Designing the Ultimate Showcase
When Mike Flynn set out to create New York’s most ambitious dispensary, Display Dispensary delivered a custom layout that maximizes space, efficiency, and brand visibility.
Mike Flynn doesn’t think small. When he conceived FlynnStoned’s flagship store in Syracuse, New York, his vision required transforming a three-story, 13,000-square-foot retail space formerly inhabited by Urban Outfitters into a modern cannabis superstore offering a premium customer experience and an enormous product selection.
“Most dispensaries you walk into are like teeny-tiny bodega shops,” Flynn said. “I wanted mine to have every single product available on the market—or as close to it as I could get.”To bring that vision to life required a deft touch with the floor plan, so Flynn turned to Display Dispensary. From the start, the design team’s goal was straightforward: monetize every square inch of floor and display space while maintaining a clean, elevated aesthetic.
“Mike and I think similarly,” said Jack Rosenberg, head of business development at Display Dispensary. “So, what’s the best way to make money quickly? Selling out each showcase to specific brands.”
Collaborating with Flynn at every step of the process, Rosenberg and his team placed a streamlined showroom on the second floor. The design leads shoppers through the space along a semi-circular path, presenting them with brand displays at every turn.
The configuration arose from mutual inspiration, according to Rosenberg. “I looked at the layout and said, ‘What if we unify all these cases into one bold, rectangular display?’” he said. “Mike turned to me and said, ‘I was just getting ready to ask you about that.'”
Display Dispensary matched Flynn’s larger-than-life vision with matte-black finishes, clean lines, and an inventory of ready-to-ship showcases that allowed the megastore to prepare for opening on an expedited schedule. “Mike’s not a guy who likes to wait,
and neither am I,” Rosenberg said.
“Thankfully, we had the fixtures in stock, delivered them from our Northeast Pennsylvania facility, and his team had them set up within days.”
Beyond the visual impact, the layout facilitates brand discovery, product education, and impulse purchases. Wall units showcasing branded merch like hats, T-shirts, and other wearable marketing draw shoppers in, encouraging them to leave with not just cannabis but also souvenirs that help spread the FlynnStoned brand.
That brand-spreading is important. If anything, Flynn’s ambition for the future has grown. He’s building out FlynnStoned locations in a former Hallmark store near the United Nations on Manhattan’s east side, in a former adult video store in Greenwich Village, and in a former bank in Brooklyn.
In addition, he has signed or is negotiating brand-licensing deals with about thirty license holders around the state eager to capitalize on FlynnStoned’s vision and massive online presence.
Two of those license holders already operate successful FlynnStoned-branded dispensaries in Rochester and Oswego. Display Dispensary is the go-to provider for fixtures and floor plan expertise.
Flynn is proud of all the finished projects. So is Rosenberg. FlynnStoned’s aesthetic is “a modern look, clean and inviting; a space that feels more like retail than ritual,” he said. “That’s what today’s consumers are after, and that’s exactly what we give them.”
