South Springfield hemp store rebrands with new offerings

A south-side Springfield store that has been selling hemp and CBD products for six years is undergoing a rebranding effort and expanding its offerings.

An Oct. 11 grand opening event has been scheduled for Seed of Life Farms, or SoL Farms for short, at 4139 S. National Ave. in the Twin Oaks Shopping Center, according to a news release. The store formerly operated as Hemporium, which got its start at the shopping center in October 2018.

Officials with SoL Farms say the store specializes in plant medicines such as adaptogenic mushrooms, psychedelic mushroom spores and grow kits, cannabis, kava, cacao, blue lotus and hape, an herbal snuff.

“We’re excited to serve Springfield as an educational resource,” said Greg Lee, co-founder of SoL Farms, in the release. “This is not just about introducing plant medicine — it’s about building a community where people can learn, grow and heal together.”

Psilocybin mushrooms, hallucinogenic mushrooms that are commonly known as magic mushrooms or shrooms, are not legal under federal law and are not sold at the store. The spores themselves, which allow customers to grow psilocybin mushrooms, are not illegal.

“Our large selection of different mushroom products are new to SoL Farms,” Lee said via email this morning. “We have the box to grow them in, the substrate to grow them on, over a dozen different spore strains to choose from, the guidance on how to grow them, and we offer pre- and post-support with the integration of the consciousness-altering experience itself.”

The 4 p.m. Oct. 11 grand opening is slated to include discounts, giveaways and features by local partnering companies such as Elder Farms, Lovecraft Farms, Medicine Dreamer and Self Discovery Alchemist, according to the release.

SoL Farms officially rebranded from Hemporium on Aug. 22, said Lee, estimating expenses not including marketing at roughly $40,000.