WONDERS OF NATURE OPENS SECOND SHOP IN E.C.

SWING ON BY AND SAY HI(GH) TO THE NEW SHOP ON BRACKETT AVENUE

words by mckenna scherer

Owner Chris Buske Opened The Wonders Of Nature Caf In Downtown Eau Claire

BACK IN 2020, and through the pandemic, established it as a go-to for cannabis infused grub and space to learn about CBD and hemp products. Now, Wonders of Nature has expanded with a second location on Brackett Avenue that allows Buske to have one-on-ones with customers.

Launching with a soft opening in mid-December, the new Wonders of Nature (1901 Brackett Ave.) is currently open Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 3:30-6pm as well as Tuesdays and Thursdays by appointment only. Buske said those hours will expand come springtime to offer service six days a week.

What really led to the second store’s opening was a true desire to offer a different kind of service and feel than the current café.

“(Downtown) obviously has its struggles with parking, and (Brackett) offers better visibility for the business,” Buske explained. “But what really led me to the idea of opening up a second location was, I wanted a more intimate space than the open café and retail feel.”

“On a personal note, my business is much more mission-driven than it is profit-driven for me,” he shared. Prior to entering his career in hemp and opening Wonders of Nature, Buske was an orthopedic massage therapist, and found that his view from the medicinal and therapeutic side is what a lot of folks are looking for in the CBD/hemp space.

He explained how a lot of people are looking to learn how to use hemp products for whatever their need is – Buske pointing to stress, anxiety, and pain management as a few of the biggest driving forces – which can sometimes be a personal conversation. Having a location like the new one, which is more private than the café, is per- fectly suited for those.

“I really want to help people understand better how cannabis can benefit them medicinally, with the products that we currently have on the market here in Wisconsin,” Buske said.

The new Wonders of Nature shop is a cookie-cutter mimic of the retail part of the café, Buske said, to offer people the familiarity they’ve found there. The Brackett Avenue shop will only sell its retail products for now, though Buske is thinking about moving a cooler into the space to offer some of baked goods and infused drinks.

Wonder of Nature’s most popular products include its CBD oils – “tried and true,” as Buske says – and THC edibles, specifically the gummies.

However, Buske has recognized a recent shift in the hemp market.

“There’s really the CBD market, the synthetic market, and the THC market; the hot topics are the synthetic market versus the natural market,” he explained. While Buske and Wonders of Nature aim to show people that cannabis is safe when used properly, he said the rise of synthetic products like Delta-8 feels like the opposite of that message.

“In my opinion, the public is being incorrectly informed of the potential harm synthetics could be causing,” he noted. “I only sell Delta-9 which is naturally found in marijuana, and only sell the natural THC in edibles; we don’t have smokeable synthetics.”

And while legalization of marijuana has been a hot topic for some time in Wisconsin, Buske said

Wonders of Nature will continue doing what it is known for and does best: offering quality, natural products the community can trust while providing sound advice and guidance on how to properly use them.

Visit the new Wonders of Nature store at 1901 Brackett Ave. The Wonders of Nature Café (416 S. Barstow St.) is open MondaySaturday, 10am-5pm with hours expanding sometime this spring.

Keep up with Chris Buske and the new Brackett Avenue store on Facebook. Give the shop a call at (715) 497-8740 or email at wondersofnaturehemp@gmail.com with any questions.