WILLIAMSBURG — The Green Cauldron Apothecary’s owner, Amanda Parrish, is constantly searching for new ways to bring positivity to those in need.
The goal that Parrish has for her shop, which sits at 7191 Richmond Rd. Ste. A in Williamsburg, is to provide locals with a place to purchase holistic remedies. Whether that is found in the shop’s wide selection of various stones, each hand-selected by Parrish herself, or from the many different herbs that the business offers at the back wall of the shop, there is something for everyone.
Parrish was inspired to learn more about these holistic remedies by her late grandmother, who Parrish grew up with while living in Maine.
“She had gardens everywhere,” said Parrish in an interview with WYDaily. “If you had a cough, she would not take you to the doctor. She would not give you medicine. She would go out in the garden and clip things and grind them up, and, regardless of what it tasted like, you drank it, and you felt better.”
Since The Green Cauldron Apothecary opened two years ago, the response by locals has exceeded Parrish’s own expectations and ideas of what the business would become.
“I opened the shop, and I didn’t know if it was going to become anything,” said Parrish. “I was like, ‘Well, if nothing else, I will have a job that will suffice.’ But the people that I’ve met, the people that walk through the door, I could never leave. I could never leave Williamsburg because of the community that has come in.”
It’s the community that Parrish cares about. Every year, she searches for new ways to give back through the use of donations. Last year, The Green Cauldron Apothecary helped donate to a local domestic abuse shelter Avalon. She has also helped LoveIsLove in Williamsburg by donating 10 percent of the shop’s sales during pride week.
Since opening, the business has moved into a new space. Last October, the business moved to a location one door down from its original spot. Then, Parrish transformed the new space from what was once just an office area to that of her very own machinations. She reminisced adding the ceiling tiles as a personal touch to complete her vision of how she wanted her shop to look.
“There was an office setting in here, and when COVID[-19] happened, they shut their offices,” said Parrish. “So I approached them and said, ‘If you want to swap buildings, I’ll do it.’ So we just swapped.'”
Parrish says that she aims to make the space inviting and feel like home.
The apothecary’s shelves are lined with dazzling crystals of every color, shape, and size. Parrish says that there is a belief system associated with the crystals that intertwine with meditation and yoga. According to Parrish, crystals are supposed to provide a certain type of energy. For example, if a piece reminds you of an idea like love, courage, or positivity, then the stone makes that difference for the holder.
She plans to travel to Arizona next month for the Tuscon Gem & Mineral Show 2022, where she plans to bring back even more inventory for her shop.
“Come in and walk around and see what you’re drawn to,” said Parrish. “See what’s calling out to you. See what it is that you really want to touch. 9 out of 10 times when you’re walking around and there’s something that you can’t stop thinking about, chances are if you look up what that crystal does for people, it’s what you are searching for.”
For more information on The Green Cauldron Apothecary, please visit its Facebook page for more updates.
