Suprette Opens A Forth Location Of Their Award Winning Retail Concept
“Superette was borne out of the belief that buying cannabis should be fun”
Pioneering Cannabis Retail Brand Superette has opened the doors of their most recent immersive concept shop, Superette Glebe, this week. Marking the brand’s notable expansion to a fourth location in under three years, the new 1900 sq. ft shop in the trendy Glebe neighborhood of Ottawa pays homage to the retro diner style of their Wellington location, the original Superette store and one of Ontario’s first cannabis stores. In line with their mission to bring delight to every facet of the cannabis shopping experience, Co-Founders Mimi Lam (Co-Founder and CEO) and Drummond Munro (Co-Founder and Chief Brand Officer) have added a splash of trippy surreality to Superette Glebe, creating a genre-bending, immersive experience that is part fairground funhaus, part diner, part cannabis shop. Superette Glebe is the second store that they have opened during Canada’s lockdown – one of the longest in the world – it follows Superette Spadina which they opened in the fashion and entertainment district of Toronto in December 2020.
Customers enter the Glebe store through a retro-inspired, diner-meets-candy shop and complete their ID check in a vintage custom photo booth. The Superette design team has inverted the traditional white tile/red grout color palette to create an eye-catching red tiled wall that is an homage to 1950s Americana and a cheeky nod to capitalist consumerism with a contemporary twist. Interactive elements include an arcade-inspired claw machine wrapped in clouds affectionately named “Super Claw”, where customers can try their best to snag unexpected prizes ranging from gifts from local designers and artisans and Superette merch to rare paraphernalia and big ticket surprises. Visitors then pass through a hidden door disguised behind a refurbished, old-fashioned soda machine and the diner then gives way to the surprise, middle “dream” space where three fairground-style funhouse mirrors distort reality as you move through the tunnel to reach sky-high ceilinged cannabis store behind.
The final shop area is classic Superette, with their trademark white tile and red grout and curated selection of gender-neutral clothing, products and accessories from cult brands like Sundae School (exclusive to Superette in Canada), Pure Beauty, Edie Parker Flower, Laundry Day and Yew Yew along with the world’s largest cannabis menu. Designed to evolve and adapt based on the location of each store, no two Superettes are alike, with each space celebrating elements from their local community. They will continue their tradition of partnering with a local independent restaurant and in Superette Glebe the beloved “Munchie Phone” dials directly through to local street food spot, Banditos. Superette’s “Munchie Phones” have raised thousands of dollars for local businesses since their launch. They also continue their long-standing relationship with the Ottawa Food Bank. Superette Glebe marks a homecoming of sorts, to the city where Superette got its start, bringing all of the hallmarks of the Superette brand together with a deep love for the local area to create an unmissable, interactive environment that is part retail, part experience, part love letter to the community that has supported them since day one.
“Superette was borne out of the belief that buying cannabis should be fun, and each time we expand our brand’s retail footprint we use it as an opportunity to try something different. We’ve been quite bold in our creative expression and I’m excited to push the envelope continuously in every store.” – Mimi Lam, Co-Founder and CEO
The opening of Superette Glebe is hot on heels of Superette’s most recent Legacy to Legal campaign launch and their sustainable 1:1 rework collaboration with streetwear brand 4YE. Legacy to Legal was conceptualized to pay homage to weed’s long history, exploring cannabis culture prior to legalization and aims to share unheard voices and stories that shine a different light on the legal cannabis industry.
Co-Founded by Mimi Lam and Drummond Munro, Superette has made quick waves in the industry, opening three cannabis stores in the past two years and winning a Clio Award for their brand design. Together they have built Superette as the technicolor antithesis of sterile cannabis retail, instead drawing influence from traditional and everyday retail environments – bodegas, diners, mini-marts, delis, subway newsstands – and turning them on their heads to create an immersive and playful yet familiar and nostalgic experience and redefining what cannabis retail can be to its customer. As legalization becomes more widespread, so will dispensary design, and Superette is leading the way with their pioneering approach to the cannabis retail experience. Their next opening, Superette Bellwoods, is coming this summer with a new, first of its kind concept and specialized product offering.
Superette Glebe is open now for Click + Collect and will open at limited capacity for in-person shopping. It is located at 140 Fifth Ave, Ottawa, ON K1S 2M8
