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Brandon Howard isn’t a novice at running a CBD business. His Higher Life CBD Dispensary operated for more than four years at 901 N. Pennsylvania St. in Indianapolis before closing in February.
Howard will be the new proprietor in Fountain Square, however, when he opens a Higher Life location on Saturday.
The 1,800-square-foot store at 1021 Virginia Ave. is setting up shop in a neighborhood where CBD retailers are prevalent.
Higher Life will be the sixth store within a half-mile radius of the intersection of Virginia Avenue, Shelby and Prospect streets, joining:
- WildEye Cannabis, 1026 Shelby St.
- iVape E-Cigs & Smoke Shop, 1022 Virginia Ave.
- Popular Smoke & Vape Indy, 874 Virginia Ave.
- The Expert Puff, 1156 Shelby St., Suite B
- Mona, which shares a space with Rooftop Fruit gift shop, 1058 Virginia Ave.
A seventh store, Higher Grade, plans to open in August at 1126 Prospect St.
Howard said he believes there’s room for his shop to thrive.
“I don’t notice the saturation, because I’m in my own lane as far as I want to push my brand and the people I attract to the store,” he said. “I feel like everybody else is similar to each other. Since Day One, I’ve been trying to be different.”
In 2020, Howard purchased billboard advertising near the intersection of East Washington Street and Highland Avenue to post Higher Life’s logo and a message of “Legalize marijuana in Indiana.”
In 2021, Higher Life became a trailblazer in selling CBD products in a virtual setting when Howard launched a retail presence in the Cryptovoxels metaverse powered by the Ethereum blockchain.
And Howard brought on former NBA player Lamar Odom as a co-owner of Higher Life in 2022.
“My customers are pop culture people,” Howard said. “People want excitement, experience, professionalism and a quality product. People trust me, so they come here and they know they’re going to get what they expect.”
Howard, who moved from Detroit to Indianapolis when he was a pre-teen, said the new Higher Life will offer more products than the Pennsylvania Street location.
While the previous shop offered only CBD products, the Fountain Square shop will sell tobacco products and accessories.
Howard said his top-selling products include vapes, gummies and topical salves.
In 2018, Indiana legalized the sale of cannabidiol, also known as CBD, a substance derived from the cannabis sativa plant.
Cannabis refers to all products derived from the cannabis sativa plant. Marijuana, which is illegal in Indiana and on a federal level, refers to parts or products of the cannabis sativa plant that contain substantial amounts of THC—the psychoactive agent that causes intoxication.
Cannabidiols sold and purchased in Indiana must contain less than 0.3% of THC.
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YAY! Our 6th smoke shop in Fountain Square. Run don’t walk to experience the variety here around the Square! Pretty disappointing….
Hurry up and legalize!!!!!
Fountain square is a good spot for cannabis shops, especially once backwards indiana finally legalizes (could be long time) recreational cannabis, a lot of money to be made. With that said I don’t fault business owner making a move.
HOWEVER….
As a resident of this great neighborhood, the number of smoke shops is absurd! Not good for the neighborhood at large. Wildeye is different as they have a different model that is more nuanced. Can’t say same thing for remainder of these shops. The neighborhood needs more, and could certainly support more, retail (non smoke shop retail) and restaurants. Disappointment to say the least!