition. Since the cannabis industry is relatively new, its inclusion in these kinds of events is a recent and welcome phenomenon.

CULTURE did a feature on Stone last year, celebrating her grace and innovation when designing cannabis retail spaces. Taking more cues from the layout of the Mac Store than from the rasta-esque aesthetic many expect from dispensaries and head shops, Stone is one of the designers who is helping to reshape the way the industry is seen.

Stone is the owner of The High Road Design Studio, the first design firm to specialize in cannabis businesses. She has worked with clients all over the country, including those in Arizona, Washington, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Illinois, Nevada, Oregon and New Hampshire.

“I am honored to be recognized alongside the talents of these national and international firms,” Stone stated in a press release about her nomination. “I want to prove to the world that cannabis is an elegant, beautiful product and creating TruMed’s concentrate bar gave me the opportunity to do just that. My goal was to display the product as though it were as luxurious as fine jewelry or as decadent as gourmet confections. In doing so, my client was able to set themselves apart from their competition and maintain their reputation as a connoisseur’s brand.”

The awards, which will take place on the first night of the retail industry trade show GlobeShop in Las Vegas on March 23, will also feature such major players as CHANEL, Target, Timberland and Nordstrom. The fact that a cannabis designer is placed in the running with names like these is proof that the face of the industry is changing, and even more legitimacy is on the horizon.