VENICE BEACH, CA–Los Angeles-based CBD-only retail store Topikal has announced the opening of its second store location, in Venice Beach. With its flagship location located in Torrance, California, this will be the second location for Topikal, which carries its own signature of CBD products.
The beachfront stall had a soft opening on April 22, and has now formally announced the grand opening just in time to take advantage of summer crowds and warm SoCal temperatures.
“The response has been great,” said Topikal co-founder Gary Avetisyan. “People all over the world come to Venice Beach. It’s the second most-visited place in California, second to Disneyland. Tourists are very surprised, of course, whenever they see something based from hemp just being sold right on the beach boardwalk. But, since its not marijuana, it doesn’t contain any THC, they realize, ‘Oh its just CBD.’”
“Then people from different states are so happy to see us because a lot of times they don’t know any of the rules or regulations about if they can or cannot take CBD. So, whenever they see us at the booth over there, they try our products, see that it works for them, and they are happy to go back and order from us again,” he continued.
Topikal’s line of CBD products includes tinctures, salves, and lotion that combine hemp-derived cannabidiol combined with other exotic ingredients. Several items contain more than 1,000mg of CBD per container, for consumers that would like high dose topicals.
Organic Emu Oil Pain Salve comes in a four-ounce size, and in CBD dosages from 250-1,000mg. More than 70 percent fatty acids from emu oil helps the formulation absorbed deeply for enhanced pain relief, and is said to treat “eczema, cuts, burns, dry skin, sunburn, and irritation. Emu oil not only hydrates and nourishes the skin, but also helps relieve muscle aches, joint pains, and helps heal bruises.”
Hemp seed oil tinctures from Topikal come in unflavored and peppermint, with a maximum dose of 1,500mg CBD per two-ounce bottle. They can be taken as a sublingual or added to food or beverages.
Topikal’s newest location is open daily on the world famous Venice Boardwalk, and their Tarzana flagship location is located at 19459 Ventura Blvd. Tarzana, CA, 91356.
The stores join a growing trend for online and brick-and-mortar retailers that stock exclusively CBD-only products, derived from hemp. New CBD-only stores have opened in Colorado, Oregon, Washington State, Texas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Missouri, Oklahoma, and even in Paris, France. The first CBD-only store in the world reportedly opened in Las Vegas, in 2018, proving the CBD-only retail trend is in its early stages.
In California, a commercial cannabis license is not required to sell products contain hemp seeds or hemp derivatives, which contain less than .03 percent THC (the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis) and will not have psychoactive effects. Licensed cannabis dispensaries are not allowed to sell products that contain compounds derived from hemp. Hemp products may also be shipped, and Avetisyan said that out-of-state customers who have visited Topikal’s locations have later continued to order online.
If marijuana is rescheduled from its Schedule 1 status (which currently classifies cannabis and hemp products as narcotic and without medicinal value), industrial hemp products, hemp oil, and hemp-derived CBD products are on-track to become a booming market, according to some market experts.
Avetisyan described one regular customer, and explained, “She uses our CBD oil for multiple sclerosis. It’s the smile on her face whenever she walks in to buy her next bottle, thanking us, and always being so grateful that she found us. You don’t care about the boom and the business anymore–you just care about the benefit of CBD that is given to these people.”
