Family-owned and -operated Tower Cannabis is driven by community, focused on the customer, and is rapidly expanding.
The company opened its flagship store in Carrington, in the north end of Calgary, Alberta, in February 2023. The second location opened in Country Hills this past fall, and a third location opened in November in Okotoks.
“We are driving quickly to build beautiful stores that are customer focused and customer engaging,” says Di Spencer, Okotoks Store Manager.
Speakeasy Themed Stores
The tower theme is prevalent throughout the stores. The branding and store colours are black, white, and gold, modeled after a 1920s speakeasy. The stores were designed after the infamous Tower of Terror. Murals behind the registers feature famous towers from around the world.
“We have black and white pictures of old school towers being built and significant building sites from the 1920s on,” Spencer says. “It drives conversation with the customer.”
Towers are designed to stand out and be recognizable landmarks and the company’s vision reflects that. Their vision is to stand out as a leader in the cannabis community by offering top-shelf product, high-end service, and current knowledge.
“We carry a good variety of all cannabis products and unique accessories. Product assortment is driven by the demographics in our communities. We are learning very quickly what works in each community,” Spencer says.
High Customer Engagement
Tower Cannabis differentiates itself from big box stores and other independent retailers through its unique design and focus on customer engagement.
“We like to have our customers engaged at all times. That makes us a bit different
than most models coming through Alberta,” Spencer says. “We don’t refer to ourselves as salespeople but customer service people. It goes back to how we please the customer. We make sure that everybody is leaving our stores feeling supported in their consumption while feeling comfortable and welcome to ask questions.”
The open space and engaging décor also contribute to this feeling. “We are very committed to location and having really good reach in every community we are in,” Spencer adds. “Our model is very focused on what the customer needs more so than what the market says they want. We make it more about them versus the branding or product, especially with the overwhelming amount of product available. We’re also very focused on driving education.”
Educational Events
Tower Cannabis hopes to offer educational events for the community in the future, in a private event space. While the space is still awaiting approval, the company would like to offer educational workshops on cannabis and wellness. “The small towns are hungry for knowledge in cannabis,” Spencer says.
She notes that cannabis stigma is still alive and well. Tower Cannabis wants to make the shopping experience easier and more comfortable for customers. “Cannabis isn’t the same as alcohol,” Spencer explains. “Customers want education and budtenders need to be focused on that.”
Giving Back
It is no surprise that giving back to the community and local charities is a core part of the Tower Cannabis business.
On December 10, Tower is hosting a unique roaring twenties themed holiday event in partnership with Albertan influencer group The Canna Ladies. Called A Tour of Towers, The Canna Ladies will take guests on a ‘merry escapade’ via chartered bus to the three Tower Cannabis stores where they’ll enjoy cannabis education, exclusive deals, and delectable treats. All proceeds from the event are going to the Food Bank Family.
Cultivating Community
The stores have been well received in the local communities and staff are focused on cultivating relationships in the community.
“Owners Bob Richardson and Russ Maier have been really great about cultivating teams with every single employee having a different skillset,” Spencer says. “We are focused on getting staff engaged in the community by being involved in events, out on the streets, and having a community presence.”
Future Expansion Plans
Tower Cannabis doesn’t plan to stop at three stores. “We are focused on snapping up prime locations to drive better consumer focus in the retail space,” Spencer states. “We want to ensure consumer access to locally owned and operated stores.”
It can be challenging to compete with larger brands. “The indie retailer has been so fickle in Calgary, and larger models make it hard to compete,” Spencer says. “We want to help the indie retailer to be consumer driven. We may be new but our brand is here to stay. We’re proud of our model and we’re going to shake things up a bit.”