In a city where rewriting the rules is par for the course, Gotham has found plenty of kindred spirits. The female-founded concept store recently opened its fourth location, this time in Chelsea, the beating heart of New York’s contemporary art scene.
But this shop isn’t just another Empire State dispensary. With the debut of Gotham Gallery, the brand introduced the city’s first dedicated art exhibition space within a cannabis retail environment.
Since its inception, Gotham has been known for blurring the lines between lifestyle and plant products. The chain’s Bowery flagship introduced a mezzanine space for displaying works by emerging artists, and the enthusiastic response made one thing clear: New York’s appetite for creativity is nearly impossible to satisfy.
As Gotham continues to redefine the dispensary experience, the brand’s newest space promises to evolve into a true cultural hub, where the lines between art, commerce, and community will continue to blur.
What comes next for the trailblazing brand? The future looks as visionary as the artists Gotham supports.
“Chelsea has always been a hub for fashion, art, and lifestyle, so it was the perfect place for Gotham to expand,” said founder Joanne Wilson. “This location is an environmental embodiment of our vision—a space where art, design, and cannabis intersect seamlessly. It’s a place where cannabis is celebrated not just as a product, but as a cultural force, integrated into the creative energy that already thrives in Chelsea.”
The Gotham team tested the artistic waters by showcasing some emerging artists in the mezzanine of the Bowery store. According to Wilson, the response from both artists and the surrounding community was overwhelmingly positive, and art and culture have since become essential to Gotham’s mission of changing the narrative around the plant.
“With the opening of our Chelsea location, we saw an opportunity to expand our vision even further by introducing a full-scale gallery space,” she said. “It allows us to showcase artists more formally while keeping the experience approachable and integrated into our retail environment. It’s also a little subversive. The gallery is traditional in form but housed within a dispensary. It’s never been done before, and that’s exactly the point. Gotham is rewriting the rules.”
The new 805-square-foot gallery represents Gotham’s most dynamic venture yet, offering space for group exhibitions, solo shows, and brand activations. Visitors enter through the shop’s signature design-forward retail space, where high-end cannabis products, fashion pieces, and wellness goods tempt guests on their way to the gallery.
The Chelsea location combines retail flow with an artistic aesthetic. Entering guests are greeted by a calming palette of warm woods, soft neutrals, and sculptural accents. Natural textures create a tactile richness that mirrors the elevated nature of the products. Strategic lighting showcases key display zones while maintaining a gallery-like ambiance throughout, and the result is a seamless blend of boutique retail and immersive installation, where visitors move intuitively between standout product moments and contemplative artistry.
Carefully curated shelving and built-in display islands showcase goods like objets d’art, while minimalist pedestal risers lead toward the gallery entrance in the back. There’s a quiet reverence to the space, almost like entering a museum—but with an infused wink. Gotham doesn’t take itself too seriously, and the balance between elegance and edginess is what gives the space such a strong point of view.
Gotham Gallery is more than just an aesthetic extension. The gallery is a statement of its own. Spearheaded by Creative Vice President Rachel Berks and newly appointed Gallery Sales Manager Emma Schwartz (formerly of internationally influential Pace Gallery), the space is curated with a collector’s eye and a community-first ethos.
“Together, [Schwartz and Berks] are continuing to shape Gotham as a destination for discovery and dialogue around contemporary art,” Wilson said. “Our goal is to build a community of collectors who are inspired by our space and the artists we support, with a focus on up-and-coming talent across all mediums.”
The debut exhibition, “The World is Yours,” opened April 19, bringing together popular rapper Nas and homeware design studio Objects Are By. Anchored by Danny Hastings’ never-before-seen photographs of Nas from 1994, the show features a limited collection of homeware and apparel available exclusively at Gotham Chelsea.
For Gotham, cannabis is as much about connection as consumption. The brand’s programming reflects that belief, and monthly events range from guided meditations and journaling sessions to fashion-forward pop-ups and game nights.
“Cannabis is communal, and we always take that approach to our events,” Wilson said. “Our programming creates space for connection, reflection, and conversation—inclusive events that invite our community to engage in unexpected, meaningful ways.”
The focus on experience also extends to the store’s design. Each Gotham location features a signature arboreal art installation by artist Molly Lowe, whose sculptural trees made from recycled materials nod to the quaking aspens of upstate New York. In Chelsea, the luminous leaves—crafted from hand-painted capiz shells—create a stunning sense of serenity that works to ground the space.
“I always wanted a tree in each store, but I was concerned about keeping up a live tree,” Wilson said. “Molly helped bring that vision to life through sculptural interpretations—each one unique. It has become our signature.”
The tree’s placement—near the center of the retail floor—invites guests to pause, look up, and take a breath. In the heart of the city, that moment of stillness is rare. And in a dispensary, it’s transformative.
“At its core, Gotham is an experiential space—every element is intentional,” Wilson said. “But what truly brings it to life is the human connection. Our ‘cannaseurs’ [budtenders] are not only deeply knowledgeable, but they’re also trained to meet people where they are. We want our guests to feel welcomed, informed, and inspired—like they’re part of a community. Beautiful design draws people in, but it’s the knowledge, the care, and the conversation that keep them coming back.”
Speaking of knowledge, care, and conversation: This fall, Gotham’s Editions initiative will offer limited-edition, artist-designed products including T-shirts, prints, rolling trays, and ashtrays, allowing customers to take home a piece of the gallery experience.
“I love editions,” Wilson said. “Owning something rare, artist-designed, that few people can buy simultaneously supports the collector-consumer and the artist. It’s special. It gives artists a different perspective on how to bring their visions to life and to a new audience that might not have collected before.”
With product offerings spanning premium flower, pre-rolls, vapes, edibles, and topicals—alongside a curated selection of fashion and lifestyle brands like Luar, Eckhaus Latta, Collina Strada, and Gotham Goods—the Chelsea location proves once again that Gotham is more than a dispensary. It’s a cultural institution in the making.
“Chelsea has always been the beating heart of New York’s art scene, and we’ve planted our flag right in the middle of it,” Wilson said.
Because when art meets cannabis in a space designed with intention, the result isn’t just a dispensary. It’s a destination.
