Will Yates and Barby Stachoviak open the latest store to cash in on the hemp trend, Hemp, Etc.
Barby Stachoviak and Will Yates at their new store, Hemp, Etc., on Third Avenue.
CBD seems to be on sale everywhere—you’ll find the hemp oil from video stores to pet-care providers and convenience stores. But it’s not one pure substance, according to the partners who opened Hemp, Etc. in Wausau.
Will Yates of Rib Mountain and Barby Stachoviak of Wausau say there are more than 100 closely related cannabinoid substances in basic CBD oil. One component might be helpful for a digestive problem, another better for muscle soreness. People purchasing what they call “gas-station CBD” aren’t getting the full spectrum of potential benefits, they say.
That’s part of their motivation for starting the business at 624 ½ N. Third Ave., just north of Bridge Street. They want to move toward all things hemp and hope to do it by forming an enterprise like an artists’ co-op where individual participants—growers and processors from the area — take turns minding the store and selling each other’s wares.
To a degree, Hemp, Etc. is a rebirth of a business Yates ran in the past, Revelations Glassworks, that until early this month when the building was razed, was next to Starbucks on 17th Avenue. But Hemp, Etc. intentionally doesn’t look like a head shop, save for a small rack of tie-dyed shirts.
The medical website WebMD isn’t sold on the effectiveness of CBD oil, stating the only thing it has been proven to help with is epilepsy and perhaps rare forms of the disease in children. Don’t tell that to Stachoviak, though. She is a walking, talking testimonial for the product. Yates is better at explaining the “why” part, but what Stachoviak knows is that it changed her life.
The substance was made legal in Wisconsin in 2017, which opened the doors to a pilot growing program, and made federally legal under the passage of the latest U.S. Farm Bill.
Stachoviak had multiple health issues that for years made her life difficult. Her experience, like many she has spoken to since, is that relief doesn’t come all at once for all things. She felt a tingling in her rib area the first day she took CBD oil and attributes it to the breaking down of scar tissue that had caused discomfort. Reduction of pain from her fibromyalgia and a foot problem took longer.
Stachoviak carries a pocket-size atomizer and sprays it under her tongue as needed. She says without the substance, “I would not be able to get out of bed and if I could, I wouldn’t want to. I hate to think what I’d feel like if I didn’t take it.” She’s been a fan for several years and says, “There isn’t any part of me that it hasn’t helped. Muscle spasms; still get them, but not like it was.”
For the time being, while the two split their time between the shop and a patch of newly planted hemp out in the country, business hours are unpredictable. It’s best to call first, they say, dialing a number they’re kind of proud of, 715-321-HEMP (4367). They plan a grand opening soon, complete with more regular hours. Future plans include classes so people can learn about products in a group setting.
An earlier version of this story in the August 8, 2019 issue of City Pages misidentified the business formerly managed by Will Yates, now of Hemp, Etc. That business was Revelation Glassworks, not Jellyfish Joy, located where Jellyfish Joy had previously operated on 17th Avenue. Jellyfish Joy’s creations can be found at Eccentric Co. Emporium, located on 721 S. Third Ave. in Wausau. See their Facebook page for more info. City Pages regrets the error.
