Apothec owner Tricia Boor (Photo by Marcus Ingram)
Libbie and Grove lifestyle store Apothec has always been a dreamy destination, but its recent expansion takes the pantry and parfumerie to fairy-tale levels of spellbinding.
“This side is the pantry,” owner Tricia Boor says, gesturing to the ornate ceiling, expansive bar and freshly painted walls. At the end of last year, Boor took over the shuttered Sugar & Hive Beauty Bar building next door on Libbie Avenue, giving her an extra 2,600 square feet to play with.
The additional space has allowed her to take things up a notch. Inside, guests will discover a tea bar; ample seating with multiple cozy nooks; gourmet pantry goods including olives, almonds and dark chocolate cookies; a pastry case featuring a rotating selection of fresh tea- and herb-infused treats from Superior Creamery & Confections; sparkling teas on tap such as Rosy Dragon, made with rosehips and passionfruit; and a huge, beautifully designed industrial kitchen tucked away in the back.
“I’m hoping this place inspires people in some way,” Boor says. “I hope when someone walks through this door, it takes them somewhere else.”
Over the past five years, the master aesthetician and massage therapist has built up her business. In addition to serving restorative beverages, Boor offers massage and skin care services in two treatment rooms and sells carefully sourced, housemade scrubs, lotions and scents that she creates in Apothec’s solarium.
The store is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., with its small team rotating between brewing herbal simple syrups in the spacious kitchen to mixing essential oils in the perfumery and crafting “sacred sips” such as the Choco Chaga with Peruvian cacoa, chaga and reishi mushrooms.
Follow Apothec on Instagram for information on upcoming events. (Photo by Marcus Ingram)
From the moody lighting to the subtly swirling sweet, earthy aromas and steaming-hot tea lattes, the space is a multisensory experience, ripe for work and play. “The other day I came out of the treatment room, and there were four people on their laptops finishing a work meeting,” she says. “They ordered another round of lattes and started to play my parents’ old Chinese checkers board.”
During the pandemic, Boor seized the opportunity to purchase CaryTown Teas from original owner Patricia Guillouard, who was leaving for her native France.
“It seemed like a very symbiotic business because we were already doing our restorative libation bar and using herbs in our products at Apothec,” Boor says. She teamed up with Apothec employee Andrea Post, who was also working at CaryTown Teas, to purchase the business together.
Apothec currently carries about 90% of CaryTown Tea’s selection, Boor says, which means there are around 250 teas, tisanes and herbal medicinal blends on the menu, plus delightfully complex tea-based drinks, mocktails and kombucha.
I’m hoping this place inspires people in some way. I hope when someone walks through this door, it takes them somewhere else.
—Tricia Boor, owner of Apothec
And there’s tea for every season of life, literally and metaphorically.
“As warmer weather approaches, things begin to bloom, and with this glorious explosion of life comes allergies,” Boor says.
For spring, she recommends the Allergy Relief blend made with nettle to alleviate inflammation and itchy eyes, elderflower for healthy sinus function, hibiscus for antioxidants and immune-building, and mullein for respiratory support and throat-soothing properties.
That’s a lot of punch in one cup, and Boor understands that the nuanced world of tea may be confusing to the uninitiated. To remedy this, she has launched Tea Talk Tuesdays. Each week, tea guru Post hosts a class in the shop and breaks down a different blend, from rooibos to matcha. For $75, guests receive a flight of three offerings, descriptive cards and literature on the teas, a specially-made confection to pair with their sips and a store discount.
Boor says the flights are available any time, so trips to the store can be as exploratory as guests like. Her hope is that part of the experience includes visiting the row of teas on tap in the middle of the pantry. “I thought, ‘Tea on Tap,’ that sounds sexy,” Boor says, laughing.
She hadn’t realized that when her teas came up from the keg and through the tap, they’d be bubbly. The happy part? They taste delicious. Boor tinkers with flavors — she recently featured a strawberry-yuzu green tea with pieces of papaya and strawberry, spiked with yuzu simple syrup. It’s sweet but herbal, silky smooth and perfectly effervescent, a little like magic in a cup.
Silver Needle Jasmine tea (Photo courtesy Tricia Boor)
Boor’s Seasonal Sip
“From the High Mountains of the Fujian Province in Yunnan, China, our Silver Needle Jasmine tea is a delicate white tea infused with fragrant jasmine blossoms. Silver Needle is harvested in the early springtime and is always handpicked. The tea’s intoxicating fragrance promotes a sense of calmness and beauty and is great for digestion and the immune system. Its fragrant aroma and delicate taste make for a refreshing and delightful tea that can be enjoyed hot or cold.”
