January 05, 2021
High Street CBD opened just shy of a year ago in the Short North Arts District with intentions of providing quality CBD products and educating customers on the benefits of the CBD plant. We spoke with owner Paul Gelvezon about why they chose to open in the District, what sort of products they offer, what their overall mission is at High Street CBD, and more.
Why did you want to open High Street CBD in the Short North Arts District?
The Short North Arts District resonated with me when I moved here from San Diego back in 2007. It reminded me of areas there called Hillcrest and North Park, but with the District being close to downtown Columbus. I love the uniqueness of the Short North Arts District; the restaurants, art galleries, and shops, and that it’s LGBTQ-friendly. We also wanted to be close to the Convention Center.
What sort of products do you offer at High Street CBD?
We have five of our own High Street CBD products. We have a wonderful tasting strawberry lemonade tincture, a pain cream, and cryo gel roller, as well as gel caps, and an awesome Vitamin C face cream. It goes on light and has a nice smell. We also have carefully curated products from other quality brands. All hemp is grown in the USA and we have all Certificates of Analysis (COA) on file.
What is your overall mission at High Street CBD, and what do you want customers to gain from their experience?
Our mission is: “Through education, compassion, and customer service; High Street CBD will provide quality hemp and wellness products in a relaxing and warm environment.” That being said, we’ve put a lot of thought into the design of our store. We worked with the awesome folks at ZenGenius here in Columbus on our modern vintage look, and we want people to feel relaxed when they walk through our door. Customers have expressed to us that they feel more educated when they leave our store, love the product selection, the vibe, and our sample bar. Customers can stand or sit (socially distanced) and sample our oil/tinctures. We give them a biodegradable wood spoon to sample from, similar to what they would experience at Jeni’s or Graeter’s!
What has your experience in the District been like so far?
We love it here and we’re building a nice following of new and returning customers. It’s been great to meet other store owners, as well as the locals that live in the District. Everyone has been great and are really happy that we opened High Street CBD in the Short North. I believe we’re the first real CBD store in the District, as its core business. We love supporting the other businesses as well. We are located between Nida’s Thai and Simply Rolled Ice Cream. I think we’re some of their best customers.
What are you most looking forward to for the future of High Street CBD?
To continue to help people seek a natural alternative, and with no head high. We look forward to continuing to grow both our retail and online presence, but most importantly, continuing to educate the wide range of ages we get in our store. We hope the new year allows us to hold events at our store that are centered around the hemp plant. Whether it’s through a guest yoga instructor, cooking with CBD, Jiu-Jitsu instructor, etc. and how CBD relates to them, in terms of pain management or stress reduction. We’re also looking forward to continuing the education with senior citizens, as our products have been shown to help with arthritis and other issues they may be experiencing. At the end of the day, we want to do our best to get the right products into the hands of people seeking their benefit from this wonderful plant. CBD isn’t a magical cure-all by any means, but rather an herbal ally meant to support your wellness journey.
How is High Street CBD providing a Short North Safe experience for customers?
We require masks and can provide one for free, should you not have one. We only allow 10 customers in our store at one time and we wipe down all items and counters that were touched. We only have two bar chairs at our sample bar. We also provide hand sanitizers on a bistro table when people enter our store. For people who don’t want to come into our store, we provide free local delivery in Columbus and curbside pickup. They can shop online at www.highstcbd.com and use code “welcome10” for 10% off their first purchase.
High Street CBD is located at 970 N. High St and is open for a Short North Safe experience. For more information about contactless parking and other options, visit the Parking & Transit page.