Marijuana Makeover: Discovery+ Show Visits Colorado Dispensaries

Kim Myles, HGTV's 2007 Design Star winner and host of Myles of Style, has been exercising her passion for interior design since she was old enough to rearrange her childhood bedroom. For the past 28 years of her life, Myles has also exercised her right to smoke weed.

Now Myles is combining both of her interests through her new show, High Design, premiering April 13 on Discovery+. The first season consists of six episodes, each of which details transformations of six dispensaries across four states, with two located in Colorado: Denver's Simply Pure and Craig's HoneyBear Apothecary.

We spoke with Myles to learn about the process of elevating these businesses and how she became interested in the plant.

Westword: Tell us about your recent travels across the country, Where have you seen the most disastrous-looking dispensaries?

Kim Myles: Girl, you know those are everywhere. We’ve all been in them. That’s the bulk of what's out there, I would say. I don’t want to throw anybody under the bus. I want everybody to watch and make their own decision, but we went into some pretty heinous freaking spaces, I’ll say that. I feel like people are scrambling with what they have. So what that ends up looking like in a dispo, on the good end of it, is you feel like maybe you're in a garage sale or thrift shop. Everything is random. There’s a lava lamp going. The music, sometimes, is questionable. We’ve all been to that one!

On the back end of that, you can walk into a space and be receiving excellent care, excellent product and feel like a freaking criminal because you are buzzed through with the whole bulletproof-glass thing, which I get. I spent a year working in the industry from the ground up. I started as a budtender and ended up an assistant manager, so I really knew what I was talking about and what people are dealing with. The security issues are real. So how do you comply, comply, comply, and move that product and keep people coming back? It's such a challenge for the average small-business person. It was a super-big challenge for our show, and that’s the fun. I am the first in the game. Nobody has made over dispensaries for television yet; we're the first ones doing it. Let me tell you, there are growing pains. It’s interesting. It’s fascinating. It’s not your average makeover show.

What are some design tips you can give to dispensaries looking to smoke their competition?

The top thing would be to make it easy for people to see your product. I know that sounds so baseline: You’re going to walk into a retail space and see product. But no. I can’t tell you how many spaces are under-lit, have such chaotic displays that you don’t even know what you're looking at, and it takes a map to figure it out. Are you there for edibles, topicals, flower or concentrates? It’s amazing how many shops you walk into and that's not clear.

What keeps people comfortable, asking questions and staying longer is when they can see what they came to see. I know how that sounds, but you will watch the show and see it again and again. I was amazed at how many people did not light display cases, did not compartmentalize their product, did not have a hierarchy for vendors — kind of basic things on the back end of a dispo. If you’re new to it, don’t have resources or a million other legit challenges that owners have, these are the things that fall by the wayside and drive ticket sales down.

What are the biggest difficulties you’ve run into during this redesign journey?

Keeping people open, because the security protocols, as well as the state protocols, are prohibitive. The constraint is, it's cannabis. We have [to be mindful of] state regulations, because we traveled around the country. We were in Maine, Colorado, Alaska and California. Each state was different. What we really couldn't do was afford to shut these spots down. The whole key to my show — my dream and my concept for the show — is really helping mom-and-pops stay alive against the onslaught of the massive corporate money that's coming in.

I can bring in thirty people to turn around a makeover, but none of us, legally in that state, can touch the weed. Think about that: We can’t touch it, which means I am looking for extra hands and staff, people who are cleared legally to be able to move things for us. I have to figure out how I am setting something up. It's not just about looking pretty; it's commercial design. We’re dealing with ventilation. We’re dealing with capacity maxes. You name a challenge, and we face it.

We attempted and succeeded, I'm happy to say, making over shops top to bottom in six days. Six days! Lord, have mercy, all while keeping them open. It was its own special adventure, but that's part of what makes the show interesting. There are very specific rules in the world of weed. We all know it, but the average person does not. Small-business owners have a million things on their plate. Design is the last thing. I completely get it, but I work in the world of aesthetics, and cannabis is now the world of billion-dollar retail. That retail space, that customer and user experience, absolutely matters. In order for the smaller shops to survive, they're going to have to get really clear about what makes them different, their brand, what they bring to the table, and why they are different to their clients and their patient base. It takes exploring all of that.

What is the most rewarding part of transforming a plain smoke shop into a more upscale establishment?

I’m a lifelong entrepreneur. I came up with this show concept because that's what I do. I spend my time thinking of ideas and watching people who aren't just thinking of ideas; they're all in, their families are invested, they're in debt, and they're so close to the bone that this is it. Being able to come into that situation knowing, because I've experienced it, what that feels like and being able to give people an edge — there’s nothing more satisfying than that.

I have been a cannabis user since I was twenty. I’m 48 now. So I love the plant. I love the community, and I love the industry. My experience of the industry and of the community is just one of warmth, welcome and, yes, challenges. But people tend to band together. Coming in, city by city, and being able to tap into local contractors, makers and the community behind it was satisfying. I think that tells the story of where cannabis is going in America and how communities really feel about it: They want it. They support it. They just want it to be safe and beautiful. Helping move that needle is my goal with the show. I feel like storytelling is powerful, and for anybody out there who feels apprehensive about cannabis in America's future or who is canna-curious, this is the show for you.

What are your thoughts on the current state of cannabis legalization, and where do you hope the industry goes from here?

As I said, I’m 48, and it is sometimes stunning to me that eighteen states are legal, because that was just not the case when I first came to cannabis. So I feel like we're trending in the right direction. The majority of America wants it legalized — that's just the truth. I live in New Jersey, and it has voted [in favor of] recreational. New York has voted for recreational. It’s coming, I don’t even doubt it. I’m not saying that the fight is over, and I’m not saying that there aren’t going to be challenges. But this is the future. This is where we're going, and I couldn’t be happier about it.