I’m Sure You’ve Been Thinking…
Whyyyyy another rebrand 🙃
I’m sure some of you think I’m nuts! “Why change something that’s working?”
I’m sure it’s confusing and just doesn’t make sense! I completely understand! I haven’t been fully transparent and that’s, mainly, because I haven’t been fully ready.
I think, at some point, in everyone’s life, you’re faced with a decision. A fork in the road. You can choose one path, stay the same, and keep moving in the direction that seems safe. The other path is harder. There’s briars, mountains to climb, and not everyone you know follows you along this path. I think the fear of losing loved ones, friends, or fear of triggering people holds us back. Sometimes people lash out, “unfriend,” or paint a picture of your character that isn’t accurate. All of this can come from choosing a different path. The alternative, though, to stay on the smooth, straight and narrow, just to “survive” has never been how I operate. You can even ask my mom, she’ll tell you this!
So where is my rant going?
I started A&O Organics as a mother/son duo. My goal was to heal myself and share what I had learned to help others heal. When I was ready to expand to a shop, I wanted a shift to help the expansion of what I had always done. I was also trying to help others. I had done markets for years and understood what it was, as a maker of products, to be seen in a market that was saturated. It takes a LOT to put yourself out there and just hoping someone will notice what you do. Something you put your heart and soul in. Not everyone notices. You don’t always get the external validation you’re hoping for. Knowing this and knowing how many people are sharing their talents, I wanted to create a store that allowed for my dreams and helping others with theirs. Natural Selection Apothecary was born! The busier the shop got, the harder it was to keep up with 2 separate brands. I had to merge them. It got too much to do both so it was an easy decision to take what I already do and put a different logo on it!
This was great! I was creating a name for myself and my products! I was helping other crafters/artist from my community and it was fulfilling. I really enjoyed the shop in Duck and creating a cozy spot for people to enjoy and providing them with a wide variety of products to choose from. An opportunity to open another shop came along and I took it!
I had people from Manteo say they wouldn’t travel to Duck and people from up the beach say they wouldn’t travel to Manteo. I had a space in both worlds and was happy that we were all having the success we deserved! 2022 was insanely busy! I could barely keep up with making my products and the stores started to run away from me.
From Manteo to Duck is about a 45 minute - 1 hour drive, depending on traffic in the summer. All of 2022, I was running back and forth to Manteo and Duck to keep shelves stocked of the products that were moving. I had a lot of vendors on consignment in the shop so I spend most of my days tagging and updating inventory. Barely any time went to making my own products. That’s why I started outsourcing from other small businesses. I just couldn’t keep up! Needless to say, that by the time I had a second to come up for air, I realized that my shop was no longer my shop. It morphed into something that wasn’t the direction I was hoping for. Since I didn’t have as much time to be in Duck and other people were running it, it changed and shifted to something else that wasn’t me. I closed it because, 1) I was sooo tired of driving there and 2) I wasn’t able to be present. People buy my products and come to my shop because of the way I made it and my energy. I needed to bring it back to me so I just had Manteo.
Now here’s the crazy part!
Can you guess what products were moving the most!? Yep! Witchy products and crystals! In the beginning, I thought it was fun, cool and people really responded to having these things in the shop. I was following the trend and enjoying the journey. *I want to clearly state that I have never labeled myself as a witch or ever done spells.* But how would you have known based off the products in my shop!
To me, I was making people happy! They loved my shop, they loved how they felt in my shop so I kept moving along!
Until…
Until I learned the truth!
The truth is, witchy stuff and witchcraft is not just for fun or a cool trend to be around. (I’m sure some of you have responded with “No sh*t”) But this was the programming. Making witchy stuff normal and fun when in reality it is extremely dark and serious. It is not a toy. I thought I was just enjoying a fun holiday because it’s been normalized in movies and shows. I found out how real it is and it’s a club I DO NOT want to be apart of.
Once I found out the severity of what these products meant, I knew I wanted no part of it. I did not want to give people access to this sort of stuff, especially spell books, so I took it all out. I don’t know if you’ve noticed the amount of satanic/witchy things that are circulating in Hollywood lately. It’s not a game. This may trigger some of you or make you “unfollow” and that’s ok. As long as I know that my purpose is to spread love, I will do so at all costs. That is what is important to me! Love above all else 💖
2023 was about me going through a HUGE ego death, weeding out people and things that were not for my best good, and learning where my gifts truly are and my place in the world.
This is what has birthed Healing House Herbs. When I say I have been growing, I have meant it! I’ve shifted so much in who I am, I feel that I am in my full authentic self and happy to be back in this place again! I’m super excited about 2024 and implementing the lessons I have learned along my journey. I never regret or feel ashamed of my past because without it, I wouldn’t have been forced to grow into the person I want to become; an exceptional mother, friend, daughter, business owner, and just a great, loving person all around! 🥰
I felt called and I felt it was time to go further into where I am at as a person and where my business is at as a whole. I want you to understand what you’re getting when you visit my shop or using my products. My goal is to spread my talents with love! Each day, this is what I focus on doing for my business 💖
Whether you follow along with me for my products or you just enjoy who I am as a person, I THANK YOU!! 💛
If this new path is not what you signed up for and don’t agree, you are welcome to stay or unsubscribe with no hard feelings! 🥰
If you’ve read this far, THANK YOU for “listening!!”
I hope to see you all soon!
Sending y'all my love,
Austin💛