Coffee, clothing and cannabis: these are the three “c’s” that a father and son duo are hoping to brand with their new-ish business venture, Tokyo Smoke. Alan Gertner is a former Google exec, and his father, Lorne Gertner, is a fashion industry veteran. Together, they have opened up a shop that brews coffee, sells artisanal pipes, as well as neatly-designed threads to customers at its first location in West Toronto.

According to Fast Company, the two entrepreneurs are attempting to “turn weed into a hip lifestyle brand” by creating a stylish and clean place that’s centred on weed culture, but does not necessarily come with the “dirty” image many have of the cannabis industry today. Lorne explains to Fast Company that “we transformed a ‘dirty’ space into a beautiful space,” referring to the previous loading dock in which its settled, and adds that “in some ways, cannabis is a messy business and Tokyo Smoke is an opportunity to introduce a brand that has authenticity, and the architecture brings authenticity.”

Via Fast Company

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