Retail Client

YAMBA
MARKET

Blending the vibrancy of an international marketplace with the urban grit of Central Square, YAMBA Market breaks from the ubiquitous ‘clean and green’ aesthetic to provide a rooted experience for the first black owned and operated recreational dispensary in 
Cambridge, MA.

CONCEPT

Yamba Market stands as an outlier in the ever-growing dispensary retail environment — a worldly and rooted communal gathering place for folks of all walks of life. Inspired by the founder’s West African heritage, the visual identity for Yamba (a West African colloquial term for cannabis) is informed by the urban textures of Central Square, mud cloth textiles, and natural botanicals. The store layout reflects an intentional guest journey. The entrance area welcomes guests into a market of sorts where local artisans can sell their wares. The lounge area features an installation of vivid, hand-woven plateau baskets from Indego Africa, an organization working to empower African women, youth, and refugees. Massive birch wood pivot panels divide the entrance from the primary retail floor. A large rolling shutter at the online order counter acts as a functional pass-through from the vault, while referencing the storefronts of the street. The custom-designed sales counter is a powerful focal piece of the retail space, featuring angled cuts that mimic the geometries of the identity system.