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We are glad to be back after our Thanksgiving Break! And our vendor spotlight this week is on Karen Purke, of McGuffey Herb and Spice Co!

An artist by trade and a familiar face around town, Karen began to craft blends of herbal teas, dips, and spreads five years ago, when the sluggish economy resulted in a decrease of patrons for her art classes.

When she began to look for something additional to do, her first thought was, “All people have to eat”… that led to using her favorite herbs to play around with concepts and recipes – with some, such as Berry Good Tea, she hit the mark on the first try. And others just made sense… she wanted something that tasted like an after-dinner mint, and voila – enter her Chocolate Mint Tea!

As we talked about her growing business, Karen smiled slyly and showed me her ingenious storage area – what was once a massive and useless VCR storage cupboard is now home to her impeccably labeled and organized herbs and blends!

Along with her customers, I appreciate Karen’s dedication to using only organic ingredients. I listened to Karen describe how her daughter became horribly sick 6 years ago, and improved remarkably, but only after the doctor put her on an all-organic diet. Being able to see that kind of impact firsthand makes her that much more committed to providing quality, healthful products.

The descriptions on her products are so interesting – Being a mother of four, when I read her info on “Sleepy Town Tea”, I could just picture a mother sending her children off to bed with that analogy. And I love that historic sources inspire many of her blends, such as her Liberty Tea.

But her Normandy mix is my personal favorite – very unique – I’m smiling just thinking how fast my five year old can polish off an entire cucumber with it’s help!

I came away with such a respect for both her creativity and just how devoted she is to quality. There is a solid reason behind everything she does, and she incorporates that healthy dedication into each of her yummy products. What can I say? I love these vendors!!