A bit of serendipity helped Airfield Supply Co. with the design of its big, new outlet in Redwood City. In keeping with the company name, the cannabis retailer wanted to evoke travel, and the designer they wound up working with, Dario Antonioni, turned out to have a degree in aerospace engineering.
The idea was to go subtle rather than make the place look like, well, an airfield, or to go too heavy on aeronautical themes. The result, said Chris Lane, the company’s chief marketing officer, is sort of a cross between an “old-world European train station and [the ultramodern] Terminal 5” at London’s Heathrow Airport.
It helps that the store, at 928 Whipple Ave., has more than 8,000 square feet of floor space and a lofty ceiling. Many customers were able to get their first look at the store on Monday during a ribbon-cutting event, though it had been operating for three weeks during a “soft opening” that wasn’t advertised, Lane said. That allowed time to get the staff fully trained and all the kinks worked out.
The Redwood City location, housed in the former home of Any Mountain, a seller of outdoor gear, is just the second for the popular retailer that has been operating a similarly huge dispensary in San Jose for nearly 14 years (it started in 2010 as a medical dispensary, the South Bay Healing Center). Gold Flora, a company that owns cannabis retailers across the state, purchased Airfield in 2022.
The shop is the fourth to open in Redwood City since the city started issuing licenses last year. Embarc, 1870 Broadway, opened in February. Juva, 2301 Broadway, opened in July. MMD had its grand opening, at 1764 Broadway, last Friday.
