In every Seattle neighborhood, there is at least one shop that seems like it has been around forever -- a place that you've driven by a thousand times, always meaning to stop in. The Herbalist in Ravenna is one of those places.
Other, trendier stores may get more press, but The Herbalist has quietly served the Ravenna neighborhood since 1984, with an eponymous collection of liquid herbal extracts, medicinal teas and therapeutic massage oils, which are made at the store's lab just north of Ravenna.
Owner and medical herbalist Tierney Salter originally opened The Herbalist at the corner of Northeast 65th Street and 20th Avenue Northeast, next to the Ravenna PCC. Ten years had passed in that location when the PCC decided to expand, prompting Salter to make a move down 65th Street to her current location, where she's been ever since.
"We're powered by regulars," Salter says. "I've been helping some of the same customers stay healthy for years!"
With a passion for herbal medicine that started as a way to treat her lifelong struggle with asthma, Salter, a Seattle native, prides herself on her relationships with local plant growers and suppliers. As often as possible she uses local, organic or ethically wild-harvested (leaving enough of the plant to propagate itself) plants in her products, believing that the local flora provides just the right medicine for common ailments. The Herbalist product line includes extracts, teas and massage oils adorned with bright, hip and easy-to-understand labels.
--Alison BrownriggSpecial to NWsource