Deniece and Ron Isaacs opened their specialty hemp and CBD, or cannabidiol, shop, Magical Gardens, earlier this year in Kenai off the Kenai Spur Highway.

Deniece Isaacs said business has been going well since they opened. The two carry products specializing in hemp and CBD, including beauty products, food supplements, oils, lotions, salves, honey, edibles, dog treats and more.

“Anything and everything, we focus on CBD,” Deniece Isaacs said. “We focus on sharing knowledge.”

How has the response been since you first opened, and was it what you expected?

Deniece Isaacs: It’s been pretty good. The response has been really warm. Everyone has been really supportive. I wasn’t sure what to expect. Everyone feels so passionate about it. They think it’s good for us, or think it’s not.

Ron Isaac: The nice thing is so many people come in and thank us for doing this. … There are so many testimonials. We’ve heard people who say they try it and it doesn’t work for them. We don’t ever tell anybody this will help you because nothing’s ever been researched. We just go by what they say. We hear so many stories.

Are there other specialty shops like yours in the area?

Deniece Isaacs: No, there is not. There are a lot of places that sell CBD, but we specialize in it. We share what we learn, whether you get it here or not. Most places have CBD as part of one of their many, many products. It’s all we do here.

What prompted you to get involved in the business of hemp and CBD?

Deniece Isaacs: Pain, anxiety, Parkinson’s, drug addiction and my love for the cousin plant. There is no other industry that has been repressed as strongly as cannabis if you consider the textile and cotton industry, paper industry, clothing industry, food industry, your pharmaceutical industry… I mean I could go on and on about how many industries cannabis or the cousin plants can affect. People are opening their eyes and seeing more there are more uses.

How has this location been working for you?

Deniece Isaacs: We met here 35 years ago.

Ron Isaacs: This was Larry’s Club. She worked in the restaurant then.

Deniece Isaacs: We were fond of this location from the time that we found out it might be available.

Ron Isaacs: We’ve still got a lot to do here. We have to get the paving in and a few things here and there, but you got to work it as you can. We like the location. It’s easy to get in and off the highway. There’s surprisingly a large amount of traffic here. We didn’t think there would be this much traffic.

How popular are the pet products?

Deniece Isaacs: We probably sell just as many dog treats as we do people products. I had one lady come in and she said she was babysitting a Pomeranian for a friend and a half an hour after she gives the dog a CBD treat, she noticed how happy the dog was because he was jumping around and wanting to play. She said she wanted something that would make her feel that way. If everyone made that association it would be great. It works for some people and it doesn’t work for everyone.

How are you getting the word out about your business?

Deniece Isaacs: It’s very hard because being hemp we still fall underneath some of those categories that are gray. Not everyone can take our advertising dollar and we do have other restrictions. We are relying on relationships and word of mouth, and a little bit of radio.

Do you offer any discounts?

Deniece Isaacs: We offer a veterans discount and a senior discount. If it weren’t for our veterans or our seniors we wouldn’t be here.