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| Smallflower
Information |
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Read
"the rest of the story" behind this unique and innovative merchant. |
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The Beginning
In 1875, Peter Merz, a Chicago pharmacist, opened Merz Apothecary
on the city's north side. In a way, it was not much different than the other corner drugstores which existed in every American neighborhood and town at the time.
In the early 1960s, corner drugstores throughout the United States began to die off. Low margins on prescriptions and competition from large chain drugstores drove independent pharmacies out of business. The American pharmacist was quickly reduced from a trusted source of health advice to a mere pill-counter.
Despite the success of the business, in 1972 Ralph Merz was ready to retire--without a successor. The store, which had been in the family for three generations, was about to close permanently. One month before the scheduled closing, 26-year-old pharmacist (and Smallflower.com cofounder), Abdul Qaiyum, walked into Merz Apothecary after hearing about it from his German in-laws. He immediately fell in love with the store.
Over the next few years the extinction of the independent pharmacy continued, yet Qaiyum managed to expand Merz Apothecary's business dramatically, developing a significant mail order business across the country. He also noticed that more and more American customers were seeking out the store because they needed a quality source of natural products and information. So in 1982, he moved Merz Apothecary to its current, larger location--only a few miles from the original one. The new store was custom-built to replicate a turn-of-the-century European apothecary, complete with a hand-carved wooden exterior, leaded glass windows, parquet floors, tin ceilings, and solid oak cabinets. The store's original antique pharmacy jars and herb containers (which were still in use) now had a fitting home. The shift in the Apothecary's location was matched by an important shift in its wellness approach. With the move, Qaiyum expanded the store's inventory to include homeopathic remedies, vitamins, supplements, and other natural medicines. This expansion was part of the larger vision of health which he began to develop at the time. Qaiyum realized that true health involves feeling good mentally, physically, and emotionally. In order to meet those needs, he began offering natural skin care, bath, aromatherapy, and other personal care products from around the world. Such a mix of external and internal health and physical and emotional well being was unheard of at the time and the store's popularity grew enormously among Americans and international customers alike.
Want
"The
Rest
of
the
Rest
of
the
story"?
Click
here.
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Departments
Bath & Body
Natural Health Gift Center Men Children Women Shop by Country By "Flavor"
Pet Health
Specials Just for Towne Center Mall Shoppers
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We have selected some of our personal favorites and presented them in the lists below.
Please enjoy.
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Peppermint Tea
Product Description:
This delicious, peppermint and licorish tea works wonders on congestion associated with the common cold, hay fever, sinusitis, and other upper respiratory allergies, restoring freer breathing through the nose. The secret ingredient is pseudo-epherdra, a water-solutable epheredrine alkaloid that loosens the nasal passages. Make it like any tea. Don't exceed 8 cups in 24 hours. |
Manufacturer: Traditional Medicinals
Product Line: Medicinal Formulas
Size: 16 tea bags
$4.04 |
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| Product Description:
Natural Animal Organic Catnip is certified to be grown without pesticides or chemical fertilizers. Many cat owners rave about the calming influence of catnip, a truly natural treat. And, more importantly, cats seem to enjoy the fresh scent of this wonderful herb. |
Manufacturer: Natural Animal
Size: 3 oz
Country of Origin: USA
Your Price: $8.95 |
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Lavender Lovers Only
Good Home Co. Lavender Laundry Kit. Lavender lovers will lavish you with thanks and praise for this stylish collection of products, including laundry fragrance, sheet spray, and dryer sachets (all in lavender, of course)!
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$24.00 |
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On Your Toes
Ballet Soap by Scottish Fine Soaps. These darling ballet slipper soaps are a cute gift for an aspiring ballerina or any little girl with dancing dreams. |
$7.50 each |
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Tea Tree Oil is 'Sole Food' from Down Under. Long valued by the Australian Aborigines for its natural antiseptic, antifungal, and healing properties, tea tree oil is especially effective in treating tired, worn-out feet. Combined with specially formulated Earth Therapeutics blends, the virtues of tea tree oil are enhanced to provide for wonderfully soothing, refreshing, and revitalizing foot therapy.
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Soothing~~$8.40 |
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| We
hope
you
enjoy
your
shopping
experience
with
this
fine
featured
merchant
at
Towne
Centre
Mall.
Our
staff
is
dedicated
to
bring
you
the
very
best
in
on
line
shopping.
Email
us
and
tell
us
what
you
would
like
to
see
added
to
our
site.
We
appreciate
your
comments. |
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