Today we’d like to introduce you to Russell Spence and Dre Cantu.
Russell and Dre, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
We started off online three years ago as Airmid Hemp Extracts. Airmid is the Celtic goddess of herbal healing, which was right in line with what our goals were. We were making CBD products that were completely THC free as the laws in Texas were still in the gray area about CBD until 2019. We would go to as many local festivals as we could and educate people about CBD. One common question we would get is, where is your storefront? I have some friends that I want to send your way to speak with you. This is when DFW CBD was born. I wanted to have a place that was different than any of the shops in the area. First and foremost, we are here to educate and answer people’s questions. 99% of CBD shops in the area are franchises and only sell one brand but that’s not the route I wanted to go.
I wanted to carry ALL of the top brands as well as our house brand Airmid. I didn’t like the fact that stores are only pushing you on 1 brand when you walk in because thats all they can sell. When you walk into our store, we will answer any questions you may have and put together a plan for your CBD use. We will educate you on all the brands and delivery methods we carry and let you make an informed decision based on your needs and budget. I brought in my long time friend Ricardo Dre Cantu. He had a long history in the service industry and opening up some of the hottest places in the metroplex. His decades of hospitality experience made him a perfect partner to make sure our customers were treated like family. We also combined sensory deprivation tanks and infrared saunas in our store. We feel these treatments go hand and hand with CBD in creating a healthier and more holistic approach to health.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The road has been anything but smooth in the CBD world. CBD is still a new field for most people and is classified as a marijuana business. This makes obtaining a company bank account, credit card processing and anything financial a nightmare. Everything you do is considered high risk, so everything has a high-risk tax added to it. Platforms like Facebook and Instagram do not allow you to advertise on them. You can’t sell your products on eBay or Amazon. WE have been banned on PayPal several times and had funds held for six months at a time. All of these regulations are becoming more and more relaxed as more research and studies are done about CBD. When we started, that wasn’t the case and it was extremely hard to get your name out there. This is another reason we decided to go into a storefront.
We’d love to hear more about your business.
Our business is two-fold. First is making the highest quality CBD at the most affordable pricing. I’ve heard so many times from people how well CBD works for them but they simply couldn’t afford to keep taking it. Our goal was to make a top tier product and make it affordable for everyone. The second fold is education. We have people come into our store all the time and are amazed that they can come in and get all their questions answered in a professional manor without being pressured to buy anything. We hear stories from customers that they just went to another shop and the person working simply could point them in the direction of the CBD display but couldn’t answer any of their questions. CBD is all we do and is our passion! We are not a video store or gas station that simply started selling CBD because it was popular or trendy. Our knowledge and a huge selection of products is what sets us apart from every other store in the area. We aim to be the CVS of CBD. You can walk into our store and choose from over 20 types of tinctures, gummies, strains of flower, etc. and not be limited to one brand like at a franchise store.
We have done the research and vetted all the brands we carry so you don’t have to worry about if what you’re getting is real or a quality product. Everything in the store has been 3rd party lab tested. We have taken all the local franchises and top brands around the country and combined them all under one roof. The best moment of our career are the emails and hugs we get from complete strangers telling us how we have changed their life. People that never thought they would live a normal life again and after taking CBD, it has completely changed their lives. Parents telling you how much you have improved their child’s quality of life. We get these stories weekly from our customers and I can assure you it never gets old. Our focus is giving back to our community and helping as many people as possible. We partner with several local non-profits for special needs kids, veterans, and animal rescue groups. For every bottle of our house brand, Airmid, we sell we donate a bottle to someone in need. We value people over profits at DFW CBD.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was a pretty shy kid and normally kept to myself. I’m still somewhat like this today, which is another reason Ricardo’s outgoing personality is much need around here. I have always been a hustler and an entrepreneur, even from a young age and before it was a cool thing to do. I also have always loved helping out and trying to give back as much as I can. This is why DFW CBD was a perfect storm for someone like me. I get to have a business where we make money while we help others and get to give back to our community. It’s a perfect combination of both my passions.
Contact Info:
- Address: 800 E Arapaho #114
Richardson TX, 75081 - Website: www.dfwcbd.com
- Phone: 2147749361
- Email: dfwcbdwellness@gmail.com
- Instagram: Airmidhempextracts
- Facebook: DFW CBD
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