Alta opened in September 2024, but its origin story traces back to the 1970s — and the story is not at all what one might expect. Tucked into a corner of Manhattan’s Nolita-Chinatown neighborhood, the serene, spa-like dispensary was once a safe haven for an immigrant family that had just fled political unrest. Decades later, after multiple business incarnations, the building now houses a retail experience unlike any other in New York, built on family legacy, resilience, and a distinctly feminine approach to wellness.
“Women are the fastest-growing consumers of cannabis, and to be able to capture that in the beginnings of the New York City market resonates with me,” said founder Vanessa Yee-Chan. “Being women-owned and exploring the plant myself, this was a great way to express myself and have this store to show that women can consume and it doesn’t have to be so discreet anymore. It can be out in the open. It can even be expected.”
From the soft arches and soothing scents to the clear educational touchpoints and warm, welcoming energy, every inch of Alta reflects Yee-Chan’s intention to create a space where people — and women, in particular — can explore the plant at their own pace. This is a passion-project-turned-neighborhood-gem, shaped by Yee-Chan’s creativity, resourcefulness, and the helping hands of her family.
“Back in the day, my grandparents were refugees from Mozambique who had immigrated here because of a military coup that was taking place,” Yee-Chan said. “They picked up what they had and fled in the middle of the night because the country was turning communist and people were getting shot. Because my grandmother dealt with the government in a sort of underground currency exchange, they were able to acquire a lot of cash. They pretended they were going on vacation, and they left everything behind.”
The building Alta occupies was the first building Yee-Chan’s grandparents bought after arriving in the United States in 1976. Eventually, her father took over management, and Yee-Chan was next in line. After being raised in a building where the tenants watched her grow up, it’s now her turn to preserve the legacy.
“I don’t have a background in cannabis, but I was an adamant user on the wellness side,” she said. “I found it in my thirties as a means to go to sleep, relieve anxiety, and unwind, so I merged my interests. My intention was to use the property to build something on the wellness side — fitting for microdosers, but attractive to connoisseurs as well.”
Alta came together as the product of a true family effort. Yee-Chan’s brother owns Arcanna Metals in the nearby Brooklyn neighborhood of Williamsburg, where he does custom architecture and fabrication work. Yee-Chan pitched her idea: a space that was calming, stylish, and mood-based, with arches, essential oils, and warm mauve tones. From there, the siblings got creative.
“I wanted to create something that I’d feel comfortable going to myself,” she said. “And I wanted visitors to feel like they could come in and interact with the products. I decided to arrange the store with five different arches, each representing [a different mood state]: sleep, chill, relief, focus, and vibe. I arranged products in indicas, hybrids, and sativas to really guide [the experience]. That way, people can come in and the flow just really clicks for them.”
At the same time, she noticed many brands launching experience-based products, which flowed right into her goal of dividing the shop into sections based on desired experience.
“I wanted arches, because that’s the trend right now. I wasn’t crazy about the pink at first, but as I developed [the plan], I said, ‘You know what? Let’s just go for it wholeheartedly,’” she said. “And I’m glad I did, because it has real customer appeal. They love the spa, the breathwork, the sound baths, and the meditation sessions we host. And despite the pink, we have tons of men coming in. I think some men appreciate it because they come in and they’re like, ‘Ah, it smells like a spa in here!’ For me, weed is like my glass of wine at the end of a long day, and I just wanted to share that calming experience with others.”
Yee-Chan self-funded Alta, so instead of hiring an expensive team of consultants, she and her family worked with what they had. She sourced materials herself, experimented, and figured out what worked, like DIY-ing some water-activated fiber resin that gave the walls a beautiful stone-like texture — and cost just $1,500 to cover all the walls in the store.
“I wanted everything to be interactive, too. I wanted every product I sold in my store to have a space on the shelf,” she said. “So, I designed custom, interactive displays for Remedy Displays’ Scenting Jars so every product could be seen and touched. We made movable display pucks out of Corian using my brother’s plasma cutter. Even my kids helped fan them dry over the summer. My dad, who now lives in Portugal, came back to help with final touches, and my sister helped with branding. The whole thing truly came together as a family.”
Consumer education is a pillar of the Alta experience, and Yee-Chan made sure to infuse every corner of the store with learning opportunities.
“Inside, we built an educational touchpoint right into the structure,” she said. “We have panels that explain different ways to consume cannabis—vapes, tinctures, edibles, dabs, even suppositories—and we label everything, because some people are completely new. Even I don’t really know how to roll a joint.”
Regulations always play a major role in dispensary design, and many owners or designers see this as a frustrating limitation. For Yee-Chan, it was another opportunity to get creative.
“Because of the regulations, I had to cover my windows, but I didn’t want to use frosting; I wanted clear glass,” she said. “One day, I saw these mesh metal curtains on display in a boutique in SoHo, and I was like, ‘This is really cool. How can I do this?’ When the curtain is folded and the lighting is changed, it creates this barrier where you can’t see inside, and it did the trick. So I got samples, found a supplier, and got it imported.”
Yet again, she and her family installed the material themselves, piecing it together and making decisions on-site in real time. “I even stood there with an angle grinder to custom-cut the arch,” she said. “That DIY energy is part of the soul of this place.”
From the gentle playlist to the soft lighting and even the curved wall behind the checkout register, every detail was chosen to avoid harsh lines and create a sense of flow. Even behind the scenes, Yee-Chan and her family found ways to make the mundane magical. The access point to the fulfillment room is hidden behind a wall of custom wood veneer on which her brother cut large leaves for a subtle cannabis pattern. On the backs of educational displays, the team spray-painted tone-on-tone weed leaves, creating texture without flash.
“People tend to overspend because they don’t know where to start,” she said. “But if you get creative, you can achieve a lot. It doesn’t have to be that serious.”
She recalled the time she and her father wandered into a restaurant supply store in the Bowery, where they saw $10 metal pans typically used for food prep and repurposed them into softly-lit display cases. “We drilled a hole, spray-painted them, and it worked,” Yee-Chan said. “Sometimes you just have to walk around, get inspired, and let the ideas come.
“Now, we’ve been doing community events like mahjong night, which is a cool way to bring my Chinese culture into things,” she said. “That’s been a real hit among the community. We also do high yoga, breathwork, meditation, and blazed bingo. We’ve partnered with Miss Grass, and for Pride, we threw a drag dim sum event in partnership with Stone Road, an LGBTQ-owned brand.”
For Yee-Chan, Alta isn’t just a dispensary: It’s an homage to her grandmother, her family, and the strength of small-business owners. The team built more than a retail store; they’re building a community.
“I’m always trying to help people. I’m partnering with brands, working on retail alliances, and working with lobbyists to influence regulation,” she said. “I also volunteer a lot, putting on events for banking or insurance webinars for operators. As I was learning these things, I also got to host, lead, and moderate. It was to educate myself, so I figured why not educate others along the way?”
Thanks to one family’s resourcefulness and one woman’s vision, New York has gained not just another dispensary but a destination for community, healing, and joy.
Image Gallery: Alta Dispensary Interior Design and Retail Experience – NYC
Explore the calming, design-forward atmosphere of Alta Dispensary in New York City’s Nolita-Chinatown neighborhood. Founded by Vanessa Yee-Chan, Alta blends family legacy with a distinctly feminine approach to cannabis wellness. This gallery showcases the dispensary’s signature arches, mood-based product curation, and interactive customer experience. Click the photo below to open the full-screen view.
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