The Artist Tree opened its second location in Fresno near Shaw and Valentine avenues. Photo by Frank Lopez

A cannabis dispensary celebrated its expansion in Fresno with the opening of a second store last week.

The Artist Tree held a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday, July 25, at 3257 W. Shaw Ave., Ste. 109. It’s located next to the Golden Harbor Buffet near Shaw and Valentine avenues.

The approximately 2,800 square-foot showroom features high-end fixtures, top-shelf products and work from local artists.

An official grand opening celebration was hosted on Saturday, July 26.

The new location makes this the 10^th Artist Tree store in California.

Along with Embarc, The Artist Tree lays claim to being the first dispensary to open in Fresno in back in July 2022. It is located at Palm and Nees avenues near GB3.

The Artist Tree co-founder Lauren Fontaine said there was always a plan to open a in District 1 location, highlighting the West Shaw Avenue location near other major retail spots.

“Hopefully this will help make it more accessible to people who don’t want to commute to the other side of town,” Fontein said.

The new store currently has about 20 employees and there are plans to continue building the team, Fontein said.

Fontein said one of the challenges for cannabis retail operators are the high taxes, especially with the state recently increasing the excise talk in July from 15% to 19%, Fontein said.

Higher taxes can make cannabis products unaffordable for people or make them resort to buying from unlicensed providers, she added.

However, the City of Fresno is good when it comes to combating the illegal cannabis market in the area, she said.

She noted that other retailers in the city have struggled to open. That requires a significant investment, with many people underestimating the costs.

It could take time to get the initial investment back and make a profit, Fontein said.

“We’ve been able to expand slowly, and that helps us be more conservative in our expansion and make sure we have the resources to keep the business going once it opens,” she said.

The state of the overall economy and less disposable income has made the average spend per customer go down, Fontein noted. They strive to provide discounts and fund a compassion program that gives medical patients free items every month, she said.

Fontein highlighted the store’s art gallery aesthetic — a trademark for the brand that involves an open application process on the company website for artists looking to submit their work.

The art in the store is switched out every three months.

Currently on display in the new store is artwork from Jamie Roberts, Jakob Jimenez and Amanda Gutierrez.