We have some incredible news to share - our beloved apothecary is starting a new chapter! We are thrilled to introduce our new owner - Dina.Dina brings with her a passion and dedication to continuing and expanding the traditions of healing and plant wisdom that you've come to love.
TLDR: I am very exciting to be carrying the legacy of Anna's forward, adding my own medicine lineages, and creating a community of empowered self-healing and creating kinship with the plants and each other.There will be a lot of exciting things coming!
I want to take a moment to introduce myself to the Anna’s Apothecary community. First, I want to thank Anna Papini and Sara Berry for creating this amazing store and community, and for trusting me as the person to carry on your legacy and be the steward of what is to come. I am humbled and honored to be working with our amazing staff- Meagan, Desiree, Leigh, and Kilie and am excited to learn from them and to be a supportive mentor to them in their knowledge, development and bringing visibility to their own herbal and healing knowledge. They are the lifeblood and wisdom carriers of Anna’s.
I also want to thank all the customers and the community that have supported Anna’s Apothecary over the years. I look forward to getting to know you all, earning your trust, supporting you in your herbal and healing journeys, and providing education on our amazing products. I am here to answer any questions you have for me. I am so excited to be a part of the Manitou Springs community and the community we have built all over the United States and beyond. Building transformational communities around common interests, passions and community education is what I do, and I look forward to doing that with all of you.
My herbal and healing arts education began in 1997 when my in-laws introduced me to essential oils, and I became enamored with how they shifted my body, mind, heart and soul in such a gentle way. At the time I was a young leader in Process, Systems, People and Customer Operations in the telecommunications industry. To say it was a stressful job and industry is an understatement. I wasn’t taking care of myself on any level. I loved what I did but I knew at 26 that I needed to begin to take better care of myself, and I also wanted to make a bigger difference in the world. Being a life-long learner and teacher, I began going down the rabbit hole of plants, herbal remedies, yoga, bodywork, holistic medicine, and later deep studies in all spiritual paths and training as a Soul Companion. It’s all connected and there is a lot more to this story over the next decade of my life, and one day I will tell it…or feel free to ask me when you meet me. But a big part of the story is that I left the corporate environment to weave my strategy and process skills with my healing arts knowledge and have been an entrepreneur in this space for nearly 25 years.
I would also like to thank some of my teachers, I have been blessed to study with many in these modalities over the years. One of my favorite teachers always said, “nothing new by nobody special.” So, I find it very important to honor the teachers that walked this road before me and paved the way.
I studied herbs with Susun Weed, but my primary teacher here in Colorado is Shelly Torgove with Artemisia and Rue who taught me Community Herbalism (in the Traditional Western Herbalism Tradition), and Women’s Herbal and Ethno-botanical studies. And she was the first teacher that taught me the “medicine” of sitting in circle with women, sharing our wisdom with generosity, and creating ritual and ceremony. I will always be grateful for the day another healer mentioned her name and I sought her out immediately. I live to learn so I have read countless books, taken online courses to deepen my knowledge and am currently studying the Folk Medicine and Herbal practices of my Southern Italian/Mediterranean ancestral wisdom.
I am also a Certified Aromatherapist through Aromahead Institute, as well as studies with V. Joy Mussachio of Stillpoint Aromatics and Animal Aromatherapy through Animal Essentials.
My passion and study of the plants is focused on the emotional, spiritual and ritual uses of the plants, as well as cross-cultural Folk Medicine and the stories of the plants and their ability to heal us on all levels that have passed from generation to generation. Like art and music, I believe the plants are a great equalizer. And I hold them in deep reverence and with respect. Herbs are the medicine of the people all over the world and have been since time immemorial.
I believe in the harmony between humans and plants (animals too!) and that it is a reciprocal relationship of honoring, listening, and healing. Plants work synergistically on all levels- body, mind and soul. They are my allies and teachers, and my hope is that you allow them to be the same for you. I invite you all to deepen your relationship with and choose one plant as your ally. My ancestral plant ally is Bay Laurel or Alloro in Italian. I spend time with this plant every day in many forms and for many of its benefits. But mostly what Bay teaches me is to access my intuition, my intelligence and to bring those visions into reality. Listening to Bay is one of the reasons I decided to become the Proprietress of Anna’s.
My goal is to continue to provide the community with the quality of the remedies they are used to, as well as, introducing more from my “medicine basket”. Over time and with a level of patience and grace from and for all I plan to deepen Anna’s into a level of customer service and community building that I call “radical hospitality”, and to provide education on these wonderful plants both in store and online. I exist to delight you and provide a sensory experience. I also consider myself a servant leader. I work for my staff and for my customers. You will notice some small and hopefully amazing changes that make doing business with us easier and aligned to your needs and engagement with the products. All while having a whole lot of fun and bringing the joy and humor! Because without that, what's the point?
In the meantime, I truly do look forward to meeting you all, I look forward to deepening our kinship and I am here to answer any questions you may have.
Lastly, I would not be here without the amazing support of my family most especially my husband and sacred partner Jason who has supported me in my dreams and visions for nearly 30 years.
With this transition, we're bringing fresh energy, new offerings, and the return of some community favorites
New Herbal Arrivals - We're expanding our shelves with Blue Lotus! Blue lotus is a revered flower known for its calming, heart-opening, and dream-enhancing properties. We are elated to be able to share this beautiful plant with our community. It is a sacred plant that we are keeping as an In-store exclusive for now so come visit us and learn more of the rich folklore, history and healing properties of this plant.
Mother's Day Specials - Celebrate the mothers in your life with beautifully curated herbal bundles designed for relaxation, nourishment, and self-care. Stay tuned for our gift guide!
Herbal Education - Classes are coming back later this summer! We're excited to reopen our doors for herbal workshops and community gatherings. Whether you're new to herbalism or looking to deepen your knowledge, we can't wait to learn and grow with you. In order to best serve you and develop the classes that would expand and deepen your relationship with the plants we would love for you to respond and let us know what classes would excite and delight you!
This is just the beginning...We have such a long way to go with what we want to create and we would love for you to be a part of it. Stop by, say hello and experience the new energy at Anna's Apothecary. Expect that you will see a lot more communication and education both in-person and online. Thank you for your continued support - we can't wait to embark on this journey together.
