In a region where cannabis access has long lagged behind the rest of California, The Artist Tree brings a fresh perspective to South Orange County by blending art, wellness, and a community-first mission. When the company opened its ninth retail location in Laguna Woods, it marked a geographic expansion and a symbolic shift in how dispensaries serve and connect with their communities.
Breaking the Dispensary Stereotype
“We wanted to create an environment that was welcoming to all types of customers,” explains Co-Founder Lauren Fontein. “Our shops broke the mold of the stereotypical dark dispensary with bars on the windows—spaces that felt intimidating to a lot of people and were giving cannabis a bad reputation. Instead, we planned to make it look and feel like a modern art gallery.”
Bright and spacious, the Laguna Woods location features original artwork by local talents like Grace Elizabeth Diehl, Viviana Stone, Werner Luft, and Steven Fader. The inviting atmosphere is a welcome change for many customers, especially seniors in the surrounding community.
Fontein points out that The Artist Tree is the only operator south of Costa Mesa: “The entire South Orange County was really underserved, and there are so many seniors in the area who were really advocating for a dispensary, especially somewhere with a warm and inviting atmosphere where they can feel comfortable.”
Community Care Through Compassion
The Artist Tree goes beyond retail, offering programs designed to meet its customers’ medical and financial needs. Its Laguna Woods location, along with two others, recently launched a Compassion Program to provide free products to California medical cannabis patients suffering from severe conditions.
“This was specifically enacted to help patients who might struggle to afford our products,” Fontein explains. People with chronic illnesses. Veterans. They don’t have to prove they are low income; they must have a medical card or doctor’s recommendation.”
Fontein is especially passionate about the role cannabis can play in reducing pharmaceutical dependence. She believes in all of the therapeutic uses of cannabis, from chronic illnesses to anxiety and sleeplessness. She reminds critics that “there’s a lot of data showing that opioid use gets reduced when cannabis is used.”
Fontein adds that local leaders have taken note. “When I was speaking with the mayor of Laguna Woods and residents, they were talking about seniors accidentally overdosing on painkillers and how having cannabis as an available alternative can be crucial to reducing that kind of thing.”
An Unexpected Journey
Fontein’s path into cannabis was far from typical. “I attended UCLA Law School and practiced corporate law for a few years. But the cutthroat environment wasn’t really my thing,” she shares.
After completing a professional baking program, she planned to open a cookie shop. But when a friend opened a dispensary and needed help making edibles, Fontein stepped in.
“So I said, ‘Sure!’ Fast forward 15 or so years, I’m just so happy that we’re able to educate people and make cannabis more accessible,” she adds.
Fontein hopes public perception will continue to change so that there is less of a taboo: “There is no logical reason that a liquor store should be allowed but a dispensary should not. And Orange County is starting to see that.”
