BUCHANAN — All things cannabis can be found at one location in downtown Buchanan.

Rick Paniagua opened Mill Valley Hemp a few months ago and opened Cannavista Wellness to sell medical marijuana products late last month and recreational marijuana in April.

Both businesses can be found in one building at 120 E. Front St. next to Mill Alley in the downtown. The building has historic roots in the city, having once housed the Stibbs five-and-dime store, Cole’s and most recently the Brimfield gift shop.

Mill Valley Hemp takes up the front end of the building with the marijuana business behind it. The marijuana business is behind locked doors with a secure entrance where people are required to show their medical marijuana cards or identification showing they are 21 or older for recreational marijuana.

People can peruse a wide variety of certified CBD and hemp products for both humans and pets in the front 900 square feet of the building. Items available for sale include topical lotions, tinctures, bath and beauty products, CBD oils, CBD products for humans and pets and even drinks and edibles. They eventually want to sell hemp textile products.

“Hemp has less than three-tenths of one percent of THC, it’s part of the cannabis family but a different branch of the family from marijuana,” Paniagua said. “The farm bill of 2018 allowed farmers to plant hemp and the number of acres planted in hemp dramatically increased. There are some local growers and I want to support them as much as possible.”

Paniagua’s overall goal is to change people’s perceptions about both hemp and marijuana.

“I want to promote cannabis and hemp and promote natural health and wellness,” he said. “It helps maintain homeostasis and can be used as a supplement with very small doses targeting specific needs. It’s really rewarding when people have that ‘aha’ moment.

“The key is education so people learn to treat and handle it the right way and not just say it’s taboo,” he added. “The key is the person selling the product doing it the right way. I’m hoping to change people’s views and show that the business can be front and center on Front Street.”

He said counseling people will be a vital part of both businesses. On the marijuana side, his staff will talk with customers to find out their needs and what products will work best for them. People will also be able to order products online and pick them up in the store.

“Even with recreational marijuana, people may think they know what they’re looking for but they don’t know how to achieve the end result,” he said. “Some want high THC and we ask them what they want, do they want to relax at the end of a hard day or use it as a stimulant when they go out and party.”

A native of Chicago, he has had a second home in Southwest Michigan for 20 years. “20 years ago, I bought 25 acres near Lakeside as a place to go on weekends,” he said. “I decided to move to Michigan full-time but I still split my time between here and Chicago.”

He has long been a proponent of the medicinal value of marijuana and became involved with the Om of Medicine effort to locate a business in Buchanan a few years ago. When Om withdrew from the effort, he picked up the project with the result being the two businesses he is opening now.

“When they approved the caregiver law, I thought it was interesting in terms of the agricultural aspect and I started asking a lot of questions,” he said. “That was 10 years ago and there was not a lot of material out there.”

He said he saw marijuana’s health benefits when a family member used it to relieve the symptoms of chemotherapy.

“When I saw the relief and benefits people got from it, I thought this is great,” he said. “It was so simple and natural with few side effects. People have been told it’s bad for so long, but now the research is changing to where people see the value.

“I’d like everyone to have a better understanding of what the product is and what are its uses,” he added. “It can be used responsibly. It’s no different than with alcohol, but the usage and safety aspects are better.”

Paniagua said he is still in the process of hiring staff for the marijuana side of the business and has been impressed by the amount of interest he’s received. He’s received over 400 resumes for 15 to 20 job openings. He said he’s planning soft openings for both the medicinal and recreational marijuana sales in order to make sure he has enough product on hand.

His future plans include utilizing more of the building’s space for everything from community events to yoga classes and support groups.

“I want to provide additional products and services involving health, wellness and lifestyles,” he said.

He also wants his businesses to be part of the downtown’s revitalization.

“Buchanan has a great opportunity with people fixing up their storefronts as they anticipate more foot traffic,” he said. “We’re going to do our part to be a destination and attraction. We hope to raise the bar on what people are doing with these types of projects.”

Mill Valley Hemp and Cannavista Wellness are both open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The businesses can be reached at (269) 234-7377. The two websites are cannavistawellness.com and millvalleyhemp.com.