GreenPharms Feels Like Your Favorite Corner Store

Takeaways

- *Self-guided shopping reduces intimidation* by making cannabis retail
feel like a familiar errand.
- *Merchandising drives discovery:* open shelves and readable labels
encourage trial and add-on purchases.
- *Staff support still matters:* Budtenders anchor the flower counter
and checkout without hovering.
- *Regulatory persistence is a competitive edge:* Two years of approvals
created a first-mover format in Arizona.
- *Routine builds loyalty:* Mini-mart behaviors (carts, aisles,
browsing) help normalize cannabis through habit.

Shopping at GreenPharms feels familiar. Light pours into the airy space in
Mesa, Arizona. Aisles are clean, stocked, and easy to navigate. Shelves are
well-lit. Customers grab a basket or buggy and wander the floor, exploring
products at their own pace. The scene is pleasant, relaxed … more like a
neighborhood grocery or corner store than a traditional cannabis dispensary.

And that’s the point.
A corner-store feel, by design
[image: Shopping carts at the entrance of GreenPharms, facing bright aisles
and open shelves.]Customers start like they would at a grocery store: grab
a cart or basket, then browse. (Photo: Mike Rosati for GreenPharms)

Founder and chief executive officer Marie Saloum set out to create a
cannabis shopping experience that felt approachable and intuitive. As a
first-generation American, a Hispanic business leader, and one of the few
women CEOs in Arizona’s industry, Saloum blends resilience with vision. Her
industry background crosses sectors, encompassing product brands like
Cigaweeds, the medical card provider Marijuana Doctor, and events producer
and lifestyle brand Trap Culture. Family-owned and -operated, vertically
integrated GreenPharms is her latest effort to destigmatize and celebrate
the plant.

“Our biggest goal at GreenPharms is making friendly, easy access so people
feel comfortable using cannabis,” she said. “Having to go to a budtender
and have them grab everything for you doesn’t feel like a normal store. If
you want cannabis to feel normal, you have to make the store feel that way.”

The Mesa dispensary is the first of its kind in Arizona: a
supermarket-style model that allows consumers to peruse shelves, read
labels, and shop with autonomy and agency. It’s a shopping experience born
of persistence in the face of regulatory back-and-forth, and it might just
set the stage for the future of cannabis retail in the state.
From lottery license to retail reinvention
[image: Exterior of the GreenPharms building in Mesa, Arizona, with the
GreenPharms sign above the entrance.]GreenPharms’ Mesa location is
Arizona’s first supermarket-style cannabis dispensary. (Photo: Mike Rosati
for GreenPharms)

GreenPharms has been part of Arizona’s commercial scene since 2013, when
the Saloum family opened Flagstaff’s first licensed medical dispensary.
After voters approved adult use in 2020, the by-then three-store chain was
picked third in the state’s license lottery for recreational sales.

To better serve Mesa’s considerable recreational market, the Saloums
decided to renovate the dispensary in that market using mini-marts’
“grab-and-go” concept. At first, regulators balked at what they considered
a radical idea.

“It took two years of going back and forth between the state, the health
department, and the city” to get the remodeling plans approved, Saloum
said. “They each had their own restrictions, so we had to go back to square
one a few times and really figure out how to make it work. This was
something they’d never heard of before, and we got so much pushback. It was
such a risk. There were times I didn’t think it would ever get done.”

The result turned out to be worth the frustration. The Mesa store feels
simultaneously groundbreaking and comfortable. For consumers, the shopping
experience is as natural as stopping by the corner store to pick up a few
groceries. For Saloum and her team, the new-to-Arizona concept is proof
that persistence and creative problem-solving can reimagine the way
dispensaries look and perform.
Designing for the errand, not the counter
[image: GreenPharms interior showing category shelving and central displays
arranged for grab-and-go shopping.]Merchandising is built for discovery:
browse, compare, and choose without pressure. (Photo: Mike Rosati for
GreenPharms)

The Mesa renovation was a family affair. Saloum collaborated with her
husband and brothers to create a space that not only adhered to regulations
but also reflected their collective consumer instincts.

“We all brought our own ideas of what a good shopping experience should
look like to the table,” she said. “For example, one of my brothers wanted
open aisles, because he shops at hardware stores a lot and likes how open
[that environment] feels,” Saloum said. “For me, I like everything close. I
don’t like signs to be too high, because then I can’t read them. So certain
areas are lower because products are easier to grab. It was really a
collaboration of what everyone wanted to see.”

One thing the entire family agreed on: keeping consumers front and center
in every remodeling decision. That focus resulted in shelves that are
positioned for visibility and aisles that are navigable and inviting. As a
whole, the finished space encourages exploration and discovery.

“When you walk in, you grab your shopping cart or your basket, check in,
and then take all the time you need exploring,” Saloum said. “We tried to
make it easy and normal like every other store.

“When designing, we really had to prioritize shopping convenience,” she
added, “because we are all consumers at the end of the day. We go buy our
groceries or our makeup, and we know what we like versus what we won’t go
for.”

The approach has paid off. Customers not only appreciate the “everyday
shopping experience” but also find themselves trying products they
otherwise might not have noticed.

“I see customers trying items they haven’t tried in the past because
they’re really able to explore and peruse on their own,” Saloum said. “They
can walk around, find new items, discover new brands, and see what’s out
there on the market.”
Self-guided shopping, staffed support

Amid the consumer freedom, budtenders still staff the deli-style flower
counter and checkout stations, but their role feels more akin to employees
at Best Buy or Sephora: available when needed, but never intrusive.
Shoppers can flag down a budtender for help, but otherwise they enjoy the
autonomy of browsing and learning at their own pace.
Customers call the experience ‘liberating’
[image: A staff member stocks products along a brightly lit aisle at
GreenPharms in Mesa, Arizona.]Open aisles and visible merchandising help
shoppers explore at their own pace. (Photo: GreenPharms)

Along with regulators, the community has embraced the concept, Saloum said.
“Feedback has been great,” she revealed. “People appreciate what we were
going for. They see the vision, which is beautiful, and they understand
that we’re trying to make cannabis feel like a regular shopping experience.”

Customers have called walking the aisles, comparing products, and making
their own decisions without pressure “liberating.” For a plant that’s still
overcoming stigma, the normalized environment matters.

“It’s all about making [the experience] comfortable and memorable,” Saloum
said. “When you hear our name, I want people to have good memories and want
to come back.”
Next stop: Phoenix — and a bigger bet on browsing
[image: Wide interior view of GreenPharms Mesa with bright aisles, open
shelving, and product displays.]The Mesa dispensary is designed to feel
like a familiar corner-store shopping trip. (Photo: Mike Rosati for
GreenPharms)

GreenPharms isn’t slowing down. Saloum has her sights set on expanding the
grab-and-go model into new markets, beginning with a flagship Phoenix
location expected to open in early 2026.

The two-story, 5,000-square-foot Phoenix store will feature all the
hallmarks of the Mesa shop: shopping carts, baskets, and self-guided
browsing, but with additional features. A drive-thru window will allow for
quick pickups, and an upstairs lounge will provide customers a new reason
to visit.

“It’s the first two-story dispensary in Arizona where you can go upstairs
and shop,” Saloum said. “We’re trying to think outside the box even more,
to see what else we can bring to that location that we’re not already
doing. Of course, the consumer is always in mind. It’s essential that they
have a great experience and that they remember us.”
Why the mini-mart model works

Why does the Mesa GreenPharms resonate so strongly with consumers? The
answer may lie in the cultural familiarity of the “mini-mart.”

Convenience stores, or mini-marts, emerged in the United States in the
1920s, most famously with the birth of 7-Eleven (then called Tote’m) in
Dallas. By the mid-twentieth century, they had become fixtures of American
life. Open late, easily accessible, and endlessly reliable, the corner
store became a quiet backdrop to daily routines.

And that’s the key: routine. Mini-marts and supermarkets tap into the
psychology of habit. They offer freedom to browse, compare, and make
spontaneous choices, but they also provide comfort through repetition.

The bread is always on the same aisle. Drinks are easy to locate and grab.
Customers can pop in to snag a quick snack or a carton of milk on their way
home from work. These tiny, everyday behaviors build trust and loyalty in
ways that don’t require marketing slogans or glossy campaigns. They simply
become part of life.

Cannabis dispensaries, by contrast, trend closer to jewelers or pharmacies
than grocery stores. Products usually are locked behind glass, transactions
are managed by a professional, and autonomous browsing and discovery are
often discouraged; sometimes even prohibited. For consumers who are new to
regulated cannabis, that model can feel intimidating. Experienced shoppers
can find the model frustrating.

GreenPharms bridges the gap by making cannabis shopping feel as casual as a
stop at the corner store. Suddenly, cannabis is no longer mysterious or
taboo. It’s just another errand on the way home from work.

That subtle reframing has big implications. By adopting the rituals of
everyday shopping — grabbing a cart, strolling aisles, deciding between
infused gummies the same way you’d choose between breakfast cereals —
GreenPharms is helping normalize cannabis in a way no splashy campaign,
bold declaration, or glitzy environment ever could. Habit is a subtle but
powerful force.

We are all creatures of routine. And when picking up an eighth feels no
different from picking up a loaf of bread, normalization becomes less of a
lofty cultural goal and more of a lived reality.
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Corner-store cannabis: your questions answered

1. What makes GreenPharms different from a traditional dispensary?

GreenPharms uses a supermarket-style floor where customers can browse
aisles, compare products, and read labels at their own pace while shopping
with baskets or carts.
2. Can customers shop without speaking with a budtender?

Yes. Shoppers can browse independently, but budtenders remain available
at the flower counter and checkout for support when needed.
3. Why did regulators push back on the concept?

Because open browsing and self-guided shopping were unfamiliar in
cannabis retail. The team worked through layered compliance requirements
across state, health, and city regulators.
4. Does the store still have a traditional flower bar?

Yes. Flower is supported by a deli-style counter and staff, while the
rest of the store is built for customer-led discovery.
5. Why does the mini-mart model help normalize cannabis?

It taps into everyday retail routines — grabbing a basket, walking
aisles, making choices — so cannabis feels less intimidating and more
ordinary.
6. Is GreenPharms expanding the grab-and-go model?

Yes. The company is planning a Phoenix flagship location expected to
open in early 2026, adding features like quick pickup options and an
upstairs lounge.