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Henry Ostaszewski and his staff have seen a steady stream of customers at Blue 42 Market since the downtown business officially opened in November.
Henry Ostaszewski knows that his younger staff members probably didn’t grow up watching Must See TV. But when it comes to doing business in Dahlonega, he’s hoping they’ll learn from one particular 1980s sitcom.
“They don’t get the reference, but I want this place to feel like Cheers,” said the owner of Blue 42 Market with a grin. “A place where everyone knows your name. I don’t want this just to be a transaction.”
Sure enough, soon after saying this, a customer arrives at the Arcadia Street market and within minutes the staff knows her name and also her coffee preference.
That, said Ostaszewski, is the idea behind his newly opened business.
“This is my legacy,” said the Florida native turned Dahlonega resident. “I want to show my kids that this is the way to do it. Do it right. Slow down a little bit and create a good living by producing goodness in your community.”
If this sounds like more than a standard coffee shop, that’s the idea. Blue 42 is a local market, a bakery, a hang out and…something else.
“I’m the baker with the little bit of magic,” said Ostaszewski. “I’m the Willy Wonka.”
That brand of “magic” can be found on the apothecary side of the store, which is home to a variety of CBD based products, including oils, balms and capsules.
CELEBRATING CBD
Ostaszewski is a licensed Georgia hemp farmer who believes strongly in the healing powers of the herb. And the beginnings of this side of the business originated on the defensive lines of the Seminoles of Florida State University back in 1987. It was there that Ostaszewski toiled in the trenches as a defensive tackle for coaching legend Bobby Bowden before eventually making the jump to the NFL under Bill Cowher’s Pittsburgh Steelers.
It was a game of pain. And that pain left many of his teammates battling the effects of CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy, a degeneration of the brain which can occur after repeated head traumas. The symptoms include behavioral and mood problems, and can eventually lead to dementia.
Ostaszewski has seen many friends hit hard by the condition.
“I used to say I lost a handful of teammates to suicide and brain related injuries,” he said. “Now it’s two handfuls. I’ve lost too many teammates to suicide.”
When he saw evidence that cannabidiol (or CBD) was anecdotally helping people with CTE and similar brain injuries, he and his twin brother, Joe Ostaszewski, decided to jump into the industry. In 2017, they partnered with the Colorado-based Boulder Hemp. Their slogan is “Know Your Source, Feel the Difference.”
And Ostaszewski said he’s seen that difference.
“Our customers tell them it helps them sleep and it helps with anxiety,” he said. “A lot of former athletes that we know take our products.”
SIGN OF THE TIMES
Blue 42 has only been open since November but has already weathered some mini-controversies. Last month his inflatable holiday abominable snowman resulted in a City sign code complaint. And prior to that his introduction to Dahlonega included a front page Nugget article in May of 2022 after his sign request, which including the word “cannabis” next to his logo, was accepted and then denied by the City.
“There’s a lot of pushback as a new person coming in and selling hemp or cannabis in the community, especially in a small mountain community like Dahlonega,” he said at the time. “…But I think it’s because they haven’t been educated on industrial hemp, they don’t know what we’re doing, so they fear a marijuana dispensary coming here. That’s not our model.”
Though the hemp plant is related to marijuana, it’s been described as a “non-psychoactive” family member.
The state permits the growth of hemp with a highly regulated system of permits and licenses. As the General Assembly discussed licensing in 2020, representatives argued over how law enforcement would be able to tell the difference between the legal crop and actual marijuana. It was decided that any farmer transporting or growing hemp without a license would face the same penalties as if they were actually in possession of marijuana.
“Is it fair to prosecute somebody for possession of something that’s not going to get them stoned?” asked Rep. Scot Turner (R-Holly Springs) during the debate, according to a June 2020 Capitol Beat story.
Meanwhile, Ostaszewski eventually received approval for his sign, as it was painted on the side of his building last year.
“The sign that is on the building is the one that they were seeking approval for,” said Mayor JoAnne Taylor when contacted by The Nugget. “And is in the location they wanted.”
Shenanigans business owner Deb Rowe, who also received complaints for her inflatable Christmas menagerie, indicated that there tends to be a knee-jerk reaction to CBD-related products.
“If people took the time to understand Henry’s perspective,” she said. “… It’s an alternative to a lifetime of narcotic pain meds for people who suffer with chronic pain from physical injuries.”
Ostaszewski is well aware that this brings controversy for some. But he welcomes the conversation.
“I think we’re breaking barriers here,” he said. “And that’s what I want to do.”
He said he also sees a bright future for industrial hemp in the state.
“I just think there’s so much opportunity with this native crop that we haven’t even scratched the Georgia clay with it yet,” he said as he pointed to his hemp wood counter tops and hemp apron.
At the same time, he’s frustrated by the lack of movement when it comes to legalization in the state of Georgia.
“I can’t keep our hemp milk in stock,” he said. “Why am I buying it from Pacifica out in Oregon who’s buying their hemp seed from eastern bloc Europe? So why aren’t we growing our hemp seed here in Georgia? We’re an ag state.”
Ostaszewski said he anticipates that eventually hemp will lead the way to a new economy in North Georgia.
“It’s not going to happen overnight,” he said. “Just like the wine industry is here and celebrated, five years from now I think we’ll be doing a different article.”
LOCAL MOTION
When it comes to stocking his store, Ostaszewski tries to work with local and regional businesses. That includes dairy products from Clermont’s Mountain Fresh Creamery, honey from Allison’s Honey in White County, coffee beans from Jittery Joe’s in Athens and merchandise from Clayton’s Wander North Georgia.
In that same vein, Ostaszewski said he wants to focus on building a business that’s for the residents of Dahlonega and Lumpkin County. It’s the locals, he said, who often get lost in the shuffle when it comes to Dahlonega’s tourism economy.
“You talk to any local, they avoid this town like the plague for Gold Rush and any event that they have,” he said.
How does Ostaszewski suggest to remedy that? He thinks the City needs to put more emphasis on expanding parking and making the town more accessible to foot traffic.
“We need more ways to get people safely through town,” he said. “And we need parking and commerce that can meet the demand.”
In order to provide a spot where people want to linger, Ostaszewski said he focused on every detail when designing the market.
“It’s the touch and feel of the market that as the designer I paid close attention to,” he said. “Like using real marble from Tate, Georgia, the solid walnut counters rubbed with beeswax and the effort to use all local craftsmen and subcontractors. We've created an analog environment in a digital world.”
So far, locals seem to be responding to Ostaszewski’s efforts, since his own parking lot is often bustling in the mornings.
“I see the locals are coming here now and I want to remain that place where people can come in and sit on the couch with their kids and stay for a while,” he said as he motioned to a set of Rock em Sock em Robots on a nearby coffee table. ”That’s what I want.”
One of those locals is Jesse Turk, who briefly stopped in for his morning brew. He agreed that the Cheers vibe is prevalent at the market.
“They have a wonderful atmosphere that makes you want to slow down and stay a while,” he said. “… You immediately start feeling like family after the first visit. You would think they’ve been in business for years.”
And Turk is already familiar with the beverage selection.
“I’m a classic cappuccino guy,” he said. “But, if you’re a tea drinker, the London Fog is next level.”
That’s the kind of feedback Ostaszewski is striving for.
“My definition of success is not how much money you make,” he said, “but going to bed at night and not being able to wait for tomorrow.”
So is that the feeling he gets after a day at Blue 42 Market?
“Yeah,” he says with a smile. “I can’t wait. Because I see what we're doing.”
And with that, Ostaszewski heads to the door to greet a couple more customers, and most likely learn their names in the process.