Windblown Apothecary brings fair trade goods and natural beauty products to Lynchburg

• New store in downtown Lynchburg sells natural, fair trade products and holds flower and wreath pop-up shops.
• By opening Windblown Apothecary to accompany sister stores Live Trendy or Die and Conscious Mercantile, the owner hopes to help Lynchburg’s economy.

Windblown Apothecary, the latest boutique to open in downtown Lynchburg, took root Sept. 14 to fill a niche in the city by selling all-natural health and beauty products along with fair trade home goods.

Stephanie Atkinson, the owner of Windblown Apothecary, said one of her goals in starting the store was to make healthier products available to the community.

“I liked the idea of a retail base that could focus on products that people who live the healthier lifestyle can enjoy,” Atkinson said. “So, if you have a gluten allergy or you prefer plants or home healing, it kind of focuses on that.”

The store carries health and beauty supplies, and all the brands it carries are vegan and cruelty free. Atkinson said the shop also does not stock products that contain leather or animal fur. Other items Windblown Apothecary stocks include greeting cards, cookbooks, decorative items and fair trade pillows and blankets.

“We have a great customer base, and I think people who live downtown and people who like coming downtown are always looking for new organic shops to enjoy and to buy gifts from,” Atkinson said.

Atkinson said Windblown Apothecary also has special promotions each month to sell floral arrangements.

“We do various pop-up shops each month where we’ll have florists come in and sell bouquets, and the flowers are grown in the USA,” Atkinson said.

While Windblown Apothecary has only done a floral arrangement pop-up so far, Atkinson said they will do shops for wreathes during the holiday months. When Windblown Apothecary has new skin care lines, they will also host a shop to have someone come in and talk about them.

Atkinson hopes Windblown Apothecary will continue bringing people and businesses into the community.

“We want to continue the development of downtown Lynchburg and make that a shoppable, livable and workable place for people to enjoy and enable our community to be a tourist destination in Central Virginia for small business. … ,” Atkinson said.

Windblown Apothecary is a sister store to Live Trendy or Die and the Conscious Mercantile, two other boutiques downtown.

Atkinson said her stores host and have relationships with over 45 local makers who contribute locally-made products to the stores. Although the products are generally made by individuals, Atkinson said they do their best to make sure their products are professional.

“We also really look for nice packaging,” Atkinson said. “It’s professional, so it does not look like it is coming out of someone’s kitchen.”

While Windblown Apothecary does not have its website up yet, Atkinson can be contacted through Instagram at @windblownapothecary, and the shop’s Facebook page can be found at @thewindblownapothecary.