Medicinal herbs

BOULDER – Rebecca Luna believes in moving slow and steady. And since her shop celebrated its seventh anniversary in September with a consistent 20 percent growth in sales, she’s probably onto something.

On any given day, the traffic in Rebecca’s Herbal Apothecary & Supply at 1227 Spruce St. in Boulder, buzzes with conversations and questions about the herbs, tinctures, books and body-care products. Some people use the herbs to make medicinal remedies and some make teas.

In addition to carrying a collection of products from various companies, Rebecca’s offers its own line of products created on-site ranging from salves to tooth powder. Trained certified herbalists mix and blend the ingredients in the kitchen, a space just behind a display case.

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Although the staff has more than 75 years combined knowledge about herbs, they stick to guidelines that limit what they can tell customers about medicinal uses.

“We can speak of our own experience, explain traditional medicinal uses and tell the properties of products but never say that a certain herb cures something,” Luna explained.

When customers ask for input that goes beyond the education focus, they are given a referral list of herbal consultants as well as naturopaths and other physicians.

As sole owner of the business that occupies a 1,600-square-foot shop, Luna prepared to open the business for seven years.

“I was waiting for my son to get old enough and to get enough capital,” she said. “I saved coins and $5 checks from Grandma Luna and combined it with family gifts and a few loans.”

With a background that includes certification as a clinical herbalist and teaching at the former Rocky Mountain Center for Botanical Studies, Luna believes she’s now in the right place with her business.

“I was born to work behind that counter,” she said.

Rebecca’s startup costs, which included opening shop in a 1,050-square-foot space one door down from the current location, totaled about $80,000. “To start a business you need to have enough money to not make money for a while,” Luna said.

To make the small spaces work, Luna said her landlord allowed her to build sheds in the courtyard where she now keeps canning jars. The rest of her inventory is on display or in bins on floor-to-ceiling shelves in the back room. “Herbs are big and bulky,” she said.

Products carried by the herbal apothecary include whole herbs, clays, flower essences and essential oils down to the drop. And to support herbal medicine-making, it maintains a good supply of packaging containers and instructional books.

The in-store inventory from various suppliers rings in between $60,000 and $70,000. Rebecca’s line of 125 products made on-site, however, represent the majority of sales – about 70 percent of the annual total of $500,000.

The ratio was not something Luna projected when she first opened her doors. She planned to focus on providing everything needed to make herbal medicine and expected those things to come from an assortment of suppliers.

“I didn’t think that was the business I was getting into,” she said, adding a realization along the way, “You can’t make a living selling herbs.”

To help customers learn how to create their own herbal concoctions, Rebecca’s offers a variety of classes that range from soap making to blending essential oils for a healthy complexion.

The classes are taught by the staff of certified herbalists.

“I wanted to pay employees well and to retain good people,” Luna said. Offering classes where all the money goes to the teachers is a great way to pay more.”

To stretch the reach of sales, Rebecca’s launched an online store in October at www.rebeccasherbs.com. In Luna’s fashion of looking before leaping, she waited all these years to make sure it was the right move.

“I didn’t want anything to suffer with our brick and mortar store, even though people have been asking for an online store for five years,” she said. “In part, it’s a leap of faith, but I think we’re old enough to do this now.

“We’re hoping it will increase sales by at least 20 percent,” she said.