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Biz Buzz shares business tidbits from across the tri-state area. In addition to this update from Galena, Ill., we will share other developments in Tuesday’s edition.
GALENA, Ill. — A Galena herbalist is relocating her retail store in hopes of increasing awareness and accessibility of holistic, herbal products.
Enchanted Herb Shop soon will reopen at 212 N. Main St. in downtown Galena. The shop offers a variety of teas, tinctures and other herbal remedies, as well as spiritual items such as books, crystals and cards.
“Helping people is what keeps me going,” owner Tamara Ambroz said. “People are looking for things right now that make them feel better about their life situations and feel better in their bodies, so my goal is to help them do those things.”
Ambroz opened Enchanted Herb Shop three years ago, although her interest in herbal remedies goes back more than a decade. Ambroz long had been interested in nature, but a desire to bolster her family’s wellness pushed her to learn about the medicinal elements of herbalism.
She went on to study herbal medicine and was mentored under renowned herbalist David Winston. Ambroz now is a traditional western herbalist and has completed training in traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine.
She uses that knowledge to stock her store with holistic herbal remedies, including a line of teas and tonics she created to help with common ailments.
“The idea is to find something that is going to be convenient and consistent for the client (to address a certain need),” Ambroz said.
Ambroz said she decided to relocate to 212 N. Main St. to make the most of the downtown Galena foot traffic. She already operated out of a storefront on the edge of the Main Street commercial district, but her new location is more centrally located.
The new storefront also has a commercial kitchen, which will allow her to make her remedies on site and engage customers in workshops and one-on-one consultations that were more limited in her former location.
“The kitchen is really a key piece because it expands my ability to serve the community,” she said. “It means that I can do more things hands-on when it comes to working with individual clients and protocols.”
Enchanted Herb Shop is temporarily closed while renovations on the new store are completed. Ambroz intends to open by the end of the month, and updates are available on the store’s Facebook and Instagram pages.