news

Barneys Department Store Is Betting on the Luxury World of Weed

Spread the love

This story appears in the
August 2019
issue of
Green Entrepreneur. Subscribe »

Few among us are in the market for a $950 handblown-glass bong. Or a pair of $900 Balenciaga high-top sneakers. But if you’re someone who absolutely must have both, you’ll find them within 20 feet of each other on the fifth floor of Barneys New York in Beverly Hills.

The cannabis store-within-a-store is fittingly called The High End. It isn’t so much a dispensary as it is a luxury head shop offering the finest paraphernalia and CBD-infused beauty products. While The High End is exclusively in Beverly Hills for now, there are plans to expand to additional Barneys locations in legal-use states. 

“Our brand is really about acknowledging cultural shifts and creating dialogues,” says Barneys creative director Matt Mazzucca. “There’s a lot of controversy about cannabis, and also a growing acceptance, so we wanted to find a way to tell an elevated story and bring it to life within our doors.”

Party Like a Rock Star

In the market for a gold-and-silver cannabis necklace? (Who isn’t?) The High End has you covered with this beauty

Too pricey? Then perhaps we can interest you in a cannabis-inspired bracelet for $7K or the silver joint ring for $1,600. Angular Dream pipes, made of amethyst and fluorite, from designer Jan Leslie, let you puff with panache.

RELATED: How This Brand Is Making Cannabis Feel Like a Luxury

And cloud-shaped, crystal water pipes (a.k.a. superfancy bongs)

Luxe and Lit

The Roman-column-themed case is home to Devambez, a French purveyor of elegant paper products, including ultrathin, organic hemp rolling paper ($160 for a set of 10) and prerolled cones with watermark ($78).

RELATED: House of Saka Aims to Redefine Luxury With Cannabis-Infused Wine

A stylish, black lizard vape pen case with gold logo from Vianel goes for $40 a pop — lizard not included.

And Beboe’s Gats

While there is no actual cannabis on the premises (that would be against city law), Beboe representatives are on hand to take your order and have it delivered to you. Sort of like Uber Eats for the über-rich.