SugarPill: Full Apothecary in Capital Hill

Ashley Metcalf

Proprietor Karyn Schwartz crafts magic for her customers with the use of Apothecary, Culinary and Mercantile ingredients.

To the common eye, SugarPill may appear to be yet another retail shop offering souvenirs to bypassing tourists. But taking a closer look, SugarPill offers a unique and eclectic mercantile rare to Seattle, as well as free consultations.

Owner Karyn Schwartz started her company last February providing herbal supplies, natural remedies, and culinary spices. Her products appeal to a variety of people, and establishing a retail base to offer her services is something Karyn has sought for quite some time. The apothecary section features bulk herbs, the culinary area offers seasoning blends, salts and spices, and the mercantile category includes natural body and skin care products, paper goods and nutritional supplements. "What is very popular are my culinary options such as salts, honeys, preserves, chocolates, teas-all being from local vendors," explains Karyn.

With a varied background in social work, massage therapy and being a chef, Karyn is passionate about helping her community. Opening SugarPill has offered her a nice outlet to serve her family, friends and the public. "This has been such an amazing opportunity to reach a lot of people and be available to my neighborhood, as the best work I do is teaching people."

Karyn is thankful to give to back, since her business start-up was in a large part possible because of community support. Karyn had immense assistance from friends, clients, colleagues and her amazing partner that believed in her success. In 2010, Karyn sent a proposal to her community, in what she calls a CSA Investment- Community Supported Apothecary, based on the older model Community Supported Agriculture. Karyn sent a letter out to her community explaining her business model and services, and asking for support. Within a few weeks Karyn received over 100 responses with offers of capital and confidence. In a matter of weeks Karyn gained half of the capital she needed to open her retail shop, the other half was obtained through a loan by Community Capital Development with the assistance of the Washington Women’s Business Center.

In the future, Karyn wants to make her business more sustainable, and help more people throughout her community. She feels lucky she is in a position to help already, and hopes her business grows and reaches more people throughout the Seattle Area. Stop by SugarPill today to get a knowledgeable consultation, herbal remedies, and goodies along the way.

SugarPill 900 E. Pine St. Seattle, WA 98122 • T 206.322.7455

ReUsies: Little Baggies That Make a Big Difference

Ashley Metcalf

The Seattle based company, ReUsies, has been in operation since 2008, offering customers a nice alternative to the traditional sandwich/snack bags. ReUsies owners Karen Whorton and Becky Harper realized their families went through a multitude of plastic bags every day, and were interested in finding a substitute. After they tested their reusable baggies at their children's school, they knew they had a brilliant idea on their hands, and sales catapulted once they launched their business.

"Reusable water bottles, boxes and Tupperware are too cumbersome for my kids," explains Karen, as she details the beginning of her business venture. She was fascinated with not only conserving the many daily lunch bags used by her family, but also leaving a smaller footprint for future generations. They offers re-usable, 100% cotton bags lined with leak-resistant nylon and secured with Velcro closures in numerous is sizes and designs; appealing to a wide, diverse customer base.

"We are proud that over 12 million plastic baggies have not been used, thanks to our product. This is such a personal accomplishment," Karen details. Remarkably, ReUsies is making a slow and steady impact and, with the help of Groupon, growth intensified even more last year. This online resource was huge exposure to clientele who otherwise would not find their product, and they hope to utilize Groupon’s services later again next year.

ReUsies is still expanding, and Karen enjoys working along her partner for many reasons, the main being their complementary strengths. "We prefer to handle different parts of the business and pride ourselves on our responsiveness to our customers, since we deal directly with them." Their long term goal is to continue expanding and one day have the opportunity to hire additional employees or an intern.

ReUsies is undoubtedly doing their part to spread awareness about environmental issues, and you can follow their developments at reusies.com/blog and their twitter page at #ReUsies. To see their lists of products, or to read more about the company, please visit their website at www.reusies.com.