It’s already November and I’m sure you are starting to think about the holidays. In the past month I’ve sought out small shops that I’ve never tried before and I wanted to elevate them and share them with you. As a small business, word of mouth is so important and while my audience isn’t huge, I want to try to share businesses as much as I can.

Another important note about this series. As an Iranian American I’ve faced many struggles growing up in the US. I’ve not spoken about this a lot and on my own I already seek out small shops, women owned shops, BIPOC owned shops for my countdown boxes. I did the same for this series and I hope you’ll discover a new shop!

The first shop I’m sharing with you all is Alecks from Little Wild Herbs. Alecks is a Maryland based business which makes me so happy because I am always looking to support local shops since I am also a Marylander!

Alecks is in her first year of business too! Congrats! I ordered a custom blend and two other blends. The blend I created was good but the soul chai and keep your cool have been so amazing. She has a gift for blending together ingredients. I’ve been enjoying her blends before bedtime almost every night. They have added calm and deliciousness to my bedtime routine! You can also get an intuitive blend which is a custom blend she creates for you!

To learn more about Alecks and place an order check her out HERE

To get the December SolidariTEA Box head over HERE

Can you tell us a little bit about you and your passion for tea?

I have a passion for medicinal herbs and how they impact our body physically and energetically. I find tea to be the most accessible way to use herbs and understand what they do for our bodies. And there’s a special kind of magical about the art of making tea, you know? Everything slows down, and time seems to stop altogether when you take the first sip. It is my intention with this business to help bring people back to what really matters to them, to slow down, and enjoy this sweet, precious life

Was there a catalyst that pushed you to open your shop?

Honestly, quarantine. I realized pretty quickly how important it was to build rituals into my day as a form of self-care. I can’t even remember when I had the idea, “Hey, I’m going to start making custom tea blends based on my intuition.” I just started doing it. you could say that my soul led me here. For the past few years, I’ve been soul searching, wanting to learn what my purpose is, wanting to learn how I can be of service in a way that feels authentically me. And I’ve always had a practice of brewing tea as self-care. I would make blends as holiday gifts for people, or when friends or family came over, I’d brew a pot to share. Keeping a tea practice has been a transformative way to check in with my inner state and bring balance to my body and mind. With so much tension in the air, I felt called to share what I know and create an offering that can guide folks in the direction of transmitting energies, thoughts, and feelings that no longer serve them.

What is your personal tea ritual like?

First thing in the morning before I get to work (and after I walk the dog), I put on a pot of tea and enjoy it in complete silence. This allows my body to wake up naturally and become present. It's also a beautiful way to set an intention for the day, I will often whisper an intention into my tea just before I take the first sip, allowing the intention to infuse into the water and work it's magic throughout the day.

What is your favorite tea or other item in your shop right now?

My favorite tea blend currently is Soul Chai, a beautiful, warming blend of tulsi, oat straw, rose, cardamom, orange peel, and licorice. This tea feels like a warm hug and has the ability to wipe a sour mood right out of existence. The primary ingredient, tulsi, is an adaptogen, meaning it carries the ability to bring the body and mind into balance. Whether you feeling high tension anxiety or are lingering low in depression, Tulsi is a lovely herb that asks you to center your mind into the present moment.

Do you have any holiday specials going on?

Another offering I'm super excited about is my December (and first ever) SolidariTEA box! Truly the gift that keeps giving, this SolidariTEA box contains 12 individually wrapped gifts to be opened every other day until December 24th. In this box, folks will receive 6 tea blends made by me and 6 handmade *secret gifts.* I'm partnering with 3 small businesses to make this offering super special, but the icing on the cake is this: 15% of each sale will be donated to one of my favorite nonprofits, I Believe in Me (a Frederick-based nonprofit striving to provide youth-development and empowerment through mentorship. Over the course of COVID-19, this organization has also been providing free food and resources weekly to the people of Frederick who are most in need).

This is my first year in business and I know how much work it goes into providing a soul-led offering. My goal is to give back to the community in whatever ways I can.

Pictured if the custom blend, I really enjoyed being able to create my own blend to try. Let’s just say It was good but Alecks is much better skilled at blending!