Dragon Hemp Founder Calls On Former Ralph Lauren Executive To Elevate Its Retail
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Time to read 8 min
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Time to read 8 min
Founded by Kevin Menard, LAc, about a year after the first few waves of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dragon Hemp is the new brand on the retail blocks of Sag Harbor. The apothecary’s concept of blending Western physical medicine assessments and diagnostics with traditional Chinese medicine is at the center of the brand's mission to heal. In The Hamptons, wellness provider Menard wears Stone Island cargo pants hanging over Stan Smith trainers and a casually-worn blue button shirt to work, restoring patrons from ailments regularly.
Dragon Hemp is a brand that combines CBD and hemp extracts with Chinese herbs to address various conditions. Conditions all pertain to the rejuvenation of the body, creating an oasis and fountain of youth in the Sag Habor community. Curing inflammation with advanced needling techniques, Menard has already established himself within the community, expanding his treatment with patients to his fashionable and minimally-designed retail space on Main Street.
With his treatment office steps away from the newly relaunched Dragon Hemp apothecary, Menard called on a fashion interior design specialist from Ralph Lauren to design his brick-and-mortar space. Going over the raw space with a sartorial touch has made the Dragon Hemp storefront a shining jewel among vintage retail aesthetics.
The Dragon Hemp Apothecary is designed by Alfredo Paredes, a resident of Shelter Island just north of Sag Harbor, and a friend of founder Kevin Menard, LRc. Parades was the Ralph Lauren Executive Vice President and Chief Creative Officer for 33 years and designed all the global retail spaces for Ralph Lauren. Menard had known Parades for a long time before he sought his help designing the apothecary.
Paredes has had an extensive career in crafting the many Ralph Lauren retail locations and flagships. None, more memorable than his days in opening "The Mansion" in New York City. Paredes told InteriorDesign.net earlier this year, "I heard Ralph Lauren were hiring people to do visuals for the big store opening on Madison Avenue, the big mansion. I walked in four months before it opened and was part of the team that installed it. It opened my eyes to so many possibilities in the creative world."
"We changed the entire store all the time, from fall to spring, everything. So you’ve got to design things completely through—you didn’t have a lot of time to screw it up or change it the next day. It was the idea of visualization, trying to pull all the elements together so you can get it done and installed. It honed my eye on being able to maximize impact and be prepared. Because you could work 24 hours a day if you didn’t."
Menard knew Paredes would elevate his brand to a premium level. He says of his friend, “Alfredo's a friend of mine! I've known him for over 20 years. He ran all the stores for Ralph Lauren down to - all the designers for the stores would report to him. He knew what it was like in those stores, including all the details and the merchandising. So when I got this space, I called Alfredo, ‘I don't know if you have the time…’”
Menard explains, “[Paredes] says, ‘I'd love to help you!’ So he came over and looked at this white box - this kind of tacky dress store that had been here for too long. He looked at it and we went over the DNA of the brand.” Parades’ expertise and talent in creative design for luxury stores made him the perfect fit for Menard's idea to bring cannabinoid wellness and self-care to a more conservative style of New Yorkers.
Paredes also said of New York for InteriorDesign.net, "New York loves a classic, a place where you feel special and taken care of. Who wouldn’t like the Stork Club if it were still open? There’s so much newness and flash, so many new things constantly thrown at you, so it’s kind of nice when there’s a place that makes you say: Wow, has this always been here?"
Menard’s goal was to create a beautiful retail space that reflects the brand's premium, natural, and therapeutic offerings while being respectful of the traditions of old medicine, particularly Chinese medicine. Menard and Paredes have struck a balance between modern innovation and traditional elements, in a community of fashion retail, cafes, restaurants, and convenient shops that resides in the essence of old-world Americana.
Parades’ design resulted in a space that resembled an old-world Chinese herbal pharmacy merged with a modern apothecary. The interior has an Eastern-esque, Aesop-inspired design, elegant and appealing in its emerald-toned glow. Parades selected everything for the store, from the tiles lining the wall to the jars that hold the organic elements infused into the product, ensuring that every detail aligned with the brand's image and aspirations.
Dragon Hemp stands out on the Sag Harbor curbside with its dragon-designed neon sign, one of Parades’ ideas for the space adding to the store's charm. At night the neon sign continues to glow green as a symbol of modernity. Paredes also designed the two chairs at the front of the store from his furniture line. Patrons who sit in the ambiance of the apothecary are met with the open floor plan and ease in the visibility of the product courtesy of Paredes.
“Everything we do is premium. It's all-natural, it's therapeutic - they're effective,” Menard says of his brand. “Aesop is my brand aspiration. I told Paredes that and he called me like five minutes later.”
“He [asked me], ‘What do you want to do?’ We put a seaweed fabric floor mat,” Menard mentions of the store details. “He's like, ‘Do you trust me?’ [He made] the orientation vertical because a lot of times they're horizontal,” Menard notes of the trendier retail spaces.
For Menard, his journey integrating CBD with Chinese herbs feeds his interest in ancient Chinese medicinal practices. Dragon Hemp emphasizes the importance of education to help consumers understand the benefits of their products. The significance of information behind full-spectrum CBD products and the collaboration with Paredes to enhance the physical space, Dragon Hemp takes queues from the Ralph Lauren brand to bring a full experience to its retail.
Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Hamptons became a favored summer destination for wealthier city dwellers, notably from New York City, who constructed grand estates and elegant homes, creating a classic Hamptons style synonymous with the town. Menard continues to treat local sports teams, student-athletes, and various organizations while working with martial artists, gaining valuable knowledge in handling challenging cases.
Dragon Hemp officially relaunched on June 16th, offering new products and inviting individuals to the Hamptons for an immersive experience at their lifestyle, CBD/Hemp, and wellness apothecary store in Sag Harbor, including the acupuncture treatment by the founder, Kevin Menard, LAc. The introduction of CBD adjacent to his practice helps reduce inflammation in the central nervous system and treat conditions like anxiety, insomnia, Parkinson's, and gastrointestinal issues.
Our Apothecary in Sag Harbor, New York was conceived as a beacon of rejuvenation and wellness in the Hamptons. Much more than a dispensary, at the core of the Dragon Hemp Apothecary is a commitment to education and understanding the benefits of time-honored herbal remedies synthesized with today’s advancements in cannabinoid research.
Offering an array of products designed to align with the wellness needs of the Hamptons community, the store seeks to bridge the gap between ancient wisdom and modern applications, making herbal medicine more compatible with our lifestyles today. Our unique apothecary in Sag Harbor not only represents a physical space but also embodies Dragon Hemp's ethos of premium, all-natural, effective wellness solutions, drawing from the rich heritage of the Hamptons and the innovative spirit of New York.
Not your conventional dispensary, our first-of-its-kind retail location, harmoniously balances tradition and innovation with an emphasis on experience and education. We invite you to step inside and let our herbal experts guide you on an exploration of the rejuvenating power of cannabinoids and traditional herbs in a setting that feels both timeless and contemporary.
Designed in collaboration with renowned Alfredo Paredes Studio, the apothecary embodies a sophisticated fusion of old-world tradition and contemporary application. Known for his 33-year tenure as Ralph Lauren Executive Vice President and Chief Creative Officer, Alfredo Paredes, a master of crafting memorable retail experiences, helped transform the space into a shining gem of Sag Harbor. Reflecting the premium, natural, and therapeutic essence of Dragon Hemp, every aspect of the store, including the unique furniture pieces from Paredes' line, contributes to an ambiance of refined tranquility and wellness. The design echoes a classic herbal pharmacy blended with a modern aesthetic, mirroring our brand ethos of contemporizing ancient herbal medicine for today’s applications. Read more about our Apothecary design in Forbes.
Standing out on Main Street in Sag Harbor with the glow of our distinctive neon sign, our unique retail store has become a design destination of its own -- beyond just wellness -- in one of the Hamptons’ most popular villages. Whether you’re looking for potent natural therapeutics to tackle pain & inflammation or legal THC products to enhance mood or improve sleep, our apothecary is your safe haven at 108 Main Street.
Our products are formulated to serve the four crucial daily needs most often seen in Kevin’s practice—Essential Wellbeing for comprehensive health, Rest & Restoration to foster rejuvenation, Aches & Pains for relief from discomfort, and Liniments for body care that enhances both physical and emotional wellbeing.
Available in four versatile forms—swift-absorbing tinctures, targeted balms, discreet gummies, and moisturizers—we ensure a suitable choice for every lifestyle and wellness routine.
Dragon Hemp is the practitioner-founded apothecary that produces plant-based therapeutics formulated with a proprietary blend of next-generation botanicals and time honored herbal remedies.
For people seeking treatments that give relief & address the root cause.
Our herbal remedies are innovative and user-friendly, with wellness benefits that are effective & accessible to everyone.
So you can feel like yourself again.
Kevin Menard, LAc., is the leading practitioner in Sports Medicine Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine on the East End of Long Island, with clientele ranging from business executives and fitness professionals to wellness gurus and weekend warriors.
As he cultivated his practice, Kevin began integrating CBD & other cannabinoids, native botanicals, and herbs into his treatments, addressing conditions like pain, musculoskeletal injuries, insomnia, and more.
Following the promising results from his herbal and CBD-infused treatments, Kevin expanded his work, introducing Dragon Hemp to support patient wellness beyond his clinic's walls.
We carefully select our organically grown ingredients, emphasizing sustainability to protect Earth's biodiversity.
We believe in transparency in all our processes, from ingredient selection to the methods used by our CBD farmers, who lead the sustainable agriculture charge and concentrate on ecosystem restoration and carbon sequestration.
We're not just about products but about nurturing an understanding of traditional herbal practices and helping people make healthy decisions.
With respect, we introduce newcomers to the benefits of age old herbal wisdom.
Our aim is a future where well-being stems from nature, combining timeless knowledge with today's research.
Discover the distinctive characteristics of each herb in our Ingredient Index.