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

Today I had the honor of meeting with Anush Aslanyan, founder of Equal Rights, Equal Opportunity in Vanadzor. EREO is a...
05/03/2026

Today I had the honor of meeting with Anush Aslanyan, founder of Equal Rights, Equal Opportunity in Vanadzor. EREO is a non-governmental organization that has provided services, advocacy, resources, education and community social space for disabled folks by disabled folks running programs since 2014. A big part of their work has been about creating more visibility, societal & familial awareness/acceptance, pathways to income and independent living.
Talking with Anush about disability culture and justice in Armenia as well as America was like sitting down with an old friend who just gets it; both the universal fight for access and the joy of finding each other.

Iā€™m so incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to connect about Armenian sign language, cross disability solidarity and mentorship, autism awareness, homemade mobility aids, navigating airports, strategic planning for the long haul, supporting eachothers quality of life and so much more.

One thing I know with all my heart- is no matter the barriers, we will always find our way to eachother. for understanding. for care. for connection. for a more inclusive way forward togetherā€¦even when we live 6,000 miles and worlds away ā™„ļø

As incredible of a time Iā€™m having here, Iā€™m reminded daily of how much of an ordeal it is to travel internationally with autism, MCAS, POTS & hypermobileEDSā€¦and being at the center today was a breath of fresh air. (pun intended- as there is a ridiculous amount of fragrance in quite literally everything here -including things Iā€™d never anticipate- like toilet paper and tissues. Iā€™ve been in a massive mast cell activation flare due to highly fragranced fabric softener in bed linens that took me outā€¦so much so that I went and bought a towel and set of sheets to use for the rest of our trip today!)

PS, a few beautiful volunteer made dolls, dressed in traditional Armenian womenā€™s taraz- each filled with a pouch of dried herbs from the surrounding villages will be coming home with me šŸ˜

04/28/2026

First couple days in the mountains of Syunik region, in Sisian. absolutely stunning šŸ˜
šŸ“ø

Also, I went full tantig by day 3, and thereā€™s no going back

04/28/2026

has been making gorgeous clips of our time in Armenia, hereā€™s the first couple days of arriving in Yerevan before leaving the city šŸ˜

From the moment I learned about Karahunj several years ago, I knew it was only a matter of time until weā€™d meet. This an...
04/27/2026

From the moment I learned about Karahunj several years ago, I knew it was only a matter of time until weā€™d meet. This ancient observatory in Syunik region also known as Zorats Karer predates Stonehenge by 4,000ish years šŸ˜³ and is full of mystical mystery.
We spent the whole day connecting with the ā€œspeaking stonesā€, charging up on this magical land surrounded by stunning mountains, lying on the earth, meditating with the passing clouds and bird song. All of that, along with our shared intention, early spring blooms, old plant friends growing by the standing stones and the brightly shining sun went into making a Karahunj essence. Iā€™ll be making essences all around Armenia during this visit and already have a beautiful blend brewing in my heart.

All day we kept looking at eachother like, is this even real?! šŸŒ€

Plant friends by the stones included oortz (wild thyme), nettle, rose, oshindr (wormwood), yarrow and so many more Iā€™m still learning the names of šŸŒ±

Shaki waterfall in Sisian is absolutely breathtaking. Folklore says that these falls are a holy place to connect with th...
04/26/2026

Shaki waterfall in Sisian is absolutely breathtaking. Folklore says that these falls are a holy place to connect with the ancient Armenian goddess Astghik, and with all the beauty & magic flowing in this place, I can certainly see why šŸ˜

Wild nettle growing quite literally everywhere, motherwort patches just starting to pop up. Plum tree blooms & swarms of happy bees. Also pictured is the plant here with little yellow flowers; itā€™s a respiratory support herb I learned about today, called Kova Tsarik.
wait until you see part two from todayā€™s epic adventure šŸ˜šŸ˜šŸ˜

PS, check out the incredible rock formations right by the falls. These unique boulders hold so much personality, and they stood watch in a way that made me feel like they are older than time!

First day in the mountains and my heart feels as wide open as these soaring valleys šŸ”ļø Today we headed out of the capita...
04/25/2026

First day in the mountains and my heart feels as wide open as these soaring valleys šŸ”ļø Today we headed out of the capital and drove down south about 3 hours, into an incredible canyon and landed in Sisian for a couple days.
I canā€™t even fathom how the Noravank monastery was a side quest adventure šŸ˜³
we spent most of the afternoon driving from bloom filled valley way up to snow capped mountains, so not a lot of plants to introduce yet, however hereā€™s a sweet little wormwood growing right along the Silk Road in whatā€™s likely the highest altitude Iā€™ve ever been.

wow wow wow I have no words for this stunning beauty and pictures could never!

Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine finding actual gluten free jingalov hats!!! and gf cheese boreg, and lavash and...
04/25/2026

Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine finding actual gluten free jingalov hats!!! and gf cheese boreg, and lavash and gata šŸ˜­šŸ˜­šŸ˜­šŸ˜­ Jingalov hats is a flat bread specialty from Artsakh filled with fresh herbs and spring greens that I have never gotten to eat due to celiacs. Big thanks to for making my dreams come true and giving my kiddo the opportunity to enjoy these cultural staples. It was all so delicious we had to stop back in this morning to stock up for our roadtrip through the mountainsšŸŒž

Today, on this 111th Armenian Genocide Memorial day, I arrived in Yerevan and was immediately greeted with all the deep ...
04/24/2026

Today, on this 111th Armenian Genocide Memorial day, I arrived in Yerevan and was immediately greeted with all the deep complexities awaiting my return.

The relief for finally make it. The collapse of travel exhaustion. The overwhelming joy of catching a glimpse of Ararat winking at me from behind the clouds-and- the equally overwhelming sense of grief for not being able to see this majestic mountain from the other side as my ancestors did for thousands of years.

Itā€™s the ever present anticipation of being beckoned west. west. 300 miles further west to my familyā€™s small farming village, Tadem, in a region I am in such close proximity to now-and but also- itā€™s the deep heartache of knowing that despite the ever magnetizing pull, visiting the actual village remains just out of reach due to the closed borders and long standing occupation.
Itā€™s remembering the 1.5 million Armenians whose lives were taken, long with all their stories, songs, hopes, dreams and dialects. -and- itā€™s honoring my great grandparents who survived as young orphaned children, sent to America by arranged marriage to carry on the line.
Itā€™s the weight of being passed down an abundance of generational trauma with family disfunction often beyond repair, instead of inheriting our grandparents beloved fruit trees and village home.

Itā€™s the swell of emotions getting all tangled up in me being here now with my own child, after refusing to let go of the few wispy threads of cultural connection that remained, and fortifying the hell out of them, in hopes of breaking the cycle of assimilation instead.

itā€™s both pride & pain. ever present but rarely given the opportunity to be processed or spoken out loud.

Itā€™s never quite fitting into an either/or place. and 100% about being deeply connected to my armmad (roots) while living into the fullness of my q***r, mixed, existing way outside traditional gender roles, both/andness of it all ā™„ļø

āœØTomorrow we make our way to Goris, further south than Iā€™ve been before. So hereā€™s to opening my heart & spirit for whatever the ancestors have in store šŸ§æ

ps, spring is in full bloom and I wholeheartedly plan on stopping to greet every flower and sip from every pulpulak I meetšŸŒø
also, this giant monument way up at the top of the city is the badass, sword wielding Mother Armenia.

Hello my fellow herb lovers šŸŒž The long awaited, highly anticipated trip back to Armenia has arrived, and (airlines willi...
04/21/2026

Hello my fellow herb lovers šŸŒž The long awaited, highly anticipated trip back to Armenia has arrived, and (airlines willing) we fly out tomorrow. Itā€™s been 3 years since my feet last rooted into the fertile soil of my maternal line, felt the energizing arev (sun) shining on my face and submerged my body in the healing waters surrounded by mountains that my spirit has been deeply longing for. My first trip I did solo, as a way to re-member the sacred connection to the land that has been singing in my bones all my life. Iā€™m the first person in my family to return back to Armenia since the g-cide three generations ago...and parts of me are still processing all that first visit brought up, opened and settled within me. This trip will be a continuation of that unfolding, however this time, I have the sense that there will be themes of weaving and mending as more and more of those severed threads that Iā€™ve been searching decades for have become present in my life through so many vibrant shared relationships and cultural community building. For this trip, Iā€™m bringing my teenager to connect back in together. Weā€™ll also be accompanied by my incredible apprentice Sashka - who has absolutely become family during her time here with us since moving to western MA from Armenia.
āœØWith this comes a shift in operations while weā€™re away. My partner Em has so lovingly offered to cover the shop for in-store shopping until we are back in mid May. Em (she/they) will be holding it down 4ish days a week on a limited capacity; so while bulk herbs and our usual packaged blends will be available, consultations and custom blends will need to wait until I return. Iā€™ve updated the hours on google and have all the dates listed out on the website, and of course you can always call the shop before coming down to make sure weā€™re open.
Big thanks to my sweet love for keeping this community gem up and running while the kiddo & I go on an ancestral honoring adventure. I sure am one lucky human!
See you on the other side with lots of goodies and stories to share. In the meantime, be on lookout for an Armenian herb immersion here and say hi to EM šŸ™‚
xoxo, Reede ā™„ļøā™„ļø

Over the weekend this yearā€™s cohort of Herbalism Through the Wheel of the Year met for our first class togetheršŸŒ±It was s...
04/14/2026

Over the weekend this yearā€™s cohort of Herbalism Through the Wheel of the Year met for our first class togetheršŸŒ±
It was so incredible to be with everyone as I heard the hopes, dreams and desires of the folks gathered around the extended tea table in this tiny little apothecary overflowing with rich layers of connection and ever replenishing pots of teaā€¦every single last spot is filled this year and I am so grateful to be getting to geek out about herbs along side my neighbors and local community members!

We spent the morning connecting, building a community altar, setting our intentions for the year ahead on this green path, learning about tonic herbs, infusions & decoctions, mixing up individual daily tonic blends for everyone to take home & going on a little field trip down the road to wake up the garden and meet early spring plants coming up šŸŒž

While no one really knows whatā€™s coming up ahead this year, what I do know is that Iā€™m grateful beyond measure to be rooting in deeper here and cultivating communities of care as we navigate together. thank goodness for the plant people ā™„ļø

Well folks, after gathering up all the info for our options with the airline, much consideration and switching up the or...
04/08/2026

Well folks, after gathering up all the info for our options with the airline, much consideration and switching up the original traveling itinerary to no longer include going all the way down into the southern most region- the plan is to head to Armenia as scheduled- while remaining flexible of course. If all goes as planned, we will be traveling to many mountain villages for three gorgeous weeks this springšŸ¤žšŸ§æ

Some logistics:
āœØWhile store hours and capacity will be different, Iā€™m so pleased to share that my amazing partner Em will be here covering the shop 4 days a week šŸ˜
Consultations and custom blends will not be available while Sashka and I are away, however bulk herbs and our usual packaged blends will be!

āœØShipping will also be on pause while we are away, and last day to get your orders in is April 20th. Anything after that will go out upon our return around May 18th. Please plan accordingly ā™„ļøā™„ļø

šŸŒžand lastly, putting out a call throughout our Armenian networks for connection with fellow plant folks, herbalist, lore loving story tellers while we are there! Iā€™d love to visit some gardens/farms, go on a plant walk or otherwise get to geek out about folklore and herbs. If you know of anyone who youā€™d like to introduce us to, please feel free to reach out here for an introduction ā™„ļø

Well dearies, we made it through another incredibly loooong winter, and itā€™s officially time to wish you all a happy SPR...
03/21/2026

Well dearies, we made it through another incredibly loooong winter, and itā€™s officially time to wish you all a happy SPRING and a Blessed Ostara for those who celebratešŸŒ±
All the fresh seasonal spring time goods are out and this year you can choose between the whole bundle or aā€™la carte stylešŸŒž
I spent the first day of spring visiting our yarez bardez (dream garden), welcoming the robins back and noticing all the ways nature sure does have a rhythm all itā€™s own. Pleased to share that a few of our plant friends have already started to wake upā€¦and less pleased to share that someone came to dine on all my grandma Rue plants this week and mowed them down to nubs šŸ˜­ fingers crossed they are able to return šŸ¤ž

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

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