Community Care Apothecary

Community Care Apothecary šŸŒˆfamily owned herb shop est. 2021
come for the bulk herbs & small batch blends, stay for the nourishing connectionšŸŒæā™„ļøšŸ’™šŸ§”šŸ§æ
open Mon-Thur 10-5 & Sat 10-2

All set up at Templefest šŸ—ļø Iā€™m so excited for both workshops Iā€™ll be presenting, but first, the goblin night market thi...
09/04/2026

All set up at Templefest šŸ—ļø Iā€™m so excited for both workshops Iā€™ll be presenting, but first, the goblin night market this evening šŸ˜
Itā€™s so incredibly rare that I pack up shop and set up a booth, so Iā€™ve been making special herbal treasures all summer in preparation.
So grateful for all the helping hands that made light work today!
Weā€™ll see you back at the shop on Tuesday šŸ’•

If you were dancing in the club when this song first came out, chances are youā€™re in perimenopause nowšŸ„µšŸ”„šŸ„µAhhhhh midlifeā€¦...
08/06/2026

If you were dancing in the club when this song first came out, chances are youā€™re in perimenopause nowšŸ„µšŸ”„šŸ„µ
Ahhhhh midlifeā€¦a time when the hot flashes rage like an inferno, night sweats soak your sheets straight through and one may without warning become inclined to breathe fire on fools like a dragon scorching the earth around themā€¦.

Iā€™ve heard from enough folks in their 40s going *through it* to know that itā€™s not just me, so it was high time I formulated a little something for my fellow hot flashing cranky babes in the crowd.

Iā€™ve been guzzling sage tea for the power surges all year- but wanted an on the go option with a little something extra cooling and soothing to take the edge off.
This formula features fresh lemon balm, green sage, violet leaf, yarrow and a pinch of lavenderā€¦.and Iā€™m so in loveāœØ
I wish I would have had this blend during my second puberty while I was on Testosterone a few years back, but better late then never!

Are you a super experienced local herbalist who currently offers consultations? Weā€™d love to connect! Every day I get mo...
07/29/2026

Are you a super experienced local herbalist who currently offers consultations? Weā€™d love to connect! Every day I get more folks looking for consults than I could ever get to while tending to all the other aspects of running the shop.
Iā€™m looking to build a solid referral network to connect folks with a local herbalist who will be a great match for each individual customer, so please reach out with an intro and include any areas you specialize in šŸ’Œ

Also planting a little seed to host regular or guest herbalists at the shop šŸŒ±

I look forward to connecting with you!

Processed a bunch of mugwort I harvested & hung to dry earlier this summer, and made this yearā€™s batch of Witchā€™s Brew: ...
07/29/2026

Processed a bunch of mugwort I harvested & hung to dry earlier this summer, and made this yearā€™s batch of Witchā€™s Brew: Dreamy Ritual Tea on the full moon. I usually put this blend out in Septemberā€¦and maybe itā€™s because of all the cool nights and rainy 70 degree daysā€¦Could be that lammas is in a couple days or that Iā€™ve been preparing for Templefest coming up right around the corner, but either way- the season of the witch is almost upon us, so around here anyway, why wait? šŸ–¤šŸŽƒ
ps, while I like to wait until mugwort flowers later in the season to harvest for many other preparations, for the flavor enjoyabilty factor I prefer the young tender leaves in this one!

A table full of Armenian herbs is worth more to me than goldā€¦ so after this last visit weā€™re once again rich in village ...
07/22/2026

A table full of Armenian herbs is worth more to me than goldā€¦ so after this last visit weā€™re once again rich in village roses & wealthy in wild mountain mint ā™„ļø
Each and every one of these herbs has a story to tell, and Iā€™m looking forward to sharing them with you.

Today I brought some of the bounty in to begin crafting up this yearā€™s Armenian herb bundles in time for a special Navasard shuka night next month and just thinking about the treasures I have planned for us is filling me with glee!
We still have a nice amount of Hokis: Sweet Elixir of the Soul, so first up is infusing the oil needed to restock our beloved Embodiment Balm, then blending up a fresh batch of the long awaited Wildflowers of Diaspora Tea.

To me, these plants grown in the fertile soil of ancestral lands are so much more than just dried herbs in a bag that went on a 6,000 mile journeyā€¦they are cultural connection. an access point. a portal. a bridge.
These herbs are Tatik wisdom embodied and a tangible touchstone of re-membrance.

and in my humble opinion, they are best when shared. Anoush ellah, Hokis šŸ’•

edit* st johnā€™s wort = arevkoorig. my dyslexia strikes again!

I had no idea when I quickly put out a tea recipe for our neighbors this week that over 10,000 people would see it šŸ˜³ so ...
07/19/2026

I had no idea when I quickly put out a tea recipe for our neighbors this week that over 10,000 people would see it šŸ˜³ so perhaps a little introduction & some realistic expectation setting is in order šŸ’•

Reede (they/them) here, hello & welcome! Youā€™ve stumbled upon a tiny little q***r + autistic owned brick & mortar herb shop located in western MA that is run by a *real live human herbalist* who has been dedicated to learning and practicing their craft for over 20 years, along with help from an incredible apprentice.

In addition to running the shop, I grow many of the herbs that go in our extracts & seasonal blends, teach in-person classes and formulate/make all of the teas, tinctures, glycerites, oxymels, salves, along with handcrafting many a botanical trinket.

Iā€™m a tinkerer through and through, so working with my hands in the apothecary, gardens & art studio is life. While I do enjoy sharing photos from my garden and things I make, Iā€™m certainly not a content creator, and I have absolutely no desire to be an influencer.
In fact, even though I sell herbs for a living, I spend a lot of time each day talking people out of buying things they donā€™t actually need that grifters love to push on the internet.

So hereā€™s the thingā€¦I really like being a small townie herbal shopkeeper. Such a big part of this work for me is relational and long before community care became such a buzzword, itā€™s been a way of life & survival here, in my culture and so many others.
- so while I do have an online ordering system, up until more recently it has mostly used been for local pick-up, folks sending care packages to loved ones, word of mouth in q***r community & fellow Armenians looking for gifts in diaspora.

Everyone is welcome to use this option of course, I just ask for your patience and understanding, as the days are quite busy in the shop and weā€™re not set up to handle large volume anything.

āœØThis is small on purpose
āœØThis is land & human centered
āœØThis is moving with the rhythm of the gardens and at the pace that my disabled body can go

With all that being said, if youā€™re still here with me, welcome, I look forward to connecting ā™„ļø

Hereā€™s a soothing little tea recipe for your respiratory systemā€¦because the air quality from the wildfires is *terrible*...
07/15/2026

Hereā€™s a soothing little tea recipe for your respiratory systemā€¦because the air quality from the wildfires is *terrible*, the sky is way too ominous and in general s**t is rough out there.

Perhaps you have some of these herbs at home already? Feel free to switch this recipe up as desired, and let me know if you enjoy it.
Iā€™ve been sipping on it all day as itā€™s been a tasty sidekick.

For those who need some support on the go, I blended up a small batch of lung soothing tincture.

Stay safe out there neighbors. Sending lots of cooling, soothing, moisturizing plant love your way šŸ’•

It was 5 years ago today, on the new moon in cancer, that I first publicly shared my decision to close my 13+ year bodyw...
07/14/2026

It was 5 years ago today, on the new moon in cancer, that I first publicly shared my decision to close my 13+ year bodywork practice and transition into full time herbal shopkeeper life. It felt like the perfect day to plant the seed that has slow and steady grown into the Community Care Apothecary that I so adore today.

I had moved to Western MA 5 months earlier, during that first year of c*vid, as a low income single mom determined to put down roots here in the valley and raise my kiddo surrounded by other q***r families. I found us a shoebox apartment I could juuuust barely afford and worked on all the behind the scenes aspects until I could find a shop I wasnā€™t wildly priced out of.

3 months later the spot that weā€™re at pulled me in like a magnet. I opened the shop with the small stock I was able to start with in late fall~ and have been showing up to cultivate this dream everyday since. slow and steady. season by season. staying the course.

Sometimes I look around this tiny little shop and wonder how the hell did I get this many hutches in here šŸ¤£
But mostly I look around in awe and reverence at this little shop of wonders that has matured me in ways I could have never imagined and thank my lucky stars for all of itšŸ§æ

Over these last 5 years my young child has grown into a teenager in this apothecary, alongside so many families with babies Iā€™ve gotten to watch grow into potion making young ones. alongside so many q***r & trans & neurodivergent folks who come in for connection. alongside neighborhood customers turned friends.

As I reflect back on the seeds that were planted 5 years ago, and take stock of how theyā€™ve grown- big tears of gratitude fall free ā™„ļø

Today Iā€™m planting new seeds in the fertile soil of the new moon in Cancer. This time, to move into our permanent family home. At 42, after 6 years of putting roots down here Iā€™m beyond ready to settle all the way in and unfurl.
Living in the community I serve is so incredibly important to me. (and the housing market here is way outside my reach) So hereā€™s to the magic of the valley helping this herbalist find just the right place.

wishing your seeds nourishment & care this cancer season šŸ’•

Happy Vardavar janigs šŸ’•šŸ’¦šŸŒø Our Herbalism Through the Wheel of the Year class met today, and I was so delighted to share t...
07/12/2026

Happy Vardavar janigs šŸ’•šŸ’¦šŸŒø Our Herbalism Through the Wheel of the Year class met today, and I was so delighted to share this old Armenian tradition.

While the current ideration of this day now entails splashing buckets of water on everyone in the streets, stories of old tell of a time when roses were offered to Astghik (goddess of beauty, fertility and love) and she would sprinkle rosewater upon the Armenian Highlands to bring blessings of fertile soil, love, beauty and plenty throughout the land.
For so many of us with disrupted histories and severed threads of connection to our ancestral homelands, weaving these gathered remnants forward into reclaimed/reimagined rituals can be so grounding and healing. Over time collective memory & wisdom sharing has cultivated a deeply felt sense of belonging, re-membrance and connection to my culture that growing up felt a million miles awayā€¦
and it was such a joy to share this with everyone in class today ā™„ļø

Fancy purple tea fit for a fairy court garden party šŸ§šā€ā™‚ļøGarden Party Tea blending timeā€¦and the whimsy meter is off the c...
07/08/2026

Fancy purple tea fit for a fairy court garden party šŸ§šā€ā™‚ļø

Garden Party Tea blending timeā€¦and the whimsy meter is off the charts in this sweet little herb shop.
Up next is my emerald green herbal tea, along with some more extra special Templefest treats with herbs harvested on the Solstice.

At times it feels kind of frivolous to spend energy crafting up such fanciful things but just one sip and I reminded why I make time for these whimsical small batch seasonal blends when the garden muse comes callingā€¦for the creativity. for the beauty. for the magic of it all.

A cup of tea may not fix the world, but it sure can bring folks nourishment to sustain us as we continue to navigate all that we areā€¦so hereā€™s to quite literally filling our cups with a little more joy and welcoming some much needed levity to our day šŸŒø

Address

52 Main Street #8
Florence, MA
01062

Opening Hours

Tuesday 11am - 6pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 3pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm
Sunday 12pm - 4pm

Telephone

+14133413490

Website

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