Planet 13 OC Dispensary

Only a handful of cannabis retailers in the entire country enjoy what could be considered national recognition. The select few have achieved their status through a mixture of aggressive franchising (Cookies), major marketing spend (MedMen, Eaze) or, in the case of Planet 13, by creating something so over-the-top it becomes a social media phenomenon.

So when the parent company announced in early 2021 its second store would be in Santa Ana, in Orange County, California, the question winding through observers’ minds was “Will the same blockbuster, tourist-friendly retail concept work in a place with a fixed local audience?”