Bill Schmitt Jr. wants to expand his business and has looked across the Upper Ohio Valley for just the right spot.
He found it a bit up north in Steubenville.
The owner and operator of The Holistic Cloud in Bellaire, Schmitt recently signed a lease to move into the old AT&T store outside the main complex of the Fort Steuben Mall.
While the Bellaire store also will be the anchor and the spiritual home base, the next location for the Cloud is considerably bigger.
“It’s at least four times the size, about 3,650 square feet” Schmitt said earlier this week. “The walls used to be all orange and are now electric lime green.
“We’ll be able to carry more product, and greatly expand all the clothes and clothing line. Some of the shirts, hats, extra accessories, we just don’t have the room for (in Bellaire).”
This has been a part of Schmitt’s plan all along. Now it’s coming to fruition.
While being the authority on all things marijuana and CBD here in the Upper Ohio Valley, Schmitt serves as an advocate for legalization. He’s also helped to make the possession of marijuana legal in some municipalities across the state, not only in smaller towns like Bellaire, but also in larger metropolitan areas—Cleveland comes to mind.
He’s spreading awareness and education just as much as influence, and this is the natural next step.
“I want to own multiple stores across Ohio and the nation,” Schmitt said. “Having the opportunity in Steubenville was a good one.”
Schmitt has a few roots of his own in Steubenville. His sophomore year of high school, he attended Steubenville Big Red back in 1993. He knows the drawing power of the community and feels the location, despite some of the negativity surrounding the Fort Steuben Mall, is an ideal location for the Holistic Cloud 2.
That’s why Schmitt’s not worried about the announcement Wednesday that the mall itself will be back up for auction during the first week of May. Schmitt’s lease is solid, so he’s pressing forward.
“It won’t bother the new tenants,” Schmitt said. “In our contract it states that it’s good under any owner. That’s what these guys do. They buy malls, revamp them, and within six months usually, sell them.
“We’re full-steam ahead. The mall itself is still in good enough shape to be open, it just needs some work. So many are writing it off.”
Quality Products, Quality Information
What sets the Holistic Cloud apart is the quality products offered within its walls, and the knowledge of not only the owner, but Schmitt’s employees, in regard to what they are selling.
Not all forms of CBD are created equally. Some, like the tinctures, are fast absorbing and acting and are ideal for someone who needs immediate pain relief, or may be wanting to take the edge off a panic or anxiety attack. Others, like gummies, take longer for the body to feel the effects.
That’s not an issue, unless and uneducated customer purchases say, Delta-8 gummies in a large dosage, not aware of how strong they are. They take more than the suggested “at a time” dosage because, at first, they don’t feel anything. They will soon discover, as this writer did once while trying to curtail a moderate panic attack, that it’s best to know exactly WHAT you’re about to ingest before ingesting it.
“Education is a very, very big thing when it comes to CBD,” Schmitt said. “You have to make sure the people know what they are taking, the doses, the strength, before they are taking it. A lot of people don’t realize that the Delta 8 products and legal THC products are alike. They think it’s diet weed. But you need to treat it exactly as the same dosage as if it was Delta 9.
“The Delta 8 gives you two thirds of the feeling of Delta 9, just without the anxiety or the paranoia. That’s one of the huge benefits that a lot of patients and customers need. That Delta 9 is just too strong, too intense.”
Schmitt suffers from chronic pain and, along with being an advocate for legalization, is a medicinal marijuana card in Ohio. But he uses both medically legal THC as well as CBD products. That’s another reason he is a big proponent of CBD. It’s a natural and safe alternative to prescription opioids and other less legal options that have plagued the Upper Ohio Valley.
“I’m really looking forward to servicing the Steubenville community and beyond and giving them an option first, to try some holistic medicines before they go to the doctor and get on these prescriptions pills that, unfortunately, a lot of people are abusing,” Schmitt said.
Further Expansion
The Holistic Cloud 2 is not the only expansion of Schmitt’s business coming to an Upper Ohio Valley community. He’s also sold the rights to his first franchise location, which will soon be opening up in downtown St. Clairsville.
“It’s going to be at 165 E. Main Street, and it’s looking like around April 10,” Schmitt said. “Brian Phillips is a fellow Upper Ohio Valley business owner and we’ve been friends for a long time. He’s watched my store grow from a small store to a multiple store movement and he wants to do something a bit easier and take a holistic approach.”
Schmitt noted that franchise options are available for $40,000 down and 10 percent of the business sales. Anyone interested can contact him directly at the Original Holistic Cloud or by searching for it on Facebook.
