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jocelyn joy

    gorilla rx wellness co.    

Over years of love, endurance training, and ceaseless iterations – we built

Gorilla Rx Wellness Co. The building sits in the heart of South Central, LA. The Crenshaw District. Because the dreamers were family, the space was informed with

the north star of legacy; a familyhood approach to inviting shoppers into not just

a local shop, but to an understanding that we have the potential to be a Peoplehood living in our highest health. 

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The story of construction is one fraction of the growth for this brand & family. The full story began in 2001 with "Gorilla Life" & "Sweet Strings". As LA's first Black Woman-owned cannabis dispensary, the flagship stands to honor the founders’ impact in cannabis education, compliance, and reform in California. 

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Leading design, meant an investigation of what would feel like home to the Community, yet showcase the premium tonality expected from high-end cannabis retailer. Floorplan iterations, the color theory, the graphic layers - were my heart's work. A reportable blueprint for future reference.  

 

Mixing & remixing became my rhythm. Familiar – Premium. Inviting – Secure.

Tangible – Special. Rare – Routine. Entertainment – Healing. History - Now – Forever. 

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Client: Gorilla Rx Wellness Co. - Kika Keith & Haquika Howze 

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Role: Retail Fixture Design, Color, Exterior Storefront Mural Art Direction, Interior Environmental Graphic Design, Collateral Suite Direction, Fabrication Management,

On-site Install Lead

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Considerations: Concept Development + Electrical Plans

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    landmarks that changed us    

Periodically, we came across micro finish lines that felt like love.

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  • Billboard Takeover

    • ​On the shop’s rooftop (now a promotional beacon overlooking Crenshaw Blvd.)

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  • Refrigerated Product Wall Install

    • Typically dispensaries have 1-3 units, our stomp was a hero display

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  • Concrete Floor Dyeing

    • ​Customarily producing 3M vinyls, this was my first imprint of this permanent degree

    my touch    

    a love letter,
to the house we built    

Seeing my tape measure as my boxing gloves,

Gorilla invited me to provide a space beyond a

"pleasure break from the hard world" (my typical aim), but a vehicle for connotation evolution. To build within an industry vertical that (to this day) is muddied with hatred and a fight against Black people’s freedom, Gorilla is my redemption song. Redefining medicine; showing our healing methods as beautiful, valuable, and pure. 

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This divinely placed mission fueled me -- How do my design decisions help redefine & bridge polarized stances. 

 

Stumped for solutions, we drafted again and again. Played. Prayed. & Breathed deep while we executed. It's the midwifery of our spatial dreams. And I expanded so much during this birth. 

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Witnessing the praise dances, the Spirit cries kept me charged. Growing my expertise made me a proud builder.

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I walk with broader shoulders because of Gorilla. 

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The goal was to draft our blueprint, what happened was the shop imprinted onto me. 

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