Bellevue’s first pot shop tries to lure Microsoft, Eddie Bauer set

Aiming to be the Nordstrom of marijuana, the Eastside’s first retail pot shop has quietly opened in the heart of downtown Bellevue.

“We wanted to be the first ones to open in Bellevue and we wanted to set a standard and show them that we were going to do it the right way,” says Tera Martin, General Manager for Green-Theory.

The shop is located just a few blocks down the street from the high-end shops of Bellevue’s downtown shopping district on historic Main Street. In the land of Microsoft and Eddie Bauer, the founders knew they had to go upscale to be successful, says Martin.

With bright, colorful displays and a hip, urban feel, Green-Theory evokes a high-end coffee shop.

“We definitely knew we had a standard and a brand to uphold,” she says. “We wanted to present ourselves as a marijuana boutique. We have very beautiful counter displays, they’re done in a carbonized bamboo.”

They’ve certainly got the pedigree to pull it off. Martin and another manager both have years of retail experience working with Nordstrom and other high-end companies.

“We definitely knew we had a standard and a brand to uphold,” says Martin.

The shop quietly opened several weeks ago in a “soft-launch” aimed at easing into the neighborhood without calling attention to itself. Since then, Martin says they’ve attracted a wide array of customers from young professionals to middle-aged women.

“We don’t want to be a distraction to the community. We kind of just wanted to jump in and be a part of the community,” she says.

Taking a page from Nordstrom’s personal shoppers, the shop offers “cannabis coaches” to educate new customers and help assure they have a pleasurable experience.

“Sometimes it can be a little intimidating because you just don’t know what to do or where to start, maybe you haven’t even participated in the use of marijuana before,” says Martin.

Along with creating an upscale space, Martin says she and her team have partnered with growers and processors to showcase creative retail packaging and displays that elevate the brands much like a wine retailer.