Cannabidiol – more commonly known as CBD – has gained traction in recent years, being recreationally used to treat anxiety, pain, depression and other ailments.
And while the product has been available in Hattiesburg gas stations for quite some time, local attorney Cory Ferraez has brought a CBD-exclusive, nationally-recognized brand to the Hub City with a new Your CBD Store location. The store, located at 6152 U.S. 98, Suite 20 in the 98 Center shopping mall, had its soft opening Saturday, followed by an official opening on Monday.
“There’s a large market in Hattiesburg, certainly, because people are more open-minded and willing to try new things,” Ferraez said. “I’ve been here long enough to know that consumers are smart, and get their background and education about new things like this.
“When you have educated consumers who want to find alternatives and other solutions like we have, I think it makes it a really prime location to focus on this product. It’s garnered so much attention that there’s a lot of misinformation out there about thinking it’s a hemp-derived product that you can get high on, but it really is help without the high. So I think educating folks on that, there’s a market of folks in Hattiesburg that are wanting to be open about products like this.”
The store carries most any CBD item one could imagine: water soluble solutions, tinctures, edibles, vape products, skin care and even pet care products.
“CBD was of course legalized with the 2018 Farm Bill, so since that bill, these types of products have exploded in popularity as an organic, natural choice for a host of symptoms,” Ferraez said. “Anxiety, sleep loss, fibromyalgia – there’s a host of things where people are trying to maybe look for something more so than pharmaceuticals.
“After I started taking the product myself about six months ago for some of those same things, the product has worked for me. So I started being a believer in it myself, and that’s when I started doing more research into it and decided to open the store.”
Your CBD Store, which was founded by Rachael Quinn, sells products made from organically-grown hemp from Colorado. All the hemp used in the products is certified by the Colorado Department of Agriculture.
The company has locations in 31 states, including Mississippi, Louisiana, California and Michigan. In addition to the new Hattiesburg location, Your CBD Store spots can be found in 10 other Mississippi cities, including Gulfport, Jackson, Ocean Springs and Tupelo.
“When you think about who the target market is for this type of product, it’s people 55 and plus, but it’s really for all ages,” Ferraez said. “Even as I’m sitting here (Friday), I’m not even officially open yet, but our sign is just kind of up on the window and I’ve had several folks walk in here.
“They’re all ages, and they’re just looking for alternatives to their issues.”
