Ryan Cook didn’t just help launch some of Colorado’s most foundational cannabis businesses—he helped define what a great dispensary feels like. As co-founder of The Clinic, The Lab, and The Bank, Cook’s early approach to dispensary architecture and operations laid the groundwork for what we now call customer experience in cannabis. And as he explained on the High Touch podcast, none of it happened by accident.
“We really intentionally considered the fact that there was a user experience and that we wanted to be able to play to that.”
At a time when many shops were content to throw a $200 display case into a bare room, Ryan and his team brought in designers, built custom furniture, and even installed polycarbonate walls backlit to create atmosphere. They didn’t just set up shop—they built something with care.
Launching a cannabis business in 2009 wasn’t just risky—it was wildly ambiguous. But even as the rules were being written, Cook believed that customer experience had to be a core part of the business.
“Whoever decided that the patient has to stand on one side and the budtender has to stand on the other… why are we doing this?”
Instead of copying the transactional counter models of liquor stores or pharmacies, he looked to places like wine shops for inspiration. At one location in Denver’s Highlands neighborhood, they even mounted flower jars horizontally on the wall—wine-shop style—so customers could view the product up close.
And he made sure the first location did more than just move product. They had a doctor’s office onsite, so people could get their medical card and immediately access care.
“At the time that was permitted… and it was exciting. We did something a little different at the very beginning.”
Of course, being early meant constant changes. Design had to evolve—often in response to surprise regulations.
“When we went from medical patients into a recreational program… [we] wanted separate entrances and separate dispensaries… Physical walls needed to be put in to divide those individuals so you were not in the same place.”
These changes weren’t just frustrating—they were expensive. Each regulatory shift meant redesigning physical spaces and retraining teams. But Cook didn’t let compliance kill creativity. Instead, he embraced constraints as creative prompts.
He even experimented with innovations like locking roll-down doors for product storage, cutting down the time required to move inventory to vaults each night—an early effort to streamline retail operations and design.
Having worked on 50+ dispensary projects, Ryan’s perspective on what makes a great cannabis store is rooted in both hands-on trial and data-driven evolution. He’s seen it all—from boutique builds to high-volume shops with 25 registers.
And one key takeaway? Design must evolve with both customer needs and compliance demands. But the soul of the store—its intention—has to stay human.
“I'd love to see that level of effort be put into the front of house for what that interaction looks like with the patient.”
Even as automation and drive-thru models expand, Ryan believes great cannabis experiences are about more than throughput. It’s about showing up for the customer—consistently, beautifully, and with empathy.
Ryan Cook’s background in architecture gave him an early edge, but it’s his people-first mindset that continues to shape cannabis retail. His work reminds us that a dispensary isn’t just a point of sale—it’s a space that can invite, inspire, and inform.
🎧 Want more from Ryan Cook? Listen to the full episode of High Touch