Hemp store hits snag with city sign approval

Henry Ostaszewski is attempting to bring something new to Dahlonega: the hemp business.
But he said the City of Dahlonega’s hesitation to approve his sign is slowing things down.
“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,” said the owner of Blue 42 Organics. “…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.”
In 2018, it became legal to sell hemp in all 50 states as a result of the Farm Bill, and in 2019 Governor Brian Kemp made hemp production legal in Georgia.
Once that happened, Ostaszewski felt it was time to move Blue 42, which had been online based, into a marketplace.
Dahlonega seemed like the perfect spot for his shop for many reasons, he said.
“Dahlonega is the number one spot for weddings in Georgia, so it’s a lot of people coming here. So, I felt it was the right time to build a marketplace, not only for the community, but also to educate people on hemp,” Ostaszewski said.
The location of that future marketplace is directly across from the University of North Georgia on South Chestatee Street.
His sign design, which features the words cannibis and a gold outline of a bud, was initially approved by city officials. Then he received notice from Planning & Zoning Administrator Jameson Kinley that the approval was rescinded.
“I advised you orally…that the city was withdrawing that permit as it was issued by mistake,” stated the letter from Kinley. “You indicated that you would comply with our oral notice of withdrawal and not act on the permit. I further indicated that I would follow up with a written formal withdrawal of that sign permit. Please accept this correspondence as notice of the City's retraction of sign permit approval for your planned location on South Chestatee Street.”
Ostaszewski later clarified in an email to the city that he did not agree with the retraction.
“I did say that I was going to comply with all applicable current building codes set forth by the City of Dahlonega and the Georgia Department of Agriculture,” he stated. “I have not withdrawn the current sign permit issued on April 6, 2022. The fee was processed by the City of Dahlonega on April 8, 2022. I did however reschedule our artist for a later date based on the approved permit."
As of press-time, city officials would not state on-the-record exactly what issues they had with the sign.
When talking to The Nugget, Mayor JoAnne Taylor briefly commented on the issue.
“The City processed the sign application in the normal course of its business,” said said. “The City stands by the denial as supported by applicable standards.”
Meanwhile Ostaszewski  compared the city’s hesitation with hemp to the arrival of the wine industry.
“They didn’t want to grow grapes here 15 years ago, they didn’t want to make wine in North Georgia, it’s an alcohol,” he said. “They fought that hard. But see how much agro-tourism has brought to the community.”

OFF THE PLAYING FIELD

Ostaszewski is a former football player who made the leap from Florida State University in the early 90s to the Pittsburgh Steelers. He said he first got involved with CBD [Cannabidiol] after seeing the effect playing the sport had on his former teammates.
“As you know, back in the late 80’s, early 90’s, it’s when they really didn’t have the concussion protocols, the things in place that they have now. So unfortunately, a lot of us have the probability of having CTE, chronic traumatic encephalopathy,” he said.
CTE is the degeneration of the brain after repeated head traumas and is often found in athletes. The symptoms include behavioral and mood problems, and can eventually lead to dementia. CTE can only be diagnosed after death with a brain autopsy.
“A lot of guys that I played with committed suicide, and these are young men…or [had] advanced ALS and brain disorders and diseases,” Ostaszewski said.
Then, he saw evidence that CBD, was anecdotally helping people with CTE and similar brain injuries. He and his twin brother, Joe Ostaszewski, decided to partner with Boulder Hemp, based out of Colorado, in 2017. Their trademarked slogan was “Know Your Source, Feel the Difference.”
“We wanted to make sure that what we were putting in our bodies was organic and we knew where it was coming from,” he said. “…It was important because if I was going to sell something to another teammate, family, or friend, I wanted to make sure I knew where it was coming from.”
From that, Blue 42 Organics was born. The company specializes in selling hemp-based salves, oils, lotions and even capsules.
Ostaszewski said he has big plans for the eventual shop. He already has several partnerships with local businesses in the works, and hopes to have even more.  His products aren’t just limited to oil and balms. He has woven items made from alpaca and hemp, such as beanies, bird seed made with hemp seeds that didn’t go into production, and even plans to sell food and beverage items.
“I want to take the roof off [the building]…and I want to put a greenhouse up there and a sitting area,” he said. “I’m trying to get that farm to table look. Outside, we just finished planting fresh vegetables…We want to have farmers markets on the weekends out here…We’re going to do some really unique things here in Dahlonega, and I don’t think they understand. They just think this is going to be another smoke shop…but it’s going to be a marketplace.”
Ostaszewski said he hopes that one way or the other he can find an agreement with the city.
“I understand what they’re trying to protect,” he said. “Cause that’s why I’m here. If I could just find that special place in the middle where we both agree that I’m not doing anything wrong, I’m going to be a good patron to this community, I’m going to serve this community, and basically bring something this community doesn’t have.”