Marianne Wilson Stein started Natural Earth and Body, Inc. in June of 2001. What began as a small skincare business based out of her home studio eventually transformed into a full skincare company and tea shop: The Dandelion Teahouse & Apothecary.
Today, Wilson Stein owns and operates the company and has three employees working with her. Customers can order tea drinks, buy loose herbs and teas to take home, purchase skincare products, jewelry, and other products made by local artists and vendors. The company operates under three brands: Gifts from the Earth, Imbibe Nature and Dandelion Teahouse & Apothecary.
In 2010, Wilson Stein started selling her Gifts of the Earth products at the Vancouver Farmers Market and business took off.
“Eventually we had to hire staff to help us run that,” she said. “We’ve been at the market ever since, and 2019 was definitely our best year yet. Then 2020 happened, and what should have been a stellar year was definitely lack luster, but luckily we still had steady online sales and were able to participate in the farmers market as much as possible.”
The company won the Vancouver’s Downtown Association’s Launchpad competition, which helped make up some of the revenue loss and gave them a boost to get their brick-and-mortar shop running at 109 W. Seventh St., in downtown Vancouver.
“Taking it to the next level in a brick-and-mortar downtown has been amazing,” Wilson Stein said. “We have met so many local business owners and people from the community who are so happy to see our teahouse in downtown – it means so much to us to have so much support from our friends and neighbors. The response has been fantastic.”
Looking ahead, Wilson Stein said that their official grand opening will be on Aug. 21, where they will be part of a block party downtown with teas, local artists and food from their business neighbors, Six Shooter. There will also be door prizes, tarot readers and other fun magical happenings with the main event called The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party: A Doggy Fashion Show, where all dogs are welcome.
“We will be ending the evening with our wishing tree ceremony – sending all of the wishes that our customers have written out into the universe,” Wilson Stein said. “After all, the dandelion I remember as a child is about making wishes come true.”
