Herb store celebrates one-year anniversary

MAT-SU -- A year in business this week, All About Herbs Inc. has been deemed a success by owners Dori and David Cranmore. Located in the Wasilla Shopping Center on the Parks Highway, All About Herbs has provided the Valley with a one-stop herb, natural supplement and gift shop.

"The community has been very supportive, and we have made some wonderful friends," Dori said. "I had no idea there are so many people who enjoy the same things we do."

Dori, a registered nurse, started her first-aid product line, Mat-Su Skin Deep, four years ago. Once people started showing up at her house at odd hours just to pick up products, she and David realized the potential of having their own store.

"We work together seven days a week," she said. "It's just us and the dog."

The couple makes many of the products available in the store; like soaps, teas and oils, and also has an extensive line of other natural supplements and herbs from out of state. Unknown to the couple when they started the business, another herb store, The Health Food Shoppe and Nutrition Center, was located in the same spot from 1976 to 1986. Both Dori and David said that listening to the stories of the older Wasilla population recalling their memories of the store has been exciting.

"There was one woman who remembered coming in for yogurt," Dori said. "I guess they had a lot more in the way of food."

While a trip to All About Herbs may not fill your stomach, the Cranmores hope it will fill your head with knowledge about therapeutic wellness. Dori first became interested in natural wellness while working as a nurse for 27 years.

"I knew there was an alternative to chemical prescriptions," she said. "At the same time, we have a lot of people here who just make soap."

The Cranmores meet customers who come in with herbal supplements written on a doctor's prescription pad and others who are just hoping to pick up a gift for a friend or family member. For anyone interested in getting more information on natural wellness, they welcome them to stop by and check out the store's merchandise, take one of the many classes offered, or just pop in and read one of the books available at the store.

"We want to just advocate wellness in general," Dori said.

All About Herbs is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Cranmores make most of their products in the store and are happy to instruct customers on how to make their own.