Business update!

The building as it is now.

Since we successfully moved from Beechwold to Clintonville, we have seen a marked increase in foot traffic an expect that trend to continue, especially when the Clintonville Farmer's Market, which takes place outside our door, starts. We are blessed!

We have started making the new building our own- the inside has been painted, new flooring installed, and we had a utility sink installed as well. We are getting a dishwasher for sterilization hooked up in the next week.

Our corner sign, so people know where to
turn to find us. Isn't it lovely?

When the weather improves, the outside of the building will be painted, we will get new awnings, and the rest of our building signage will go up. We even have beautification projects planned that include murals, raised beds of flowers, and mosaics by local artists!

We are also teaming up with more instructors this year, giving more to charity and the community, and joining more farmer's markets to expand our reach. Lily has started writing a regular column for Fit magazine (her first article, on bitters, is available here).

We will be expanding our efforts to bring you medicinal seeds and seedlings from local growers this spring and have started to create a line of tools for herbalists (starting with our percolation cone set for tincture making). Our tonic club already has regular members and the offering there are expanding and changing with the seasons.

Now is the time to expand our product offerings, too and make our store more meaningful to herbalists and herb enthusiasts alike.

The apothecary looks even better now.

So we are seeking a silent partner. A small investment in the business will allow us to get more product lines into the shop, get a permanent bookkeeper, expand our essential oil offerings (arguably already the finest lines in the city- now we need to carry more oils in the lines!), and get some more signage and retail furnishings to make the shop grow and develop.

I have created a simple plan that I can show interested parties that asks for a 5K investment in return for 15% of the business. At the end of two years, if both parties are amenable, more of the shop can be purchased (and revenue shares begin). Conversely, if we wish to part ways, the initial investment turns into a loan with pre-defined re-payment terms. Either way, an investor is helping this unique business grow at a crucial time without losing the initial investment.

Are you interested? Email Lily for the partnership agreement and to set up an appointment to talk!

Foundations of Western Herbalism Class

Starts January 2016! Enroll now, class is limited to 10 students.

People’s Medicine
Interested in herbalism? Becoming an herbalist or owning an apothecary? A holistic practitioner of some sort wanting to add to your healing repertoire? This class is for you!

The Curricula
Theories of healing and the body

Systems of the body

Health conditions and their symptoms

Herbal classification and actions in the body

Cultivation and wildcrafting

Harvesting and processing

Medicine making

Materia medica (learning about individual plants)

and an introduction to other overlapping systems of healing: TCM, Ayurveda, aromatherapy, homeopathy, flower essences.

In this class, we will balance hands-on time outdoors (in the warm months) and in the apothecary with "book learning”.

The Commitment
We will meet monthly, with independent studies in between (and students can feel free to contact me or come into the store in-between at any time). 


Currently we are looking at Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday evenings and will decide on a specific day each month when the students enroll.

The class would involve 2 hour class sessions every month as well as homework and independent study. It would also involve intermittent classes not on regularly scheduled days (weekend days in gardens or wildcrafting, for example). These days would be scheduled in advance with students present to make it possible for a good attendance. (This course is designed for working adults with life commitments.)

The Cost
I firmly believe that herbalism is folk medicine- that is, it a skill that belongs in the hands of the people. To that end, I am working to make the cost of the class as affordable as possible- both to students investing in their education and to me, giving lots of time and attention to the class.

The cost of the class is $1000, which includes a binder of information we will cover (handouts are accumulated as we go into each unit) and you will work from, class instruction time and outings, guest lecturers, and a 10% discount in the store (to help pay for extra books, herbs, and materials).

Payment Options
For some, the class can be paid for in full. For others, installments are necessary. We have a few options for you. A non-refundable deposit of $200 is required to hold your space in the class.

After the $200 deposit has been paid, you can choose to pay in three, five or seven installments:
3 installments: $200 deposit plus 3 payments of $275
5 installments: $200 deposit plus 5 payments of $175
7 installments: $200 deposit plus 7 payments of $150

Payment for the class must be made in full by the third class (March 2016).

Choose your option:

Payment in full:

Name of Person Attending Class

Deposit, and a note about which payment option you choose:

Name of Person Attending Class

3, 5, or 7 Month Plan?

A Note about Herb Schools
There are plenty of schools out there that promise a "master herbalist certification", but there is only one objective certification that is nationally recognized by everyone: Master herbalist certification from the American Herbalists' Guild. They are focused on standards of education to train clinical herbalists (people who treat patients one-on-one). They have a list of schools on their website that meet their criteria- all of these schools have clinics attached for you to do internships. If the school is not listed on their website, it does not meet their criteria and has not been certified. There are no AHG accredited schools of herbalism in the state of Ohio. There are however, several qualified teachers. This class is not focused on teaching you to be a clinical herbalist, but instead prepares you to be a community herbalist, one who feels confident treating friends and family, learning about the amazing human body and plant world and how they support one another, or perhaps going on to a Master's Degree from a healing school that does have a clinic.

Required Texts

Medical Herbalism, David Hoffman
Medicine Maker's Handbook, James Green
Earthwide Herbal (Volumes 1 & 2), Matthew Wood
Edible and Medicinal Plants of the Midwest, Matthew Alfs

You can get these books on your own or use your 10% discount and get them through the shop.